Unexpected downsides of losing weight
Replies
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Often, perceived "batwings", in women, are at least partly relaxed triceps muscles.
Do your best bodybuilder flex, and be sure to curl your fingers/fist and elevate your elbow well above your shoulder. Focus section by section, and consciously tighten every piece, especially upper arm. If it firms up, it wasn't fat/skin. (Grab it with the opposite hand before flexing, fingertips close to the bone, if you're not sure.) Even quite fit can women have slightly wobbly triceps, when they're relaxed.
Don't be misidentifying nice relaxed muscles as ugly fat or loose sin, and hating on them!
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Spadesheart wrote: »NOTHING FITS, AND I CAN'T BUY CLOTHES UNTIL I REACH GOAL WEIGHT.
I have lost 50 pounds, and i have 20ish to go. None of my clothes fit anymore. It sounds like a humble brag, but it's legitimately an issue. I wear suits to work, and the pant's all look like tents so I have to wear more casual pants along with the rest of the get up.
And there's no point in buying anything yet, as the way the weight loss has gone has left a great deal of it on my belly and chest. Everything I lose moving forward is making a pretty dramatic difference to my size, so I feel like I'll be like 4-5 inches smaller at the chest and tummy by goal. Sigh.
Well you have to have clothes. It takes a long time to lose that much weight. I went through several "Goodwill wardrobes" while losing 150. And buy things with stretch and a flexible fit so they last awhile.9 -
I’ve always found it much harder to shop for small sizes, like 2 or 4 (back in my much younger days, LOL). Stores stock more of the “average” sizes (8-12) because that’s what sells best. I was lucky if I found something cute in my size and I could never wait for it to go on sale because the store would have only ONE in my size. Some clothing catalogs don’t even carry size 6. It’s a problem with being smaller than the “average” (overweight) American woman these days.
I hear you with this one. I am an Australian size 6 which is an American 0. Finding clothes that fit is so hard as many clothing shops don't go lower than an 8. I often have to resort to teen shops or children's departments. Not ideal when you are over 40!5 -
Well you have to have clothes. It takes a long time to lose that much weight. I went through several "Goodwill wardrobes" while losing 150. And buy things with stretch and a flexible fit so they last awhile.
I buy all my suits at thrift stores, but even so
The problem is dress clothes, I'm good at home haha0 -
Well you have to have clothes. It takes a long time to lose that much weight. I went through several "Goodwill wardrobes" while losing 150. And buy things with stretch and a flexible fit so they last awhile.
Also, if you need bras, try Amazon. I went through a LOT of bra sizes while losing weight (40DDD to currently somewhere in the 30D-32C range), and I sometimes found good ones for a discount if I didn't care what color they were. Yes, I had a neon orange bra for a while, but it fit.16 -
I found shopping on aliexpress for clothes was handy as find clothes small enough in new Zealand was hard. On Ali alot of clothes are Asian sizing which is smaller.6
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Often, perceived "batwings", in women, are at least partly relaxed triceps muscles.
Do your best bodybuilder flex, and be sure to curl your fingers/fist and elevate your elbow well above your shoulder. Focus section by section, and consciously tighten every piece, especially upper arm. If it firms up, it wasn't fat/skin. (Grab it with the opposite hand before flexing, fingertips close to the bone, if you're not sure.) Even quite fit can women have slightly wobbly triceps, when they're relaxed.
Don't be misidentifying nice relaxed muscles as ugly fat or loose sin, and hating on them!
:drinker:
Great advice for those who do not possess in-depth knowledge of mammalian anatomy and physiology.
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I did the bat wing test as instructed. It does appear to be loose skin. I can feel firmness underneath, where the muscle is, but there is quite a layer of jiggle over top of that. Not that I think it's ugly, though, because it shows my progress. That loose sack of jiggle used to be filled out with fat. I'm proud of my bat wings. (I do hope they firm up more as I progress farther, though.)
I am coping with the clothing size issue by relying more and more on drawstring pants. It's easier to tighten the string than it is to alter a pair of jeans... although, since I do sew, I'm capable of doing that too.
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texasredreb wrote: »I already have have Raynaud's and its cousin, Cold urticaria (hives from being cold--usually on my butt). The symptoms are getting more prevalent with a modest 25lb weight loss. Couple those two annoying conditions with menopausal hot flashes and I'm hot and sweaty one minute and have cold white fingers and hives the next. Annoying!!
