I GET ASKED ABOUT SKIN ELASTICITY A FAIR BIT, this is my experience:
Please note: I am not a qualified health practitioner, my advice is what has worked for me and it may not work for you 🙂 I have however studied at the ‘University of Real Life’ majoring in Health & Fitness for over ten years!
Firstly when I decided to get serious about losing weight I was extremely conscious about making sure I wouldn’t get excess skin in the process!
I researched everywhere I could – 10 years ago the internet wasn’t as accessible for me, and I recall going into the school library (where I worked) and reading books about skin elasticity.
I remember when a doctor told me I was eligible for LAP BAND and I left his room in tears. I couldn’t believe I was being offered this. I was in total shock and this was ANOTHER of those moments when I had to accept that the size I was, was REALLY REALLY large.
(It’s funny how I don’t get weighed any more when I go into a doctor’s practice, but I recall they would MAKE me every time when I was large! When I questioned them, I was told it was STANDARD PRACTICE! (Yeah for FAT people!!))
Let’s be honest: I was in denial about my size because I was a happy, bubbly, enthusiastic person. All I ever wanted was for people to love me for me, NOT for how I looked. This mentality was damaging to my success though!
THIS IS WHAT I KNOW AND WHAT I DO:
- LOSE WEIGHT SLOWLY – I recommend no more than 1 kilo a week. I can gain 5 kilos in a weekend if I’m really bad, and this is NOT doing me any favours! I can also lose 5 kilo’s in 5 days on my juice detox, again NOT doing me any favours – BUT I’ve done it. If you need to do it too – go for it – but if you do this EACH & EVERY week, the chances of excess skin will be high. I am also 32 years old, and have read that our skin elasticity starts to deteriorate after 25 years of age. If you are under 25 years old and need to lose weight, I recommend using this knowledge as your motivation! You want to give your body the BEST chance to remain elastic!! Now for all the mummies out there, my mum told me that she used to rub PURE VITAMIN E OIL on her tummy during her pregnancy. Her belly returned to normal after some time. Be patient with it, as this is a signifcant expansion and contraction that your body goes through in the process of the miracle of birth.
- EAT FOODS THAT ARE HIGH IN VITAMIN C, MAGNESIUM or OMEGA 3 fats (I’ve read this many times in many articles) I stock my shopping trolley with SUPER FOODS!! I enjoy Baby Spinach ,avocados, berries (Blueberries and raspberries mainly), and Broccoli, Sweet Potato, Olive Oil (extra virgin), Salmon, dried fruit (sometimes) & dark chocolate! YUM!! These are CORE grocery items I eat each week!
- EXERCISE – don’t focus on AB exercises to lose ‘excess skin’ – build your core and your overall fitness, I’ve been able to get rid of the flab from my under arms by doing weights and strength training, however the slow weight loss has aided in bringing the definition out and keeping my skin as elastic as possible. I also detox my body regularly (at least once every 3 months with a nutritional cleanse or juice detox). If you still have ‘flabby’ skin – which I STILL do on my belly, I am focusing on reducing dairy and wheat now and will see over the next few months if I can actually eliminate it once and for all.
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