No More Diets

How can you lose weight without having excess skin?

I have had a few questions about this. It is quite an important issue because many people who have a lot of weight to lose fear that they will look worse after they lose weight if there is a lot of excess sagging skin still there - and this is pretty damaging for motivation in losing weight.

Just to make things trickier it’s quite hard to tell up front whether you will have a problem with loose skin - a lot depends on the natural elasticity of your skin, how long you have been overweight, how fast you gained weight and so on.

Having said that skin IS remarkably elastic and it’s quite amazing how fast it snaps back into place sometimes. For example, most pregnant women look at their tummies after just giving birth and worry they’ll never be the same again - and though skin is never quite so firm or smooth afterwards with good exercise and a healthy diet the tummy is soon looking good again.

The best thing you can do is to give yourself the best possible chance to limit any skin damage which might occur by sticking to the following guidelines. If you have a lot of weight to lose and you lose it, it’s my belief that you will not want to go back to where you were whether or not you have a little excess skin.

1. Lose weight slowly

However good your skin tone, skin needs time to snap back into shape - so the longer you give it to adapt to your changing shape the better.

If you lose weight gradually your skin has a chance to shrink with you. Those who try and lose 100lbs in 6 months are likely to have the most problems while your skin is likely to find it much easier to keep up with you losing less than a pound a week.

2. Eat foods rich in nutrients

Eat plenty of foods which are good for your skin and avoid those which are high in sugar, saturated fat and additives. Choose foods which are high in vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. (Essential fatty acids are found in foods like avocados, olives, oily fish, nuts, seeds and cold pressed oils) Eat plenty of lean protein too. A healthy diet will benefit your skin no end while junk food does not give your skin a fighting chance.

3. Drink plenty of water

Keep skin hydrated by drinking enough good old-fashioned water. Drink it hot, drink it cold, drink it with a slice of lemon but drink it. And avoid drinks which have a diuretic dehydrating effect (tea, coffee, cola) to keep skin healthy. Aim for about 8 glasses of water or cups of pure herbal tea a day to keep skin in tip top condition.

4. Firm up as you Lose

If you lose weight too fast you will lose muscle along with the fat. This does nothing to support the skin which relies on the underlying muscle to keep it looking good. Exercise is not essential for weight loss (just a good idea) but it is absolutely vital to exercise your muscles if you want to preserve your skin.

Remember to include firming exercises for all parts of your body - including your face (an area often forgotten) - in your routine.

5. Moisturize

Use lashings of body lotion on your body and moisturizer on your face and neck to help keep your skin in good condition and hydrated. The lotion can’t penetrate the skin very far but it helps your skin feel good and the massaging action you use when you rub in the cream helps keep skin healthy by encouraging blood and lymph flow.

6. Start Losing Weight as Soon as Possible

If you put off losing weight, you will simply make things worse. The longer you have been overweight and the older you are the less resilient your skin is likely to be. And lose the weight once and be done with it. Going on and off diets all your life is also a bad idea for your skin tone - skin may be forgiving once but when you lose the same 30 lbs over and over it can take its toll on your poor skin as it constantly stretched and loosened.

If you are overweight gradually lose the weight by making a permanent change to your habits one by one. Choose changes that you are happy to live with for the rest of your life and never look back.