Old weight but kinda skinny; scared of ^ kg

crackpotbaby

So I'm back to my old usual weight range, but I'm a little scrawny ... I want my old muscles back.

I *know* what works for my body to harden up exercise and diet wise but it's like I'm almost scared of gaining weight again.

Any one else feel like this? How did you get over it and motivate yourself to lift the heavy things etc?

[Edited by staff]

Left is 2013 as labeled. Right is current.

I know *how* to get that old physique, just can't get out of the head trip of the scale possibly increasing in the process.

Tips or sympathy welcome.

jgnatca

You are beautiful. That is true.

Do you want to base your life decisions based on fear? I hope you don't pick your life partner that way.

How about structuring a planned "Bulk" including a schedule and everything, and decide ahead of time what your top limit will be?

livingleanlivingclean

I've got to the point where my weight is somewhat irrelevant and not important to me... I prefer to go by calipers and measurements, and photos to track progress.
I can weigh myself every day and not let it effect me, but if that's not possible for you, perhaps hide the scale for a while and rely on other indications of progress?

sardelsa

You look great OP. Are your goals to gain weight? Recomp? If you don't think you are ready to jump into a bulk.. that is OK .. start with eating at maintenance and seeing where that takes you. After I lost weight after my second baby, I knew deep down inside that I had to bulk, but mentally I wasn't ready to jump into it, so I hung out at maintenance for 3 months while I got it together.
If you are at maintenance and lifting, the scale may increase due to water retention.. try not to let that discourage you.. use other methods to track progress besides the scale: measurements, the mirror, progress photos etc.

sijomial

You're looking great but maybe hitting that realisation that under the fat we carried around before wasn't the body of our dreams. You must have some great dreams BTW!!

Hitting goal weight is just a part of the process of becoming the best we can possibly be.

The same maths that resulted in weight loss also work at maintenance - it's a choice if you want to gain weight or not. When you had your "old muscles" were you heavier than now?

What are your physique/fitness/strength goals?

crackpotbaby

sijomial wrote: »

You're looking great but maybe hitting that realisation that under the fat we carried around before wasn't the body of our dreams. You must have some great dreams BTW!!

Hitting goal weight is just a part of the process of becoming the best we can possibly be.

The same maths that resulted in weight loss also work at maintenance - it's a choice if you want to gain weight or not. When you had your "old muscles" were you heavier than now?

What are your physique/fitness/strength goals?

Ha - yes ... I'm a little shell shocked to discover that under the fat my muscles had atrophied although intellectually I knew it would happen.

I think my goals are still focussed on 'not being fat' whereas in the past they were always performance based.

I was somewhere between 54 - 56kg in each photo.

crackpotbaby

sardelsa wrote: »

You look great OP. Are your goals to gain weight? Recomp? If you don't think you are ready to jump into a bulk.. that is OK .. start with eating at maintenance and seeing where that takes you. After I lost weight after my second baby, I knew deep down inside that I had to bulk, but mentally I wasn't ready to jump into it, so I hung out at maintenance for 3 months while I got it together.
If you are at maintenance and lifting, the scale may increase due to water retention.. try not to let that discourage you.. use other methods to track progress besides the scale: measurements, the mirror, progress photos etc.

I think recomp ...

I haven't been lifting with any kind of order for about 3 1/2 years.

Although I prefer to work out outside and have been cardio heavy in weight loss I'm thinking of having a few sessions with a trainer to check my form after all these years and get back into lifting.

Maybe I'm in that 'getting it together' period though.

crackpotbaby

livingleanlivingclean wrote: »

I've got to the point where my weight is somewhat irrelevant and not important to me... I prefer to go by calipers and measurements, and photos to track progress.
I can weigh myself every day and not let it effect me, but if that's not possible for you, perhaps hide the scale for a while and rely on other indications of progress?

I've been there before around when the first pic was taken.

My weight gain was somewhat of a shock to me as I'd never been overweight in my life and I gained >20% of my body weight in a pretty short time. I've been focussed on numbers during the whole weight loss period so it's a had habit to break.

