I'm not sure my accessory muscles are my friends

[suzy]

Side note: I've never even done a Tracey Anderson workout, but I'm still familiar with "teeny-tiny" and "accessory muscles." She's got some PR going for her!

I lost some weight recently doing a combination of cardio, functional fitness, and Ellen's Studio series. Over the past few months I have been doing Pilates/ballet/yoga fusion workouts and continuing the cardio. I'm pleased with the results in a sense because although I've only lost 1 more pound since beginning that type of work I'm smaller. People didn't seem to notice the 18 pound loss before, but now people are asking if I've lost weight. It's like working the smaller, stabilizing muscles has made me more compact.

The problem - I look okay in long sleeves and pants, but I don't want to keep wearing those in spring and summer. Where I'm tighter and more compact...even seeing definition, it's like there is a layer of loose skin over it. Not a lot of flab so much as just a thin layer of skin that doesn't seem to fit any more.

If that even makes sense, does anyone have suggestions for what to do about it? Heavy weights have never worked well for me, but do I maybe need to spend some time working the larger muscles? Or...?

I would appreciate any suggestions for DVDs or specific moves.

[RedPanda]

Congrats on your weight loss!

Unfortunately, loose skin is the downside of losing weight/mass. You may well find that the skin "tightens up" of its own accord; this can take up to a year.

Other than that, I'd recommend developing your larger muscles through traditional strength training to "fill out" the loose skin. This has worked well for me, although after losing 90 pounds, I'll always have some loose skin on the undersides of my arms and the sides of my upper body.

Another thought is that it's probably not as noticeable to other people as it is to you - we can be our own worst critics.

[Mary09(b)]

What she said. Time will solve it. Bare those arms and be proud of what you've accomplished!

[moonbeam31]

moisturize! Get a good body lotion- they make Firming formulas and just moisturize and keep doing your wokouts! Clean eating helps and get some good vitamins-check out which ones are good for skin/hair /nails etc. Lots of water consumption too! Just keep it up!
Tracy

[Sue B]

At your age (I peeked! sorry ) loose skin is just going to be a fact of life. Skin gets less elastic over time and gravity takes its toll also. My abs bounced back within a year from my first pregnancy, but after the second, they just stayed there even though I lost all the weight and then some.

Our favorite older instructors are thin, ripped and look fantastic, but they don't look like teenagers. (Hands usually give age away!) I agree with strength training and moisture - plus lots of sleep and sunscreen - to keep your skin looking its best.

[suzy]

Thanks, everyone. Sounds like good advice.

RedPanda, you may be right about me being my own worst critic. I sure hope so!

Sue, yeah...I was thinking it was an age thing! I had a baby at 41 and lost the weight quickly with no loose skin issues. I just thought maybe I was ageless! (Totally kidding)

[kat999]

Originally Posted by moonbeam31

moisturize! Get a good body lotion- they make Firming formulas and just moisturize and keep doing your wokouts! Clean eating helps and get some good vitamins-check out which ones are good for skin/hair /nails etc. Lots of water consumption too! Just keep it up!
Tracy

I've found, too, that even moisturizing lotions not specifically marketed as "firming" do help. I don't have very dry skin, but I made a point to start using moisturizing body lotion every day this winter, and I can tell it's made a difference in cellulite and loose skin, probably just due to the massaging effect.

[suzy]

Moisturizing does make sense (along with the other advice). Since your skin will look a bit wrinkled if you are dehydrated on the inside, being dehydrated on the outside could have the same effect I suppose.

[beyond.omega]

I first heard about skin brushing here at VF, and I started doing it. However, I kept doing it every winter cuz it feels so good! I've started T-tapp recently, and she claims that skin brushing will improve loose skin through improving lymphatic function. (she also tells you to moisturize with aloe gel afterwards.) I should say that I haven't lost all the weight I want to yet, so I don't know if I will have loose skin, and if I do that this will work for me. Really, I just do it cuz I like it.

Don't know if it will help you either. I think its something that can improve, but if it does, it will just take time more than anything else.

[kat999]

Originally Posted by beyond.omega

I first heard about skin brushing here at VF, and I started doing it. However, I kept doing it every winter cuz it feels so good! I've started T-tapp recently, and she claims that skin brushing will improve loose skin through improving lymphatic function. (she also tells you to moisturize with aloe gel afterwards.) I should say that I haven't lost all the weight I want to yet, so I don't know if I will have loose skin, and if I do that this will work for me. Really, I just do it cuz I like it.

Don't know if it will help you either. I think its something that can improve, but if it does, it will just take time more than anything else.

I've meant to try body brushing. What type of brush do you use? I remember reading about the benefits of that years ago in a book I used to have on general wellness/alternative/holistic "good for you" sorts of things.