Little History. 44yo male. 339lbs on July 1. Was diagnosed diabetic. Instantly changed diet, exercise habits, etc. Since then I have lost 31 lbs So I'm making good progress. It was quick at first, but now it's down to about 1/3 to 1/2 lb per day. I'm wanting to avoid loose skin as I scale down. Is there anything I can do to minimize that as I go?

Lifting weights. Eating a high protein diet as you lose to preserve muscle mass. Losing weight as slowly as you can stand it.

I've lost 53 lbs since February and am not seeing loose skin any worse than when I got lean in my 20's from a similar starting weight. First time I started lifting while losing the weight though.

Yep doing it. Not a ton of weights, but I have a rack in my garage and bench, squat, dead, do some kettlebell exercises, etc. Maybe 30 minutes every other day, but getting 30-60 minutes of cardio in every day.

Figured. Just reiterating that basically just being consistent and dedicated is all you can do. Sounds like your weight loss rate is in decent place, so I'd just give you an attaboy and say to keep it up.

great problem to have! keep it up. no suggestions. I'm just here to give you props on your lifestyle change

Keep yourself hydrated. Try to always have clear to slightly yellow pee. Being hydrated improves the elasticity of skin.

You will have some. It will tighten up some in some areas but not as much as many people hoped. If it really bothers you a plastic surgeon is really the only option once you hit your target weight and can stay there.

FASTING

Research fasting and losing loose skin ... your body will literally eat itself. Takes time but it is doable.

There is no reliable way to prevent loose skin from weightloss. The damage caused by the initial weight gain in the form of stretch marks is irreversible. Now you can mitigate some of the loose skin by gradually reducing weight and gaining muscle which will "fill out" the previous fatty areas, but if you are 44 years old and drop from 330 down to, say, 230 you are going to have a significant amount of loose skin. The best things you can do to prevent further irreversible skin damage are to do the same things we recommend for everyone with regard to skin care. Apply sunblock liberally and often, limit sun exposure, hydrate, and lotion skin daily.

As someone who lost 90 lbs in his early 30s, I am better off than most that have lost that amount of weight, but I definitely still have some loose skin. I see it as a badge of honor for the work I put in to get to where I am.

I want to say I'd see it that way, but knowing me it will just be a constant reminder of how stupid and selfish I was when I was younger to allow myself to get this way.

Congrats on the lifestyle change. 31 pounds since July 1 is great progress!

I too am undergoing a lifestyle change.
I'm working on losing 50 pounds myself started calorie counting and balancing my macros with a high protein diet back on August 15 and am down 11 pounds since then. I get 25 min of cardio most days, but need to pick back up my weight training which I have only been doing 1-2x per week lately

I do a lot of hiking too, but the problem was I historically would just eat back the calories I burned. So I had to change that approach too.

I use the Lose It! app to help keep track of my calories and macros. That app makes it very easy to do, and it gamifies the weight loss which is a really motivational tool

Can someone advise on sodium intake? I have a really hard time eating less than 4,000mg of sodium each day. How bad is that?

I limit my sugars and besides that, my macros are balanced. How serious is a high sodium diet in the grand scheme? What is considered high sodium?

Love to hear it