When you lose a large amount of weight, it is not uncommon to be left with some excess skin. Fortunately, there are some things you could do during your weight loss journey to reduce the appearance of loose skin. Read on to discover how you can go about it!
Don’t Lose Weight Too Fast
One common issue is that men can lose weight quickly, especially if they are dedicated to their lifestyle change. However, losing more than a kilo a week could increase your chances of excess skin, because your body doesn’t have the time to adjust to its new shape. Going on crash diets and losing large amounts of weight too fast could also increase your chances of regaining your weight after you’ve reached your goal. In short, slow and steady wins the race!
Fat vs Skin
After you have lost a considerable amount of weight, you might notice some sagging around your belly, arms, and upper legs. Most people believe that this is excess skin, but sometimes there is still some fat to lose!
A good way to test the presence of excess fat is by pinching the sagging area. If you can pinch more than a couple of millimetres of skin, then there is more fat in that area you could be losing. It also means that the sagginess in that area could still reduce as you lose more weight.
Build Muscle
One of the best ways to combat loose skin is to build muscle. This can be explained by two specific layers of tissue underneath your skin: fat and muscle. Both fat and muscle press up against the skin and give it its volume. So, by building muscle mass early on, you can effectively reduce the appearance of saggy skin.
The speed with which you lose weight will again be important here, because losing it too fast does not give your skin time to shrink in the same manner as your fat cells. Instead, it is vital to build muscle as you lose your weight in a healthy and balanced manner.
To build more muscle during your weight loss journey, you must incorporate strength training in your exercise routine. Cardio is necessary to burn the fat, but muscle burns fat too! Muscle needs energy to work properly, which it could get from burning more of those fats. Of course, growing muscle mass also reduces the appearance of loose skin, which means there is more than one benefit from adding a bit more strength training to your overall exercise plan.
Protect Skin Quality
The quality of your skin will have an impact on the amount of excess skin you have after a significant amount of weight loss. So, taking good care of your skin should also be a priority during your weight loss journey.
One of the ways to ensure your skin stays healthy during weight loss is by moisturising it regularly. After you have a shower or a bath, add a good quality body lotion to retain the moisture in your skin. As you are losing weight, moisturised and elastic skin will snap back easier than skin that is dry and unhealthy.
Drinking plenty of water is another way to protect your skin, but also to help you lose weight. Water is the main tool your body uses to get rid of toxins, but it is also used in digestion, circulation and nutrient absorption.
But why is water important for skin specifically? Well, the skin consists of skin cells, and these skin cells are created with water. So, if the skin has insufficient water available, it will not function to its maximum potential. Side-effects of a water shortage also include skin dryness and flakiness. Therefore, sufficient water consumption is necessary to keep your skin resilient during the weight loss process.
Using common sense during weight loss can help you to avoid loose skin. Of course, making a little extra effort by taking good care of your skin can certainly help you avoid loose skin after significant weight loss, too. So, be sure to incorporate a good skincare routine while you lose weight, because it could certainly pay off in the long run. For more info, visit Dr Lanzer.
