What nobody tells you about losing weight

takinitalloff

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48519665#Comment_48519665

🙈 🤣 This is great, thanks for sharing. I can't wait to (re)discover my tailbone, hopefully later this year!

drmwc

One thing that still surprises me is how non-linear weight loss is. Water weight and waste weight can have a material impact.

My diet was 6 years ago (I went from 185-ish pounds to 140-ish, a BMI of 21.0). Since then, I've aimed to maintain between 140 and 147 pounds. (I find a range a lot easier to manage than a single number). I got to 147 a month ago, so I've been cutting since then. I weight daily, as I find the more data helps me focus on the trend and filter out some noise. And the data is noisy: I've had 4 pound daily swings.

The good news is I've reached a 7 day rolling average of 141, so my cut is over.

drmwc

I've been swimming a lot recently. I'm a lot less bouyant than when I was fat: I need to breathe in to float; previously I needed to exhale to sink. My scuba diving bears this out; I quite often don't need lead to sink (depending on what kit I'm using).

mtaratoot

In the aquarium, I pretty much need twenty pounds to get off the surface. Drysuit. I have a beefy wetsuit, and I need about the same amount with that.

Out in open water, I carry more things that are negatively buoyant, so I can take a little of the lead off. When I was diving in warmer water (upper 50s or low 60s F), I could use fewer undergarments and drop even more lead off. I think I used 12 or 16 pounds with a 3mm suit in water in the 70s the one time I experienced that warm of conditions. I can't imagine using ZERO lead, but if you're diving doubles and they are steel, then I can see needing almost none. Even moreso if you have a heavier light, maybe a camera that is negative, and a knife.

I picked up some library books to improve my swimming. I've tried to incorporate the suggestions, and they help. One is to push your chest down in the water. It makes you more streamlined so you swim through the water rather than "plowing" through it. Your lungs are your buoyancy! The other tip was to roll all the way onto my side when I'm taking a breath. Less surface area pushing through the water when you're rolled all the way on your side.

I know someone else who doesn't float in the pool. It must be a little frustrating.

Veta2018

I miss my fat round face. Everything sags now, including my face. I think it makes me look older.

nossmf

Not the usual demographic to post here, but I'm a bodybuilder who's been shedding the fat layer covering the muscles. Shirtless in the mirror or while actively working out, I look like a lifter. But when wearing the same shirts I used to fill out but now hang looser on me, I sometimes question even myself if I see a reflection, like, "bro, do you even lift?"

Goes to show that self-image perceptions can play tricks with even the "healthy" among us.

springlering62

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48696340#Comment_48696340

that’s interesting. When I do weights or cardio/weights in the mirrored rooms, I’m like “dayum, would ya look at those muscles!!!”

But when I’m in street clothes, I look (disappointingly) normal.

It can be a total mind kitten.

rms62003

I was on the floor doing my ab workout yesterday, and it hurt to sit indian style - could feel my ischial bones on the ground! (some places it's nice to have padding.)

Another one - was in the shower this weekend, and could feel my rib cage - haven't been able to do that for a long time!

lh1626

I absolutely love this thread! It reminds me why I started this and motivates me to keep going no matter what. I got lost somewhere along the way and feel like my head is finally back on right. Reading all of these reminds me of how I used to feel and can't wait to get back there again! Especially not having to use the handicap stall becasue all the others feel too small….LOL. (just realized this was from a post from 2015 on this thread) Keep going y'all! 😊