Trimming Up After Weight Loss
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It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!
Have a question or a request? We love to hear from you!
In cases where we’ve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future too—there’s always more to say!
No question/request too big or small 😎
❝How can I get rid of those batwings…I will be 65 years old in July. Mine are from loosing weight. I went from 200 pounds down to 170. Plus the crepe, or creepy skin as I call it…thank you for your time❞
First things first, we hope you have a wonderful birthday!
Now, as for your question, it may be quite a challenge, but it can be done!
With regard to the “bat wings”, popular wisdom is to do arm exercises, often focused on the triceps (such a push-ups with your elbows tucked in to your sides, or tricep dips), to tone up.
These will indeed improve muscle tone, but unless you’re building a considerable amount of mass (enough to replace the lost volume of subcutaneous fat), the effects on bat wings are not likely to be profound.
If you want to do that in any case (it’s highly recommendable for general health, even if the effects vs bat wings may be modest), then check out: How To Build Muscle (Healthily!)
With a similar logic of filling the space, another option would of course be to simply put the fat back on, but for the sake of giving a more comprehensive answer, we will assume your weight loss was intentional and so regaining is not on your to-do list. If perchance you do want to do that, though, then we also have just the thing for you in that regard, too: How To Gain Weight (Healthily!).
Those things pertain to what’s under the skin; now let’s consider this skin itself.
Bat wings and crêpey skin are both in large part a matter of reduced production of collagen and elastin, and this one’s more tied to age than to weight loss (though the weight loss renders it more visible).
Basically, your skin is re-making itself all the time, but as we get older, it does this less efficiently than it did once upon a time, and the body isn’t as good at synthesizing all the necessary ingredients. Often we eat less too, which can lead to nutritional shortfalls if we’re not attentive to such.
We wrote quite a bit about this, here: We Are Such Stuff As Fish Are Made Of
Collagen can also be supplemented, but it’s really only useful taken orally; collagen is really not something that can be usefully taken transdermally (e.g. in a topical cream), see: Are Collagen Molecules Too Big To Be Absorbed?
If you are taking it orally, see: Biggest Collagen Study Yet Shows What It Does (& Doesn’t) Improve
And if you don’t want to take it directly, you can also help your body to simply make it itself! For more on that, see The Best Foods For Collagen Production and 16 Ways To Boost Collagen ← because not everything is about diet; there are some topical things that do help (e.g. retinoids), some non-consumable methods too (e.g. red light therapy), and of course protecting your skin from UV damage (e.g. wearing sunscreen)
Lastly, here are 6 ways to prevent further skin thinning, and 5 ways to reverse it: How To Reverse Skin Thinning
Want to do more?
At 10almonds, our aim is generally to make health science simple, and give people practical tools that will be accessible to most readers.
We also tend to consider surgery something most of our readers will want to avoid if reasonably possible, but it is worth noting that in this case, surgical options do exist and are considered highly beneficial by those who choose them (something of a selection bias there, because obviously the people who choose an elective surgery are more likely to be positively disposed towards it, but the main point here is that the science does back it consistently improving health-related quality of life (HRQoL) amongst those patients:
Want to do less?
If you like the idea of minimal-effort solutions but surgery is a bit scary and/or simply a risk you’d rather not take if you don’t have to, then there’s also a non-invasive ultrasound therapy that shows merit:
Take care!
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Futureproof – by Davinia Taylor
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The goal here is to put tools in the readers’ hands to (per the subtitle) “build resilience, feel younger, live longer”. The author herself is not a doctor or scientist, but a supplement company CEO and social media influencer—which means that in this book you’ll find quite a bit of awareness of health science advances made in the past 15 years, and no hard science.
In terms of health advocacy, one strength of this book is how it highlights, and puts into numbers, the time lag in “translational research”. What that means is that the most ground-breaking research discovering things now, won’t actually make its way through the system to become advice your doctor gives, for about 17 years on average. Which might be longer than you want to wait to address some problem.
She also, while not advocating for extreme changes, does tackle the idea of “relax, have fun, enjoy a little treat” when very often the “little treat” in question is alcohol addiction or obesity or a sedentary lifestyle or such—things that while they may present their comforts, often do not correlate to improving quality of life on balance, and indeed, often quite the contrary.
Her dietary advice is a little hit-and-miss; while she discourages ultraprocessed foods, she encourages getting plenty of dairy, something strongly associated with inflammation.
The style is very direct and personable, and/but has a normal British amount of casual swearing that might shock some American readers. The book is very jargon-free, and scientific concepts are presented in very simple terms, making this accessible to all. There is a modest bibliography, mostly to back up statistics.
Bottom line: if you’d like a book that has a fair “finger on the pulse” of modern longevity-promoting biohacking, but that isn’t a very dense read, then you’ll enjoy this.
Click here to check out Futureproof, and futureproof your health!
