Question for my mom

[wuberton]

Hi, my mom is 47, 5'5" or so, about 160 pounds (? around there). Anyway, she has been dieting, weight-lifting and doing cardio for about 9 months now, and has lost an amazing 70+ pounds. She went from a size 22w to a tight 6 or normal 8 (i'm guessing this is alot, but im a guy so who knows?). She has much more energy than she used to, she seems about 15 years younger, and she loves life again. However, there are two problems. 1) She used to be so obese her entire life that the skin is just hanging off of her...it's disgusting. It's like big flaps of just extra skin and (I guess) subcutaneous fat just hanging on. Is there any way to get rid of this? I told her that the answer was to just keep doing the exercising, etc. and it will eventually come off, but I'm not so sure now. She's lost ALOT of fat off of her thighs, but the flabby skin still looks disgusting. 2) She has hit a plateau. She still is very intense in exercise, and follows her strict diet (mostly chicken breasts, green beans, cabbage, broccoli and peas/beans, and met-rx) but she isn't losing any more weight. I told her that weight doesn't matter, it's bodyfat % that matters, but she still isn't seeing any improvements. I was wondering if Clenbuterol or DNP would be helpful for her, and in what doses? I have done two cycles of DNP and it kicked my butt, but i lost alot of the impossible-to-lose fat off my midsection, so i was wondering if 200mg/ed would help her too? I really do not want to put her at risk, but she really wants to lose that extra flab. Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[keiko]

I guess everyone now waits for me for these posts! I'm 48, and I know how hard it is to burn fat as we get older. Your mom is to be congratulated for her achievement.

Here's the deal--as we get old (guys, too) the collegen in our skin begins to break down, and it becomes harder for skin to shrink back, after weight loss. If she really has a lot of loose skin, plastic surgery is the most efficient albeit costly way to get rid of it. Some skin will shrink back, and as she builds muscle, the muscle will fill out some of it.

I've never used DNP, and you can search for info on that. Would I? I'm not worried about it, that much. She can break her stall in a number of ways--up her calories for a few days, try a meat fast, try a fat fast (icky), up her weights for a while, etc.

If she can afford it, having the surgery will be the most satisfying way to get rid of the skin.