At night is the worst, I go from trying to sleep nude with no covers and a water bottle to mist myself; to just the sheet; to the sheet and one blanket; two more blankets; two blankets and the quilt; two blankets, the quilt and sweat pants, socks and a shirt--back to naked with no sheet X 5 every night. Sometimes I get so cold I have to get up and take a hot shower. Sigh.
Electric blankets help a lot. One layer and you can change the temperature.2 -
+1 for Reynaud's, I'd never even considered weight loss as the culprit!
Also the mourning being able to eat whatever I like, in the quantities I actually like. I have extended diet breaks (read: binge sessions) when it get too hard.
The weirdest one I found, and sorry if this is TMI, but I actually have LESS body confidence now, especially in the boudoir. Before I never cared what I looked like, now I'm acutely aware of all my bits jiggling around all over the shop.
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45lbs ago, just leaning on a door opened it. Now I have to actively push.14
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+1 for Reynaud's, I'd never even considered weight loss as the culprit!
Also the mourning being able to eat whatever I like, in the quantities I actually like. I have extended diet breaks (read: binge sessions) when it get too hard.
The weirdest one I found, and sorry if this is TMI, but I actually have LESS body confidence now, especially in the boudoir. Before I never cared what I looked like, now I'm acutely aware of all my bits jiggling around all over the shop.
I think this is common and makes sense. If you're going to put effort in your body, you're going to focus on the imperfections as that's what you're trying to eliminate. I'm more annoyed by my moobs now than when I started this stretch back in December. WHY WONT THEY DIE!?14 -
I would like to be cool instead of hot and 43 pounds hasn’t changed that yet. My old tummy is somewhat saggy but getting better and at least can be tucked into a lightweight shaper to look good, I’m long past bikini bottoms. My double chin is gone and my wedding ring fits well. It’s all good.11
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I have to do a whole lot more exercise to get the same number of extra calories!23
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I'm practically gaunt in the face and upper body, but still fat in the lower body. People tell me you even out after a couple years but ugh ugh ugh.
I can also see why people comment and think you've lost too much weight when parts of you are all bones.15 -
Often, perceived "batwings", in women, are at least partly relaxed triceps muscles.
Do your best bodybuilder flex, and be sure to curl your fingers/fist and elevate your elbow well above your shoulder. Focus section by section, and consciously tighten every piece, especially upper arm. If it firms up, it wasn't fat/skin. (Grab it with the opposite hand before flexing, fingertips close to the bone, if you're not sure.) Even quite fit can women have slightly wobbly triceps, when they're relaxed.
Don't be misidentifying nice relaxed muscles as ugly fat or loose sin, and hating on them!
:drinker:
@AnnPT77 Woah. This is a game-changer for me. I thought I might have some "batwing" action (didn't bother me, really, because it's better than what it was), but doing this I realize that that bad boy swinging around is really mostly muscle. Hot diggity dog!
I mean, there's some fat I need to lose, too, but. muscle12 -
dhiammarath wrote: »
@AnnPT77 Woah. This is a game-changer for me. I thought I might have some "batwing" action (didn't bother me, really, because it's better than what it was), but doing this I realize that that bad boy swinging around is really mostly muscle. Hot diggity dog!
I mean, there's some fat I need to lose, too, but. muscle
Yay: Good news!
Literally, every single time I've walked a woman through this in real life, at least part of what she was identifying as "batwings", "chicken wings", "bingo wings", or some other lamentable thing, was actually relaxed triceps muscles. And the fact that it's somewhat slack or mobile doesn't mean it's necessarily weak, either, just relaxed.
Clearly, some of us have some loose skin or fat there, too . . . but we need to celebrate the muscle part, not lament it.
A (male) powerlifter who taught my first women's weight training class first showed me this.9 -
+1 for Reynaud's, I'd never even considered weight loss as the culprit!
Also the mourning being able to eat whatever I like, in the quantities I actually like. I have extended diet breaks (read: binge sessions) when it get too hard.
The weirdest one I found, and sorry if this is TMI, but I actually have LESS body confidence now, especially in the boudoir. Before I never cared what I looked like, now I'm acutely aware of all my bits jiggling around all over the shop.
I also have Reynauds, mostly noticed when I go to the grocery on my way home from a run and the cold turns my fingers white and numb with the cold air conditioned air on my sweaty body.
Fortunately, I still can eat what I want - running and walking a lot burns a lot of calories.