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What Your Skin Texture Says About Your Health
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Dr. Andrea Suarez, dermatologist, shows us what to watch out for:
To the touch
We (and videos that we share here!) talk a lot about the appearance of various skin conditions, but skin texture is more about the physical feel and surface quality of your skin—including roughness, flaking, bumpy follicular changes, thickening, thinning, crepey fragility, or a doughy or hardened feel—and while many changes are harmless, certain patterns in the certain contexts can be signs of disease, including of the kind that are more than skin-deep.
What different skin textures mean:
- Persistent roughness and flaking: ongoing dry, rough, flaky skin is usually due to barrier dysfunction from overexfoliation, harsh cleansers, hot water, low humidity, or aging, but in some cases is because of hypothyroidism or an essential fatty acid deficiency.
- Velvety dark thickened skin: velvety, dark, thickened plaques in skin folds such as the neck or underarms suggest acanthosis nigricans, a sign of insulin resistance commonly associated with type 2 diabetes, that can appear before blood sugar levels cross diagnostic thresholds.
- Sudden adult acne or oily skin: new-onset oily skin and acne in adulthood may relate to hormonal shifts such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), hyperandrogenism, perimenopause, or chronic stress affecting cortisol, especially if accompanied by irregular periods, hair changes, or metabolic warning signs.
- Waxy puffy doughy skin: thick, swollen, doughy skin—sometimes progressing to myxedema with mucopolysaccharide buildup—alongside fatigue, cold intolerance, and hair thinning suggests hypothyroidism and often improves with appropriate treatment.
- Fragile crepey easily bruised skin: thin, fragile, crepey skin known as dermatoporosis is most commonly due to cumulative sun damage but can also result from chronic glucocorticoid use, prolonged topical steroid application, or malnutrition.
- Keratosis pilaris: rough follicular bumps (keratosis pilaris) are common and often genetic, but can also be associated with atopic dermatitis, asthma, allergic rhinitis, ichthyosis vulgaris, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, Down syndrome, or (rarely) certain medications.
- Phrynoderma: larger, hyperpigmented, hard follicular bumps called phrynoderma are generally linked to vitamin A deficiency and can occur with malabsorption, chronic illness, or severe dietary restriction.
- Skin tags: a few skin tags are common and harmless, but numerous tags—especially alongside acanthosis nigricans—can be a sign of insulin resistance due to elevated insulin-like growth factor stimulating epidermal proliferation (i.e. too many skin cells being made in one place).
- Scleredema: non-pitting, woody skin thickening on the upper back and neck is called scleredema has three variants (post-streptococcal, monoclonal gammopathy–associated, and diabeticorum); the diabetic form most often seen in long-standing, poorly controlled diabetes.
Some quick myths to bust, while we’re at it: textural changes don’t indicate toxin buildup, liver failure, candida overgrowth, or leaky gut, as these claims are common online myths often used to market unnecessary products.
For more on all of this plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:
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You might also like:
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7 Principles of Becoming a Leader – by Riku Vuorenmaa
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We urge you to overlook the cliché cover art (we don’t know what they were thinking, going for the headless suited torso) because…
This one could be the best investment you make in your career this year! You may be wondering what the titular 7 principles are. We won’t keep you guessing; they are:
- Professional development: personal excellence, productivity, and time management
- Leadership development: mindset and essential leadership skills
- Personal development: your motivation, character, and confidence as a leader
- Career management: plan your career, get promoted and paid well
- Social skills & networking: work and connect with the right people
- Business- & company-understanding: the big picture
- Commitment: make the decision and commit to becoming a great leader
A lot of leadership books repeat the same old fluff that we’ve all read many times before… padded with a lot of lengthy personal anecdotes and generally editorializing fluff. Not so here!
While yes, this book does also cover some foundational things first, it’d be remiss not to. It also covers a whole (much deeper) range of related skills, with down-to-earth, brass tacks advice on putting them into practice.
This is the kind of book you will want to set as a recurring reminder in your phone, to re-read once a year, or whatever schedule seems sensible to you.
There aren’t many books we’d put in that category!
Pick Up Your Copy of the “7 Principles of Becoming a Leader” on Amazon Today!
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To Pee Or Not To Pee
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Is it “strengthening” to hold, or are we doing ourselves harm if we do? Dr. Heba Shaheed explains in this short video:
A flood of reasons not to hold
Humans should urinate 4–6 times daily, but for many people, the demands of modern life often lead to delaying urination, raising questions about its effects on the body.
So first, let’s look at how it all works: the bladder is part of the urinary system, which includes the kidneys, ureters, urethra, and sphincters. Urine is produced by the kidneys and transported via the ureters into the bladder, a hollow organ with a muscular wall. This muscle (called the detrusor) allows the bladder to inflate as it fills with urine (bearing in mind, the main job of any muscle is to be able to stretch and contract).
As the bladder fills, stretch receptors in that muscle signal fullness to the spinal cord. This triggers the micturition reflex, causing the detrusor to contract and the internal urethral sphincter to open involuntarily. Voluntary control over the external urethral sphincter allows a person to delay or release urine as needed.
So, at what point is it best to go forth and pee?
