@seen121 I don't have any experience with this personally, but over in the intermittent fasting sub a few people have mentioned that doing some prolonged fasts (like 36+ hours I think) can potentially help with loose skin as the process of autophagy will occur and recycle some of the excess collagen etc. Haven't checked the literature to see if there's good evidence or not so take this with a grain of salt! I personally wouldn't be able to face an "optional" surgery after my c-section and then gallbladder removal... the idea of more surgery freaks me out too much. I understand why you'd want to look for other solutions. Sending you love.
@seen121 Like they told you before for loose skin the solution is mostly surgery. Now, I haven't had anything done yet, but my mom had a tummy tuck done after her c section and it end up looking amazing. Like everything is not magic and after you are clear you need to keep a healthy lifestyle to maintain the results.
@seen121 Very coincidentally I was thinking about this myself. I fluctuate between my pre-pregnancy weight and about 5 pounds more, which I am fine with, but I have a pooch that is more than just loose skin. I have some REALLY gnarly stretch marks because I'm a small person and my kid was/is huge and grew so quick (it was so painful my entire pregnancy, I legit started showing at the 12 week mark). I am pretty sure I have some kind of diastasis recti, and if I engage my abs it pulls really uncomfortably and sometimes painfully on one side. If I relax completely, I still look a few months pregnant, and it's lopsided; so I pooch out more on one side.
One breast also hangs a good bit lower than the other now and I know the only solution for that would be a lift. I have stretch marks on both breasts as well (I literally went from a small c cup to over a D cup and then even bigger once I started lactating, it was so painful). I remember seeing a woman with stretch marks like mine years before getting pregnant and being horrified over it too. My husband has said nothing except he definitely likes my wider hips and doesn't look away from me when I'm naked, but it's still so hard for me and my son is almost a year and a half old. My c-section scar is actually REALLY close to invisible, I say all the time my surgeon was awesome, and it doesn't bother me at all, bit the rest does.
@seen121 I’ve heard women over at the progresspics subreddit claim that they have tightened up loose skin by strength training and weightlifting. Not sure how much it tightened or how long it took, though.
I’m also going through body struggles because I’ve lost 65 pounds in the past five years and feel like I look like a deflated balloon. I actually got literally only one new stretch mark from pregnancy because at 40 weeks I was still 20 pounds below my highest ever weight.
I can’t figure out if what I look like is “normal” or not - when I engage my abs I have to “suck in” several inches, and sucking in is not optional for me because if I’m not engaging my core then I’m using my hips and pelvic floor muscles incorrectly to overcompensate. According to my physical therapist I don’t have diastatis recti.
So yeah I just wanted to say that I can relate. I do love my body and never down it in front of my daughter. I’m just now started to strength train and weight lift and will see if that makes a difference.
@seen121 Try intermittent fasting. It’s not for everyone, but it’s cheaper than plastic surgery. It leads to autophagy where your body eats itself cleaning your body from unneeded stuff like toxins, fat and excessive skin (to certain degree). I really encourage you to do some reading about, because IF has lots of health benefits, not only weight loss, but prevents cancer and help with longevity.
@seen121 I'm just apple shaped and have always had a gut. Trying to lose it but I know I'll have loose skin and there's no way I'm getting a tummy tuck. I just don't want to look pregnant anymore or have a big overhang like I do