I do weigh daily to get comfortable with fluctuations. I feel like if I don't keep weighing I will be less focussed and not accountable to myself right now, right now if that makes sense?

I'd really like to get back to it being about seeing changes and increasing performance goals again though.

crackpotbaby

jgnatca wrote: »

You are beautiful. That is true.

Do you want to base your life decisions based on fear? I hope you don't pick your life partner that way.

How about structuring a planned "Bulk" including a schedule and everything, and decide ahead of time what your top limit will be?

Good suggestion. I question my self control/don't entirely trust the process.

It's not so much 'fear' as not wanting the relinquish control.

I know theoretically I could control a bulk as much as I can a loss but my heads just not there yet.

Christine_72

I think you look better in your current photo , you look perfect to me Just my lil ol opinion though

crackpotbaby

Christine_72 wrote: »

I think you look better in your current photo , you look perfect to me Just my lil ol opinion though

Aw, thanks x

I think just feel a bit scrawny and skinny.

Christine_72

lizery wrote: »

Christine_72 wrote: »

I think you look better in your current photo , you look perfect to me Just my lil ol opinion though

Aw, thanks x

I think just feel a bit scrawny and skinny.

It's hard to tell if your scrawny and skinny from the picture. But from what i can see you look great! I'm trying really hard to come across as creepy lol But i'm jealous!

sijomial

lizery wrote: »

sijomial wrote: »

You're looking great but maybe hitting that realisation that under the fat we carried around before wasn't the body of our dreams. You must have some great dreams BTW!!

Hitting goal weight is just a part of the process of becoming the best we can possibly be.

The same maths that resulted in weight loss also work at maintenance - it's a choice if you want to gain weight or not. When you had your "old muscles" were you heavier than now?

What are your physique/fitness/strength goals?

Ha - yes ... I'm a little shell shocked to discover that under the fat my muscles had atrophied although intellectually I knew it would happen.

I think my goals are still focussed on 'not being fat' whereas in the past they were always performance based.

I was somewhere between 54 - 56kg in each photo.

Well if you don't want to be heavier then there's no need to bulk - so don't!!

Just pick up your old training regime, as you are slim and returning to a previous training high you should make quick and visible progress.
You can hang the label recomp on that if you feel the need for a label.

crackpotbaby

sijomial wrote: »

lizery wrote: »

sijomial wrote: »

You're looking great but maybe hitting that realisation that under the fat we carried around before wasn't the body of our dreams. You must have some great dreams BTW!!

Hitting goal weight is just a part of the process of becoming the best we can possibly be.

The same maths that resulted in weight loss also work at maintenance - it's a choice if you want to gain weight or not. When you had your "old muscles" were you heavier than now?

What are your physique/fitness/strength goals?

Ha - yes ... I'm a little shell shocked to discover that under the fat my muscles had atrophied although intellectually I knew it would happen.

I think my goals are still focussed on 'not being fat' whereas in the past they were always performance based.

I was somewhere between 54 - 56kg in each photo.

Well if you don't want to be heavier then there's no need to bulk - so don't!!

Just pick up your old training regime, as you are slim and returning to a previous training high you should make quick and visible progress.
You can hang the label recomp on that if you feel the need for a label.

This makes the most sense.

'Recomp' makes it sound so complex; time to start picking up heavy things and putting them down again.

And pull ups. Lots of pull ups.

I don't think my skinny arms could do one right right now. Starting at the beginning again sucks.

Christine_72

Christine_72 wrote: »

lizery wrote: »

Christine_72 wrote: »

I think you look better in your current photo , you look perfect to me Just my lil ol opinion though

Aw, thanks x

I think just feel a bit scrawny and skinny.

It's hard to tell if your scrawny and skinny from the picture. But from what i can see you look great! I'm trying really hard to NOT come across as creepy lol But i'm jealous!

OMG Not come across, NOT! I missed out the vital word! I really must proof read my posts before sending!!