galatia,
Thank you.
Hoping to get some pics soon.
I just followed the basic KE and kimkins plans. Still a work in progress, learning how to maintain.

I'm almost 57 and after my 100 lb. weight loss I had much loose skin. I was an avid exerciser cardio and weight training. I told myself that before I would look into surgery I would be faithful to try to improve it with exercise, didn't happen and the plastic surgeon said it would never happen. I had a braecheoplasty (bat wings and abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) at the same time I had my abdominal hysterectomy and no the surgery for plastics was not covered. I am very happy I had it done.

My stomach droops now, I can imagine what it will look like when I lose weight.
I am new to low carb and just starting my plan with Atkins so are you telling me my stomach will get even flabbier!
Its been like this since I had children many years ago.
No exercise or sit ups or anything has been able to flatten it.

Hi There! I have lost about 2/3rds of my weight. I don't know if it is just part of the ahem..natural aging, but I have such saggy baggy skin! I want to wear a bathing suit this year, but I don't know if knee length suits are available! Where there were bulges are now smaller wrinklier bulge-ettes. Not too pretty. I will try a few of the suggestions here. I hope that surgery is not the only answer because I don't think that will happen. Maybe after I have kept it off for a year or more things will change???

I have alot of loose skin around my waist and stomach area from my weight loss.
I am 63 so I guess I will have to carry it on me for the rest of my life. I hate it but what can I do. I try to exercise it off but to no avail. I just bought me one of those panty high waist girdles and wear it.

My two cents would be: reasonable, consistent exercise and to be sure you are always hydrated. I'm a decade behind your age limit here, but when in my forties I dropped 20 lbs the wrong way and was horrified by the appearance of my once very toned and shapely legs. anyway.. with the right approach (good exercise, lots of fresh air and plenty of hydrating practices, I'm getting my running legs back, and I never thought this would happen)

I do take Evening Primrose Oil daily, along with high quality fish oil and lots of vitD3... which helps circulation!

Hi,
There could be any number of reasons for why a post-50 woman has floppy/flabby skin.

I have noticed this happening to me in the past year. I attribute it to lack of female hormones and poor nutrition:

Some women, after menopause, need more copper in their diet. I am one of those. Copper is involved in the building and maintaining of elastin in our skin/tissues! A certin amount of Estrogen is neccessary in order for our cells to utilize the copper. This is why I recently started bio-identical hormone replacement. Also, muscle underneath/supporting the skin tends to atrophy as we age. Believe it or not, some women also may need to add testosterone to their HRT. (I am also in that category.) Testosterone is involved in muscle building/maintenance.
I am not a doctor and cannot diagnose or recommend, but I take a copper supplement 2x a day---and try to keep my intake at double what you would normally find in any once daily multiple vitamin-mineral pill..

Poor nutritional absorption also happens to people as they age: our stomachs just don't make as much digestive enzymes as when we were younger. I take a Hcl-pepsin capsule with every meal. It especially helps with digesting protein. And protein is needed for elastin, cell repair, etc.

I started to put on weight after I went into menopause. Suddenly I was up at 165 pounds, while my lifelong weight was anywhere inbetween 115 and 130. I only could drop the weight by eating only fruit and very very little else.
I dropped down to 115 and looked like a concentration camp survivor (at 62). Horrified I started eating again everything in sight and put back on 50 pounds. Then I lsot them again. Now I am 64 and determined to wait it out. Exercise makes my body look better even if there are flabby areas. I dry-brush and take ice cold showers.

I think I will eventually look better. It will probably take a year or two, hopefully not more. When I manage to eat only fruit I see an improvement in my skin. But from time to time I crave fat and sweets and I give into it.

Hi there.

I can't help wondering why you've joined a low carb forum, if all you eat is fruit? Fruit only is a very high carb diet. And not a particularly healthy one, IMO.

I'd like to suggest that you consider a low carb eating plan. If you click here, you will find summaries of most of the major plans. I hope you will find one that suits you.

Callanetics!
I haven't done these long enough to know for sure, but I have high hopes of fairly quick results doing these no-impact muscle toning exercises!
I'm also going to try some of the suggestons others have given here. Thanks for starting this thread - it's a wealth of information in one locations!

Unfortunately at our time of life although not quite your age yet, flabby loose skin is a fact of life. When we get older our skin looses its elasticity, along with muscle mass etc, I hate this getting older, every thing is more difficult!!!!. I work really hard and keeping fit and muscle tone, going to the gym and running 5 days a week, but I too have some problems, we are also lacking in the hormones that younger women produce which doesn't help the wrinkles either LOL.
Sorry I can't give you a better answer, but it is the truth (unless of course you want to go for a tummy tuck or can afford that type of thing!)

If one of you out there has a magic cure for all these problems us older Ladies suffer from, please, please let me know........

Good Luck.

Hi all, I am 63 and very fair skinned. Went through early menopause at 36 yrs old. Even though my face is very wrinkled and my skin is flabby, I am going to do my best to remedy the situation. The most important thing to me is losing weight to improve my health. Everyone wants to look good but I have noticed that on TV and in the media the "older people" who are portrayed are in their 40's and early 50's. This is especially true in commercials for senior dating. Often the men shown are in their sixties and seventies and they look it whereas the women are twenty years younger and look like models. This is hard for people who are trying to be realistic about the aging process. I will never be able to measure up to that. It must be awful for teens and preteens who get these idealized versions of what they should look like thrown at them daily. I wonder what other 60 plus members think about this.

At age 57 I've lost 145 pounds in the past 21 months. The key is slow weight loss. I have a little sagging around the middle but it's getting better. The fat under the skin is the last to go.
A friend suggested I try the following Clay Wrap:

YOU'LL NEED:
1 gal distilled water
1 green tea bag
1/2 C Epsom salts
2 TBS Olive Oil
1 C Bentonite Clay Powder
A few drops of your favorite essential oil, if desired

In a medium pot, bring 2 cups distilled water and green tea bag to a slow boil. Remove tea bag; stir in Epsom salt until dissolved. Add olive oil; continue stirring while adding clay.

Lower heat; add essential oil, if desired. Continue to stir until paste forms. Mixture should spread easily and adhere well to skin; add more warm distilled water or additional clay powder as needed to achieve desired consistency. Allow mixture to cool.

In a large pot, boil an additional 1/2 gal distilled water; remove from heat and immerse a pair of tights or long underwear (if you are doing your thighs) and a snug top. When cool enough to touch, ring out excess liquid.

Quickly apply the warm clay mixture to your skin from your chest to ankles. Put the warm, damp garments on over top. to lock in heat and moisture, firmly wrap over garments with plastic wrap. For further insulation, slip sweatpants and a sweatshirt or a long robe over the plastic wrap.

Relax for 45-60 minutes before unwrapping yourself. Use a warm damp towel to gently wipe off excess clay mixture. For best results, do not bathe or shower for a least 8 hours. Apply lotion, if desired.

She says it worked for her. Sounds like a lot of work. I may give it a try around my waist.

I've lost 155 pounds now.
The best way I've found to tighten up the skin is rebounding.
I still haven't tried the clay wrap.
Rebounding is easy and so much fun.

Dan

I wonder how much Life Style Lift charges for a neck lift? Do any of you know anyone who has had this done? I'm soon going to be 72 and I plan to go from 183 down to 145. I have 22# more to go. My neck started to sag when I was 40. I was a fat kid (40#) so I think surgery is the answer for me. myrt