Hello Georges,

Loose skin (elasticity) is largely a function of intrinsic and
extrinsic (mainly UV exposure) aging. If you are young, you
can probably lose a lot of weight quickly and not have skin hanging
off of you. Otherwise, if you lose it too fast, it will be loose
and take a while to shrink back, if ever. You might perhaps minimize
this problem by losing weight slowly--maybe 1/2 lb per week.

Another reason to lose weight slowly concerns the release of
DDTs, dioxin, PCBs, and pesticide residues that have accumulated
in your fat  stores. If you lose weight quickly, they quickly dump
into your bloodstream and are only very slowly  cleared.
[Ref: Walford, R, "The 120-year diet", see also his Biosphere II
papers]

RE: other dietary concerns.

Macronutrient ratios are not very descriptive. They do, however,
appeal to the masses. In recent years, fats were demonized.
Lately, it seems to be carbohydrate. Probably it will be protein
in the future.

What's more important: what type of fat? what type of carbohydrate?
what type of protein? How much do you really need? Which are
truly harmful in excess? How do they  interact? What is the optimal
choice for human health?

We don't really know yet. Anyone who tells you otherwise is probably
trying to sell you something or has been brainwashed by some
hoi polloi best selling nonsense book.

What you need:
Enough essential fats.
Enough protein
Enough fiber
Enough of the micronutrients

What is the best way to accomplish it?

-Limit or entirely eliminate processed or refined foods.
-emphasize low-starch vegetables, and to a lesser extent,
fruits, raw when possible.
-aim for the nutrient-dense choices.

A very simple guideline, from most to least nutrient dense:
(p. 120-121 from Fuhrman's "Eat to Live.")

raw leafy greens
solid green vegetables
non-green, non-starchy vegetables
beans/legumes (nutrient profile improves with soaking/sprouting)
fresh fruit
starchy vegetables
whole grains (nutrient profile improves with sprouting)
raw nuts/seeds (include about 12 g of ground flax seed)
fish (about 30 g/day average of fatty fish is good)
nonfat dairy
wild meats and fowl
eggs
red meat
full fat dairy/cheese
refined grains
refined oils
refined sweets

Get most of your calories from the top of the list
Minimize calories from the bottom of the list

Get enough protein to support your athletic
activities. An excess is not good, this will lead
to oxidative stress and is likely to lead to
aging at an accelerated rate, not to mention
liver stress, kidney stress, and potential increased
risks for colon cancer.

Some refs:

Mutat Res. 1993 Dec;295(4-6):165-79.
Protein restriction (PR) and caloric restriction (CR) compared: effects on
DNA damage, carcinogenesis, and oxidative damage.
PMID: 7507555

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1992 Oct 1;89(19):9112-6.
Protein oxidation associated with aging is reduced by dietary restriction of
protein or calories.
Youngman LD, Park JY, Ames BN.
PMID: 1409611 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
FREE full paper
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/89/19/9112

Experientia. 1985 Jan 15;41(1):48-50.
Influence of diet on plasma tryptophan and brain serotonin levels in mice.
De Marte ML, Enesco HE.
PMID: 3967738

Exp Gerontol. 1983;18(1):79-87.
Liver polyploidy: influence of age and of dietary restriction.
PMID: 6873214

If you lost a lot of weight, your skin may have lost its elasticity.
Is it like there is the solid part of your stomach, but the skin is
like an overly large sweat shirt? Almost like it's not connected to
the solid part? Does it fold over? If this sounds familiar, and the
condition persists, I would talk to my doctor about it. He will
probably refer you to a plastic surgeon that can remove the excess
skin. It's not as bad as it sounds: the end result is a flat stomach
with a very thin scar at the bikini line. Big improvement.

I don't mean to alarm you; your skin may tighten up on its own. It
depends on how much you weighed, how long you were heavy, your age,
etc. But I've been in that situation, and I know what a bummer it is
to lose a lot of weight and still not be DONE! I don't want you to get
ripped off by quacks selling expensive miracle lotions, back-to-nature
cure all diets, fasts, etc. Ask them for medical references before you
give them a penny, and watch them run for the door :-)

Live Long and Prosper!
DrumLib

DrumLib's Health Research Review
http://www.drumlib.com
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http://www.drumlib.com/bestprice.htm
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If it was that serious an accident that you had to be bed-ridden for a whole
month then you should be under the care of a physician.  Are you working
with a physical therapist?  Have you sought their advice as to what you
should be doing?  You should discuss all your concerns with your doctor.
He/she can tell you what you should be doing much better than anonymous
people on the internet can do, especially since I or the others don't know
the real extent of any injuries and how that has to be dealt with in
designing an exercise program for you.

If you can do *that much* exercise then I think if you keep watch over your
food consumption, don't consume massive quantities of "good" food and avoid
"junk" food (such as potato chips, I think the British call them crisps)
then be patient and you will lose the weight and provided you aren't an
elderly person, the skin flabbiness will take care of itself.

If I were you I'd try to get 1/3 of your calories from each of the
following:

unsaturated fats like nut oils & fish oils, (not butter or margarine or
corn oil or shortening or animal fats)

high fiber complex carbs like vegetables and whole grains (not white
potatoes, white rice, white bread, or pasta)

lean protein sources like chicken breasts & turkey & fish & protein
powders & soy products & beans

I also recommend you log your foods at www.fitday.com, it will show you
how many calories you are currently eating and where those calories come
from, i..e, percentages from fat/protein/carb.

No, that is too fast.  One of the things you need to be doing with this
diet is retraining yourself to eat like this for the rest of your life.  A
good idea would be to figure out the amount of calories you will need to
be eating every day in maintenance at your goal weight and then start
eating that way now.  It will be a slow weight loss but it will preserve
the most muscle mass and teach you how to handle maintenance once you get
there.  (Obviously a lesson you could use!)  :-)

Must you exercise that much?  It doesn't sound sustainable to me.

You need to treat your flabby skin from the inside: eat fish oils &
flaxseed and drink lots of water.  Also protect your skin from the sun &
wind with sunscreen and clothing (and don't use a tanning salon.)  With
lots of healthy fats and water and exercise your skin will begin to shrink
to fit the new you - it just takes forever.  That's okay, you're going to
be with your skin for a long time.  You've got time to work on it.

Are you a man or a woman?  What is your age?  What is your native
language?

Wendy