For most people, bladder fullness is first noticeable at around 150-200ml, with discomfort occurring at 400-500ml (that’s about two cups*). Although the bladder can stretch to hold up to a liter, exceeding this capacity can cause it to rupture, a rare but serious condition requiring surgical intervention.
*note, however, that this doesn’t necessarily mean that drinking two cups will result in two cups being in your bladder; that’s not how hydration works. Unless you are already perfectly hydrated, most if not all of the water will be absorbed into the rest of your body where it is needed. Your bladder gets filled when your body has waste products to dispose of that way, and/or is overhydrated (though overhydration is not very common).
Habitually holding urine and/or urinating too quickly (note: not “too soon”, but literally, “too quickly”, we’re talking about the velocity at which it exits the body) can weaken pelvic floor muscles over time. This can lead to bladder pain, urgency, incontinence, and/or a damaged pelvic floor.
In short: while the body’s systems are equipped to handle occasional delays, holding it regularly is not advisable. For the good of your long-term urinary health, it’s best to avoid straining the system and go whenever you feel the urge.
For more on all of this, enjoy:
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Want to learn more?
You might also like to read:
Keeping your kidneys happy: it’s more than just hydration!
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Kidney Beans or Black Beans – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing kidney beans to black beans, we picked the black beans.
Why?
First, do note that black beans are also known as turtle beans, or if one wants to hedge one’s bets, black turtle beans. It’s all the same bean. As a small linguistic note, kidney beans are known as “red beans” in many languages, so we could have called this “red beans vs black beans”, but that wouldn’t have landed so well with our largely anglophone readership. So, kidney beans vs black beans it is!
They’re certainly both great, and this is a close one today…
In terms of macros, they’re equal on protein and black beans have more carbs and/but also more fiber. So far, so equal—or rather, if one pulls ahead of the other here, it’s a matter of subjective priorities.
In the category of vitamins, they’re equal on vitamins B2, B3, and choline, while kidney beans have more of vitamins B6, B9, C, and K, and black beans have more of vitamins A, B1, B5, and E. In other words, the two beans are still tied with a 4:4 split, unless we want to take into account that that vitamin E difference is that black beans have 29x more vitamin E, in which case, black beans move ahead.
When it comes to minerals, finally the winner becomes apparent; while kidney beans have a little more manganese and zinc, on the other hand black beans have more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and selenium. However, it should be noted that honestly, the margins aren’t huge here and kidney beans are almost as good for all of these minerals.
In short, black beans win the day, but kidney beans are very close behind, so enjoy whichever you prefer, or better yet, both! They go great together in tacos, burritos, or similar, by the way.
Want to learn more?
You might like to read:
- Kidney Beans vs Fava Beans – Which is Healthier?
- Chickpeas vs Black Beans – Which is Healthier?
- Bold Beans – by Amelia Christie-Miller ← this is a recipe book; if you’re looking to incorporate more beans into your diet and want to make it good, this cookbook can lead the way!
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Don’t Forget…
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Doctor Explains: 19 Signs Of Hyperthyroidism
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We’ve talked before about the signs of hypothyroidism, but what about when it’s the other way, and the thyroid becomes overactive? Dr. Siobhan Deshauer explains:
Things to watch out for
Paradoxically, there is some overlap with the signs of an underactive thyroid (e.g. goiter, thin hair), but there are many points of distinction:
- Proptosis: bulging of the eyes due to swelling behind them.
- Double vision: caused by misalignment from swollen eye muscles.
- Periorbital edema: swelling around the eyes or eyelids.
- Lid retraction & lag: visible white above the iris when face is relaxed; upper eyelid lags behind when following a moving object downward.
- Hyperdynamic circulation: visible pulse in the neck due to increased cardiac output.
- Goiter: enlarged thyroid gland visible or moving during swallowing.
- Pemberton’s sign: redness and vein bulging in neck/face when arms are raised, due to venous compression.
- Onycholysis: fingernails separating from the nail bed, often starting with the ring finger.
- Thyroid acropachy: clubbing and thickening of fingers with abnormal bone growth.
- Tremor: fine shaking of hands, especially when held out.
- Pretibial myxedema: waxy, swollen skin on shins with an orange-peel texture.
- Elephantiasis: severe skin thickening on lower limbs due to blocked lymph drainage.
- Unintentional weight loss: despite increased appetite due to high metabolic rate.
- Heat intolerance: overheating and excessive sweating with warm, moist skin.
- Cardiac arrhythmia: irregular heartbeat and palpitations.
- Thin, oily hair: hair grows fast but becomes fine, fragile, and falls out.
- Osteoporosis: bone density loss; of course this can’t be seen from the outside by eye, but can be seen on a scan.
- Anxiety and irritability: new or worsened anxiety-like symptoms, insomnia, panic attacks.
- Cognitive changes: specifically, not good ones—trouble focusing in young people; confusion in older adults, mimicking dementia.
For more on all of these plus visual illustrations where applicable, enjoy:
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Want to learn more?
You might also like:
Doctor Explains: 15 Signs Of Hypothyroidism
Take care!
Don’t Forget…
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