loose skin
No. Situps and crunches can tighten up your muscles, but skin isn't a muscle. We get loose skin because we grow extra skin to cover out large bodies and once you grow skin, you can't ungrow it.
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
Actually, it's about your skins elasticity. If you're younger and/or don't have stretch marks you will have less loose skin than somone older and/or with stretch marks. If you have a lot of stretch marks, that skin will be loose and no amount of exercise will "tighten it", only surgery will do that.
on 1/11/13 2:26 am
Everyone is different though - its true that some people just have good genes and their bounce back is better, youth is an advantage, a lower starting weight is one too etc - but we'll ALL have some hangover from our past whether its a few silvery stretch marks or a big apron of skin that needs surgically removed. No amount of exercise can change that unfortunately. The best it will do is give the underlying tissue a firmer foundation.
I have a picture on my profile of what my tummy looks like after losing 132 pound in less then a year. I'm 42, and I do squats and crunches and it does help the muscles under the skin and makes it appear more toned. The extra skin is around my belly button and lower belly that makes it look a little poochy but considering the weight loss, I really do believe building the muscles does help the look.
RNY 01/23/12, HW 265, CW 115, Height 5'6"