We see people who lose more than 500 pounds, and some who lose less than ten pounds. The best predictors of whether someone will have loose excess skin are their beginning weight (regardless of how much they lose), their age and related skin elasticity, and extent and nature of the exercise they do.
Since we can’t do much about someone’s starting weight or age, we emphasize healthy weight loss and exercise. It’s true that there are no proven methods to spot reduce. However, it is possible to tone and strengthen some areas more than others. Resistance training, particularly with weights, is our preferred method. Reducing extra skin is just one of the many benefits. We have not seen comparable results from swimming, using elastic bands, or home exercise machines.
How rapidly someone loses weight does not seem to be an important predictor in whether or how much excess skin will remain after weight loss.