"bulking up" before surgery to reduce loose skin

Hello there and thanks for your help in advance. I am new here and have yet to seen this asked but of course could have missed it in all the jumble of information. I appologize I also posted this in the weightlifting area but realized after I posted it no one had posted before me in almost 2 years so I did not want to not get any responses.



I can't get surgery until Jan. 2011 and was wondering if anyone has any info about bulking up before surgery to reduce loose skin? Especially around the midsection?
I hate to sound like I am going to sabatouge myself but I am worried about getting too fit where it may lower my BMI a bit too much and not qualify for surgery. I am a "lightweight" already and just don't want to risk not having surgery as I know it is for me.

And hate to sound vain as I am doing this for health reasons but I don't want to look like I am wearing a pancakce under my shirt. Thanks guys!

I am confused... If you are a lightweight and barely qualify for surgery, why have it? Are you saying you need to gain weight to have surgery> That is nuts if that's the case. As for bulking up... Your efforts will be futile because when your body goes in to Kitosis and you start losing weight rapidly, odds are you are going to loose a good portion of your muscle mass anyways, so I don't think it would accomplish what you want. The dynamics that control your skin issues are how big you are, how long you were big, age, skin elasticity, and genetics. The reality is, most of us will have to have Plastic Surgery to remove excess skin. I just had my Plastic Surgery 10 weeks ago... Best of luck!

Yes you are confused. Just because I wrote "lightweight" does not mean I am just above the needed BMI or trying to gain weight so I can have a surgical operation. I am just not considering myself severely obese in comparison to other members I have seen here. You are assuming that I am trying to gain weight for a surgery I need. Likewise I don't see anywhere in my post that I said I needed to gain weight for surgery. Although your information is informative I will think twice about posting any questions on this forum if I'm going to be called "nuts" and given a hard time out my personal decision.

I never said you were nuts... Anyways, I tried to take time and respond objectively to your post. Should have spent the 10 minutes with my kids instead... Best of luck, and if you are looking for positivity, stick around this board, that is ALL there is, and all I am about. Peace...

Ok. Hopefully this answers your questions. I've got  some good news and bad news for you.

On the loose skin question. There's really nothing you can do to prevent it  if you're going to have it. Things like youth and good genetics are things that makes things better. It's all about elasticity of the skin. if your skin is "younger" and/or you haven't been significantly overweight for a long time then your skin can bounce back. if you're older and/or have been heavier and heavier for a long time then you might have challenges.
No amount of working out will change that. the only thing muscles do is get bigger and replace the space your fat filled.

Make sense?

That being said - there's NO reason not to start doing some exercises before your surgery. The fitter and stronger  you are going into the surgery the better it is for your body all around.
It's also great to get into the routine of working out.

Only word of caution - make sure you talk with your doc about when you can workout AFTER your surgery. I was fit going in (ran 5 miles 1 day pre op) and it kicked my butt.

Good luck.

Like they all said, bulking up doesn't do anything for skin.  However, if you want to become more FIT, then that's the best thing you can do.  If you get fit and lose weight enough that you no longer qualify for surgery, then all's the better!  I don't see how there's a down side to that.

I understand the "I want what I want" mentality since I'm that way myself.  Just please understand that you might be one of the lucky ones who exercises, eats well, loses weight, and doesn't end up needing surgery to make those changes.  I on the other hadn't wasn't.  I was athletic when I was younger and wasn't able to lose weight when I was older by exercising and watching my diet because my body got too efficient too quickly.  Only lost 15# in 8 months.

I am also quite vain, but I'm 6.5 years out and haven't been able to afford plastics yet.  So what I do is the best I can in order to be able to do all the things I want to do.  I don't WANT to wear 2 bras, but I do it when I run so that I can....

Linn