Q: I have been on the No Flour, No Sugar diet for five months and have lost 35 pounds, going from 216 to 181. I feel great and am buying new pants. My problem is with the excess skin all over my body and at 76 years old I don’t have a lot of time to reabsorb all that excess. If I could tighten up the skin, I will lose another 10-15 pounds. Have you got any ideas?
A: Significant weight loss can cause sagging skin, especially fast weight loss from crash or fad diets. Skin is elastic and as we move, grow, and gain (or lose) weight, it stretches and contracts. This elasticity naturally decreases as we age (the cause of wrinkles). The elasticity is also dependent on skin health, consuming a proper diet and being hydrated. When we gain weight the skin is forced to stretch to continue covering our muscles and vital organs from the elements. Weight loss, especially when it occurs quickly (more than one to two pounds a week) or as a result of poor nutrition, causes the skin to sag as it cannot reduce size fast enough. The longer the high weight is maintained, the harder it is for the skin to return to normal.
For example, a pregnant women’s abdominal skin is forced to stretch in order to accommodate a growing fetus. After birth, with proper exercise and weight loss, the skin (most often) will return to near normal with faded stretch marks (a sign of accelerated skin growth) as the only sign. However, if she gains excess weight and remains at that weight for a number of years, the skin has time to thicken and likely will not shrink back down significantly following weight loss. The same can be said for anyone who gains weight and allows it to remain before taking steps to bring it back to a normal number.
There are some exercises that claim that they can tighten skin, but in most cases, this tightening is minimal. The only sure-fire way to reduce excess skin is through surgical removal. The more extensive the skin, the more complex the surgery becomes.
My advice is that you drink plenty of fluids and consume a balanced diet of lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. A good quality multivitamin might be beneficial. Exercise daily by walking, jogging, and/or lifting weights.
Readers who are interested in learning more can order Dr. Gott’s Health Report “A Strategy for Losing Weight: An Introduction to the No Flour, No Sugar Diet” by sending a self-addressed, stamped number 10 envelope and a $2 US check or money order to Peter H. Gott, MD’s Health Reports. Be sure to mention the title or print an order form from the website www.AskDrGottMD.com.
