Whether you lost your weight through exercise, diet, or any other method, loose skin is always a concern. You would have an ideal body weight but the body shape still needs some attention. The problem is that your weight loss plan just helps you to get rid of the extra body fat and usually does not include training for the muscles and skin(unless you focus on it). If you are looking for a way to tighten your loose skin, you are in the right place. In this article, we shall look into the facts that support and/or reject the claim that exercise tightens skin while losing weight. First, let us see why the body deposits fats and the types of fats that are present in the body.
History of Fats- Centuries and centuries ago when modern humans still had not evolved, the man had to find and gather his own food. He also had to survive when he could not find food for days.
Fats are the storehouses of energy. So, the body had to store energy in the form of fats so that there is a steady supply of energy. You should note that here, the body would use the stored fat sometime or the other.
But in the modern day with the modern lifestyle, we eat more fat-rich foods and exercise less. So, the body basically hoards up the fat and that fat is never used. This is how fat storage in the body has become a big problem today.
Types of Fat- There are two kinds of body fat that are present in the human body namely, subcutaneous fat and Visceral fat. Subcutaneous fat formation occurs right under the skin in the Hypodermis layer. This helps in temperature regulation and protection of the organs. Visceral fat formation happens around the internal organs of the body like the stomach, liver, etc. This kind of fat is particularly dangerous when in excess amount in the body because visceral fat is an important factor for detecting heart diseases, type-2 diabetes and certain types of cancer.
Ways to Lose Extra Fat :
Natural Way: One of the natural and safest ways to lose weight is to put on your gym apparel and hit the gym. Exercise more and eat reasonably. This will also help you to gradually lose weight so that your body gets time to adjust to the decreasing body mass.Artificial Way: There are many types of cosmetic surgeries available that surgically remove the extra fat from your body. In addition, using fat burners supplements to lose weight is also an effective and speedier way of losing extra fat.However, proper care should be taken while using artificial ways as these might cause loose dangling skin after weight loss if you don’t give equal importance to your skin while losing weight.
What Causes Loose Skin While Losing Weight?
Skin is very much like a rubber band. It can be stretched and also has elastic properties. As fat deposits under the skin, the skin gets stretched and it remains so till that fat is used up or removed. You should know that losing weight also means losing muscles, so the skin basically has nothing beneath it to support. Just like a rubber band held in a stretched position for a long time. It loses its elastic properties. Now that we know how loose skin happens, let us look deeper into the factors on which loose skin formation takes place. Here are some of the factors that cause loose skin.
#1 The Amount of Excess Fat You Had -More the fat, more the skin is stretched and more loose skin will be present after weight loss. This is because the skin is more “stuffed” with fats and muscles. After they are lost, the skin loses its stuffing and becomes limp. Read "5 Myths about Stretch Marks"
#2 Methods to Lose Fat- Definitely, the methods you used to lose the extra fat also matters. If you went with a more natural and spontaneous method like exercising and regulating diet along with reasonable goal-oriented weight loss loose skin will be slightly less. If you lost fat using, quick weight loss dietary programme or liposuction surgery, there will be more loose skin as the body did not get sufficient time and means to make the skin come back to its original state.
#3 Age- It is not a secret that the elastic property of the skin reduces as the age advances. So, the younger you are, there are more chances of getting lesser loose skin or recovery of the original shape after weight loss.
#4 Water Content in Your Body- Studies show that water helps the skin to stay healthy and retain its elasticity. So, more the water, the skin stays hydrated and also it retains its elastic properties.
How to Get Rid of Loose Skin?
#1 Losing Weight Steadily- As we have discussed above, a sudden loss in weight causes loose skin. So, you need to be extra careful while working out to lose weight. Lose weight slowly and steadily so that your skin gets time to adapt itself to the decreasing fat in your body. Aim for around one or two pounds per week. Also, include fewer lifting exercises so that you don’t lose the lean muscles which may cause extra loose skin after weight loss. Read "8 Workout tips to transform from Fat to Fit"
#2 Hydration- At least two liters of water per day is necessary both from drinks and food. This helps the skin retain its elasticity and also purifies the skin and gives it a more radiant glow by keeping it healthy.
#3 Healthy Diet- Collagen and Elastin are the two of the important ingredients that help keep the skin elastic and plump. The basic components that form collagen and elastin come from proteins. So, protein-rich foods like cottage cheese, milk, and other dairy products, legumes, tofu, etc all contribute to the skin’s elasticity. So, don’t leave them aside while designing your diet. For easy and optimum absorption, eat around 200 calories of these protein-rich foods immediately after a workout session.
Read "Top 5 Diet Tips to kick start weight loss"
#4 Taking Good Care of the Skin- Nourishing the skin is as important as nourishing the body. So, exfoliate your skin regularly. This helps the skin to get rid of the dead cells. Use skin tightening formula containing vitamins E, A and C, aloe vera, yeast extract, soy protein, etc. They help both in hydrating the body and in elastin and collagen formation. Also, refrain from using detergents with harmful and harsh ingredients. Have lesser exposure to the sun and avoid chlorinated water. These measures of nourishing the skin will also help in tightening it.
#5 Working on Body composition- We all know that in addition to losing body fat, we also tend to lose or at least disfigure our muscles while on a weight loss plan. This means you will anyways get loose skin, no matter what you do. Instead of getting rid of the extra dangling skin, you can work on building the muscles so that they fit into the dangling skin. This involves something called resistance training. This helps to replace the extra fat with healthy fit muscles through the workout. If you have already lost weight, you need to start with the resistance training. This involves all the gym-based muscle building exercises like lifting. If you have just started, make it a part of your weight loss routine.
#6 Surgery- If you can afford and want an immediate loss of loose skin, cosmetic surgical procedures are available to help you with it. The surgeon will cut the extra skin and lifts the skin to tighten it.
#7 For Immediate Appearance-To look your best in your casual dresses after weight loss, consider wearing tight inner clothing like corsets. This just hides your extra skin and does not get rid of it. Consider other steps for a long time effect.
These were some tips to tighten loose skin through exercise. You have already passed half the way by losing weight and are just a few steps away from getting that perfect figure. Follow these steps and get the perfect figure that you desire. Wish you all the very best!!
Author Bio:
Harold Camaya- She is a blogger who loves to write in different verticals. She co-authored Supercharge Organic Traffic: A popular course focusing on Organic Traffic for Ecommerce.. Her hobbies are traveling and reading.
