A few questions.

[Ovahk]

For people who lost a lot of weight..would you say your loose skin tightened up after a period of time?

And if there anyone here who experience abnormally large legs (as in really large) and got them down to a normal size? I've always had really large legs, and swollen looking ankles..I figured it would go down a lot with weight loss. They have come a long way but I want to know if anyone else has any experience with this.

[Scooterjam]

I don't know? It's hard to say, my skin all over has just kind of snapped back into place, but my weight loss was really slow over the year ya know, so maybe it just had the chance to tighten up as time went by.

[WarOnTypeII]

Kent, one of the success stories whose story is located here ....

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...ad.php?t=33784 (My Atkins success video on Youtube)

Provided a link to his story on video, which is outstanding and inspirational as it gets, in You Tube you get "related links" on the right hand side of the screen. Among them are many of Kent's other videos (Very informative and helpful, I can listen while I work so I like that.).

This one addresses "loose skin"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Azu0txh7lI





And of course, the story that blows my socks off everytime I watch it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmRaD683OXU

[Ovahk]

How about the leg part? My whole life my leg fat has been unproportionate to my upper body, so might it be that I will lose weight lastly from my legs?

[Thin is possible!]

I was really worried about this issue as well. I have to say that with the exception of my inner thighs and my abdomen, my skin is fairing pretty well! I believe that water consumption as well as a dedicated effort to a life-style of weight lifting is essential. I started a weight lifting regimen at about 40 pounds into my weight loss and I feel it has been extremely beneficial!!! Unfortunately, we have to remember that the way we have abused our bodies has done permanent damage to them. So, no...saggy skin is not going to be a mirage...but rather a reality. REMEMBER though, that being thin with a little saggy skin is MUCH more attractive than tight skin filled out with fat!!!! Keep up the good work!

[Ovahk]

I'm only 18 so I'm hoping loose skin will tighten up with time. I have really big calfs and a lot of fat on my lower legs area in general, I'm hoping the last of my weight comes off of there so I can wear shorts again.

[D14965]

At your age your skin should be elastic enough to shrink with your body as you lose . I think loose skin is more of a problem for people who lose large amounts extremely quickly.

[Ovahk]

Well I've lost 77 pounds since June..might I have lost it too fast? I have loose skin under my arms and still have some on my chest.

[julirama723]

Ovahk, I think you should do well. You're young, and 77 pounds in 10 months sounds like a very healthy rate of weight loss. Make sure you drink your water! One thing that has given me NOTICEABLE results is flax oil. I take 2 1200mg capsules each day. The flax oil does wonders for the skin--mine is noticeably firmer and my stretch marks seem to be disappearing! I also use cocoa butter on my skin. Many on the board swear by dry brushing, but I haven't tried that yet, nor do I know too much about it.

[ValidRouge]

I totally feel your pain. My legs, and particularly my calves have been HUGE my entire life. They are still big, but I've been running and weight training through the last year and this is the last place my weight is coming off. But, it IS coming off.

Just in the last couple months, I've noticed particularly that my calves are looking proportionately NORMAL. That area between the calf muscle and my ankle (where I haven't been measuring with a tape measure) is getting smaller. My calf at its largest point isn't getting smaller but that area between the calf muscle and the ankle is. That's the part I really WANT to lose anyway! That's the part that always made my legs look as if I had "Cankles" ya know?

My thighs are getting kind of nice too.... I think mostly because of the running. I haven't really lost much recently in inches, but I can see these awesome muscles in my legs now. So, I'm gaining muscle and losing fat.

All in all, I started with 31" thighs (at the mid-point...I couldn't *bear* to measure them at their largestpoint at the time) to now they are 24" at the largest point!

My calves, I didn't start measuring until like 3 months into my weight loss...and I've gone from 19 1/4" to 17 1/4" at their largest point. I sure wish I'd measured in multiple places though, especially that "Cankle" area.

One of my biggest fears when I started weight training and running is that I ABSOLUTELY DIDN'T WANT my calves to get bigger. And I'd always heard that running made "runners calves" (large calves) and I absolutely didn't want to train my calves. Iyamamaschke and 2big4mysize (members here) told me that they wouldn't get larger and to train them the same. I have done that and I'm VERY pleased with the results I'm getting. I mean they are still bigger than a tiny person's calves...but they ARE getting there and the skin is tightening up too. Not so much in my inner thighs because I have HUGE stretch marks there, but the calves are looking nice. And the thighs are just taking a bit longer.

I take fish and flax oil caplets too and have recently added flax oil to my "smoothies" (I'm on ongoing weight loss).