The body confidence thing is true for me though. Loss of boobs is a big deal for me as I went from a 36C to a 36A, with bony ribs and back. At the same time, I still have a round belly and lots of loose skin that wobbles when I run. My husband was happy with me when I was heavier. I'm not so sure now.
Even so I like being thin. I spent a lot of time yoyo dieting over the years. I like having finally reached a weight I'm comfortable with and that I can maintain without feeling deprived.9 -
Well you have to have clothes. It takes a long time to lose that much weight. I went through several "Goodwill wardrobes" while losing 150. And buy things with stretch and a flexible fit so they last awhile.
I'm reaching the point where my pants don't stay up & look bad. I need to buy some in a smaller size. But I hate thrift-store shopping. I somehow didn't get that gene passed down from my mom. I've been delaying getting new clothes because I'm not done yet. Still have a ways to go. I like t-shirt type dresses. Maybe I'll get a couple more of those & stick to dresses at work.1 -
I'm practically gaunt in the face and upper body, but still fat in the lower body. People tell me you even out after a couple years but ugh ugh ugh.
I can also see why people comment and think you've lost too much weight when parts of you are all bones.
Yesss the struggle is real. My husband is slightly freaked out that he can see my ribs for the first time but I'm still not even at the lower end of the bmi. Every lb I have left to lose is from my ribs down... First on, last off.4 -
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Can one lose weight from the nose? I just had to readjust my glasses to stop them slipping off!11
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I've had to get my wedding and engagement rings resized twice. Better than losing them off my finger though.4
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Can one lose weight from the nose? I just had to readjust my glasses to stop them slipping off!
I have had to get my glasses adjusted a number of times but I don't think it is just because of the nose. Your whole face is smaller and it doesn't take much loss for things like glasses to sit differently.
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I buy clothes that are too big on me, I still don't understand my size.6
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Yay: Good news!
Literally, every single time I've walked a woman through this in real life, at least part of what she was identifying as "batwings", "chicken wings", "bingo wings", or some other lamentable thing, was actually relaxed triceps muscles. And the fact that it's somewhat slack or mobile doesn't mean it's necessarily weak, either, just relaxed.
Clearly, some of us have some loose skin or fat there, too . . . but we need to celebrate the muscle part, not lament it.
A (male) powerlifter who taught my first women's weight training class first showed me this.
If they are relaxed muscle, will working them more tighten them ?2 -
the bummer was I found out I was lowering my metabolism,... i'm on refeed now and not watching the scale. Have already lost 100lbs which I expect to pick up some while my metab resets. I was only around 1,100-1,200 calories intake and didn't realize what I was doing to myself. On the upswing now and redo after my body adjusts metab back up some. BTW: How long will it take to readjust back up? I was on around 1,000 for about 6 months - whereas, my Cutting was supposed to be between 1,184-1,600 depending on which ap you use. Thanks!11
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I think the hardest thing for me this time around has been people not noticing. I mean I am losing for myself, but it is pretty dispiriting to have people not notice (except for family and health professionals) when I’m down 23.5kg already.
It's a familiarity thing I've found.
People that I see frequently like co-workers etc really didn't notice or comment at all. People I saw fairly often but not every day kind of noticed and make off-hand comments but didn't make a big deal out of it. However, people that I saw infrequently like friends and family that I haven't seen for extended periods of time flipped out and gave me VERY satisfying reactions.8 -
If they are relaxed muscle, will working them more tighten them ?
I'm not sure how to answer that. Can some women's arms get more firm than they are now, through some combination of fat loss, skin shrinkage, strength improvement and/or added muscle mass? Probably.
But some amount of mobility is normal, even in most quite-fit women, if the arm is held out horizontally so that gravity acts on the long relaxed muscle of the upper arm. Think about it: The muscles need to contract (get shorter/tighter) in order to function. If they're fully contracted when relaxed, how are they going to function?
The same thing tends to happen with leg muscles, if you sit on the edge of a chair and extend your leg so the back of the thigh is relaxed (your knee will be bent a little, in order to keep the back of the thigh relaxed - it's hard to get into the right position). There is some mobility at the back of the thigh. Fully extend the lower leg, and much of that tightens up. But most of us rarely do anything like that with our leg; we hold our arm out horizontally and move it often, doing normal activities, so we notice it.
For most women, improving strength and muscle mass will improve appearance. The longer relaxed muscles will not be fully firm, especially in a position where the full length of the muscle is under the influence of gravity.
We women need to stop disliking our normal, healthy bodies. That's my main point.
I'm not an exercise physiologist, BTW.
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