Discouraged after trying on new clothes.

999tigger

Domicinator wrote: »

999tigger wrote: »

40lbs in 2 months is alarmingly fast. You dont have a choice where it comes off, just be patient. I would think you will have some loose skin, but dont let that out you off. If you arent doing any resistance weights then you should be. As you arent going to be that weight for long then dont invest too heavily in clothes at this stage.

It's actually been 3 months.

As far as weights, I have two degenerative bulging discs in my lower back so I really have to watch it on the toning exercises.

Sorry not with it. Ofc you are correct. 40 in 3 is still very fast. Its likely you will have some loose skin though. Most of its genetics and age, so something you will just have to accept as a trade off. Resistance helps with retaining muscle, which as you point out presents its own difficulties for you. Just be patient and it will come off eventually.

cw106

i bought cheaper leisure/sports clothes from sale rails in big box sports outlets,outlet malls and online retailer sales.
new suit,belt, and braces( so all dress pants can be adapted) from outlet mall on sale.
down from xxl to s now,but plenty of med or large stuff still good for workout/ leisure.
keep on plugging away.

KittensMaster

It takes time

And then it also takes so much determination!!

You are doing great!

I can share that I have lost over 130 lbs net. Added 20 or so pounds of muscle.

It was discouraging at times when I would drop 50 but felt I looked worse. It was frustrating

But weight lifting can add a few pounds of muscle that shape your body.

It is something you can do. It may seem like your progress is not balanced as you would like. So you adjust course and keep at this like a year long goal.

I used to be a bowling ball.

Now I can get into my cycling clothes and look like a bodybuilder that rides a bike.

It took nearly 2 years. I am 54. It can happen when you are old or young. Just dig in and get some!

You are doing the right things so keep on.

It is indeed a marathon with many hills to climb. Don't let it knock you down and keep you down. Just get back up and keep running.

blackcoffeeandcherrypie

A few years ago I lost 7 stone. Even so much lighter, I would have told you how awful my body was - my saggy belly, wrinkled thighs, stretch marks, etc. **But other people did not see these imperfections the same way.** They would recommend these short little skirts and tops, and I would feel hopeless, like, can't they see I'll never have the body for those clothes?! One time, I even took a picture of my wrinkly thighs to prove the point. But you couldn't really see it on the first picture, so I took another picture, but my thighs looked fine in that picture too. By the third picture and I had really zoomed in and you could see a bit of wrinkling. It surprised me though - maybe my body didn't look as bad as I thought it did? In the process of trying to prove how bad my body looked, I realised it didn't look as bad as I thought it did.

Now, I look back on those photos and I can see that I looked so much better than I thought I did. I picked up on every negative feature, and felt crushed about it, instead of seeing how massively better I looked due to the weight loss. Despite all your issues, take a picture of yourself now and compare it to a picture of yourself at your heaviest. I promise you will see how much better you look.

NoIdea101NoIdea

Domicinator wrote: »

SLLRunner wrote: »

chrisdomico wrote: »

Chris,


Chris, you would continue whatever exercise suits you. You just go into MFP and change your rate of weight loss. For example, if you goal was to lose 2 pounds a week, you might want to raise it to lose only 1 pound a week.

When I first started my weight loss journey, I lost weight quicker than what I had set my goals for. I ended up increasing my activity level one notch and decided to set my goals to lose 1 pound a week (then .5 pounds a week when I has about 20 to 25 pounds left to lose). I'm glad I did this, and so is my skin.

Well--it's not just skin though--it's definitely belly fat. I'm assuming it eventually goes away. It just looks so odd at the moment.

Just keep going! You can do this!

Keep in mind, though, none of us get to choose where the fat leaves first, last, or whenever.

Oh, I'm definitely not stopping now--at this point I think it would be easier to keep going than to quit. I'm definitely in a rhythm. Thanks for the encouragement!

This! You've done a great job so far

I would also second trying on more suits-it is incredible what one item of clothing can do for the appearance of our figure.

RodaRose

Keep losing at the rate you want. Buy any cheep thing you can find. Wear beautiful shoes and a fabulous haircut. And feel awesome about what you have accomplished.

leggup

You're losing very rapidly. Now that you're 40 lbs down you should slow your rate of loss.
If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

When you lose rapidly, you end up with more loose skin than if you lose slowly. You also lose a higher percentage of muscle, which can make areas look even more deflated than they would otherwise. I've lost 72 lbs. When I was at the 40-50 lb mark I bought a few basic pieces I could interchange that were pretty forgiving so that I didn't have to buy a whole new wardrobe before I was done losing.

RodaRose

To my knowledge it doesn't matter how fast you lose the weight. The skin will do what it needs.

Francl27

You might have loose skin... I do. My stomach is a permanent pouch now. But I still look better in clothes...

leggup

RodaRose wrote: »

To my knowledge it doesn't matter how fast you lose the weight. The skin will do what it needs.

When you lose weight very quickly the elastic components of your skin don’t have much time for their elasticity to adapt to your smaller shape. Poor nutrition can also negatively impact skin elasticity. A very high calorie deficit can mean that the body/skin is not getting enough dietary fat, protein, vitamins, minerals, etc. A high calorie deficit also results in a higher percentage of muscle loss. That muscle loss doesn't just come from your biceps; it comes from the muscle structures under your skin that hold it against your body.

Domicinator

leggup wrote: »

You're losing very rapidly. Now that you're 40 lbs down you should slow your rate of loss.
If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

When you lose rapidly, you end up with more loose skin than if you lose slowly. You also lose a higher percentage of muscle, which can make areas look even more deflated than they would otherwise. I've lost 72 lbs. When I was at the 40-50 lb mark I bought a few basic pieces I could interchange that were pretty forgiving so that I didn't have to buy a whole new wardrobe before I was done losing.

I have another 40 to lose (in my estimation). I've had MFP set to 2 lbs. a week up until now, but my body just seems to lose it faster than that. Except now I'm in a pretty big plateau. I haven't budged from the 209 mark for over a week. I'm very meticulous about weighing and measuring my food and have not been eating back my exercise calories. I'm definitely at a bit of a crossroads here. Not quite sure what to do until I start losing again.

LiveLoveRunFar

Don't worry it will go. If you still have 40 pounds to go. As I went through the phases of losing weight, i got squishy wierd fat, then it tightened, then squishy wierd, then tightened. Everyone is different of course. Keep exercising and keep at a deficit and you get to where you want! Good luck!