What nobody tells you about losing weight

AnnPT77

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

Yes. Especially as a breast cancer survivor, my xiphoid process - the bump at the bottom of the sternum/breastbone - freaked me out when it first emerged from the shrinking bodyfat, too.

takinitalloff

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48514388#Comment_48514388

I'm right there with you (70 lbs lost, 60 lbs to go, did it all via diet/exercise and generally speaking, lifestyle changes). Yes it can be done without meds & surgeries. You are doing fabulous, let's keep it up and enjoy all those amazing benefits — life is good!

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.