"Loose Skin" -- a Tracy Anderson comment has me wondering....

[~^~RedFlame~^~]

Originally Posted by ddj

Well, I was only 24 when my son was born and I have stretch marks. I worked out before, during and after the pregnancy and used Mother's Friend during the whole pregnancy, starting before I was really even showing. So I guess there's more than two reasons.

Haha, well, pregnancy was not on my mind. Of course you are right there! But come on, how big do you ladies plan to build your muscles? Pregnancy stretches your belly WAY out, but muscles? Like I said, you would have to really get HUGELY built, and stay there for a while, and then lose it. If you were more mature, your skin would likely have some slack. But still I doubt much. A LOT of weight stretches you a lot, but muscles just don't stretch the skin to THAT degree unless you are talking steroids, which makes it happen SO fast that you get bad stretch marks, etc., from the fast stretching of the skin. I just think that worrying about 'loose skin' down the road is a silly reason to not build some muscle!

Edited to add that the comment about building some muscle possibly helping with mature loose skin has been on my mind for a while now. Every time I get as lean as I would like, my skin is looser and I can't show it off anyway, LOL, because the skin just bothers me. It is the old adage that a woman has to choose between her face and her arse when she ages, because if your arse looks good, your face will likely look older, if you gain some fat, and the arse isn't so cute, your face will look better. But I have been wondering if I were to undertake something like P90X and go for bulk, low reps, if I would build enough muscle to fill out the skin that is not tight enough anymore. I would rather be bigger and be able to wear my halters to show the guns, etc., than having to hide everything under clothing anyway! JMO

[~^~RedFlame~^~]

Originally Posted by susan p

You forgot GENETICS, RedFlame! It's amazing how differently people age, including their skin.

Oh yes! So So true, boy, I really missed the boat on this one, haha. Not fair either. I look around and see women way older than I who do not have that beginning of loose turkey skin under the chin. I am MORTIFIED and hate it. It is really stupid because I find hating any part of a healthy body to be very small minded, haha, but that damn jawline, man it P***es me off! Some women in their 80's don't have it, and others in their 30's do. All of my family is gone, so I can't go an sock whomever I inherited these genetics from. I don't recall my mother having it.......alas, I am healthy and fit and grumble, will not obsess!

[pumptmuscle]

Originally Posted by RedPanda

I haven't read the rest of the thread, but I'm just chiming in to say that the man you referred to is partially - but only partially - right. The "loose skin" that is left after massive weight loss is partly skin and partly "fat cells which have shed their contents", as my plastic surgeon described it. After I first lost weight I had a bit of loose skin in my armpits and underarms. It has now retracted due to time and building up my triceps. But the very soft flesh that remains is the dreaded empty fat cells and they won't go anywhere without surgery. You can gain fat cells through gaining fat, but you can never lose them; they will just sit on your body like little empty balloons weighting to be filled up - another reason why it is very easy to regain lost weight.

As for the remark about anorexics and concentration camp victims, I would think that the reason they don't have much loose skin is that they weren't fat in the first place. Instead of going from overweight/obese to normal/slim, they went from normal/slim to emaciated - big difference in the amount of weight lost.

ITA 100% Very well said

[ddj]

Red, genetics was what I was talking about when I mentioned the stretch marks from pregnancy. You mentioned two things, and that wasn't one of them. I wasn't comparing pregnancy to muscle mass.

[Sue B]

Originally Posted by ddj

Well, I was only 24 when my son was born and I have stretch marks. I worked out before, during and after the pregnancy and used Mother's Friend during the whole pregnancy, starting before I was really even showing. So I guess there's more than two reasons.

I fell for the 100% cocoa butter line (is that what Mother's Friend is?). I bought several sticks of cocoa butter and smeared it on my belly every day of my pregnancy. All I got in return, were extra-greasy stretch marks But on the positive side, my belly smelled yummy! Sometimes if I stood behind someone in a store, they would sniff the air and say "Is someone baking cookies?"

[Debbie S.]

Originally Posted by Sue B

I fell for the 100% cocoa butter line (is that what Mother's Friend is?). I bought several sticks of cocoa butter and smeared it on my belly every day of my pregnancy. All I got in return, were extra-greasy stretch marks But on the positive side, my belly smelled yummy! Sometimes if I stood behind someone in a store, they would sniff the air and say "Is someone baking cookies?"

LOL! You did have something baking in the oven, just not cookies.

[pumptmuscle]

Originally Posted by Debbie S.

LOL! You did have something baking in the oven, just not cookies.

That was classic Debbie! We sure are having some fun with this thread. I'm just glad I never mentioned how bad my stretch marks were after giving birth to my second child. SO glad they're finally gone!

[Sue B]

Originally Posted by Debbie S.

LOL! You did have something baking in the oven, just not cookies.

Ha, that would've been a good comeback! I never said anything; "that's my smelly belly" would've freaked them out, I think

[~^~RedFlame~^~]

Originally Posted by ddj

Red, genetics was what I was talking about when I mentioned the stretch marks from pregnancy. You mentioned two things, and that wasn't one of them. I wasn't comparing pregnancy to muscle mass.

Haha, nonono, I know that. I kindof just ran my ideas together and it came out that way, LOL!

[ddj]

Originally Posted by Sue B

I fell for the 100% cocoa butter line (is that what Mother's Friend is?). I bought several sticks of cocoa butter and smeared it on my belly every day of my pregnancy. All I got in return, were extra-greasy stretch marks But on the positive side, my belly smelled yummy! Sometimes if I stood behind someone in a store, they would sniff the air and say "Is someone baking cookies?"

Yes, Mother's Friend was supposed to keep your skin moisturized so the stretch marks wouldn't occur. I went around like a greased pig throughout the whole pregnancy. Didn't work. Got 'em anyway.