Scary decision, need some encouragement

andreae13

I've been overweight my ENTIRE life. Those that have been here know that your life ultimately revolves around the scale. Your self esteem is in direct proportion with the direction the number goes. I have worked hard, mentally and physically to conquer the demons that made me reach 323lbs. I've lost 143lbs and could probably lose another 20. I have been battling with myself the last 6 months to get those 20 off but I can seem to do it. I feel like I'm fighting my body the whole time. After a new bench PR of 230lbs on Thursday I started thinking. I LOVE being strong! My body is made for strength and building muscle. So I have decided to take a leap of faith and throw the scale out the window (or give it to my trainer at least) and focus purely on building those two. I am terrified of gaining weight since I've spent my whole life focused on losing it. I've been reassured by my trainer that if we do this the right way I won't gain too much and I'll get leaner...plus the best part, I'll get stronger! So I'd love some stories of success in this area with pictures of course and just for comparison sake, I currently weight 180, am 5'6" and have 26% body fat.

OsricTheKnight

I think you should do it! For sure more muscle will be a good change even if your weight stays level or goes up a little. If it's real strength you want, I think a starting strength or crossfit based workout is the way to go.

Whatever you choose, good luck with getting strong!

Osric

DopeItUp

230lb bench press that is incredible. You're over 1.25x BW which is amazing. In fact, that's considered well into "elite" status for lifting. Keep up the good work, I think you will see good results both progress-wise and body composition-wise.

Edit: I just realized, that's almost as much as I can bench and I am a 6'3" male. Great work, you should enter a power lifting competition. I'm willing to bet that's better than the record for your state.

andreae13

Oh I should add that I've been lifting for almost three years with the help of my trainer

gingabebe

You lost a whole person- you are awesome.

Don't throw that scale out the window, you are so strong now you might hit someone and hurt them-:laugh:

I jump on my scale everyday. I even have a talking one, it says "Are you ready?" "Stand still" "You're weight is xxx pounds." Sometimes she is my friend, sometimes she is a real b*tch!

So I am not there yet, not anywhere close.

andreae13

230lb bench press that is incredible. You're over 1.25x BW which is amazing. In fact, that's considered well into "elite" status for lifting. Keep up the good work, I think you will see good results both progress-wise and body composition-wise.

Thanks! That was kinda the turning point for me. I feel like I'm wasting my gift of strength to just see that smaller number on the scale.

skadoosh33

I've been overweight my ENTIRE life. Those that have been here know that your life ultimately revolves around the scale. Your self esteem is in direct proportion with the direction the number goes. I have worked hard, mentally and physically to conquer the demons that made me reach 323lbs. I've lost 143lbs and could probably lose another 20. I have been battling with myself the last 6 months to get those 20 off but I can seem to do it. I feel like I'm fighting my body the whole time. After a new bench PR of 230lbs on Thursday I started thinking. I LOVE being strong! My body is made for strength and building muscle. So I have decided to take a leap of faith and throw the scale out the window (or give it to my trainer at least) and focus purely on building those two. I am terrified of gaining weight since I've spent my whole life focused on losing it. I've been reassured by my trainer that if we do this the right way I won't gain too much and I'll get leaner...plus the best part, I'll get stronger! So I'd love some stories of success in this area with pictures of course and just for comparison sake, I currently weight 180, am 5'6" and have 26% body fat.

If your goal is strength then keep lifting heavy. I would keep an eye on the body fat % and also get dunked for hydrostatic testing if you haven't already. 26% at your weight is over 130lbs of lean mass and might be a little off. Good luck with your goals.

spearfox

I creeped your pictures....
WOW! Fantastic definition!

andreae13

I creeped your pictures....
WOW! Fantastic definition!

Thanks! I REALLY need to take new ones. Gonna have my hubby do a "before" pic to help with comparison.

KaraAlste

You should do whatever makes you happy. Knowledge is power, so I don't understand why you would throw away the scale. But again, sounds like you made some decisions and us peeps are rooting for you!

PaulaKro

The trick is keeping it off, and it sounds like you've found the key. Congratulations!

jennyc1270

Impressive weight loss and impressive strength. And to think I can barely bench press the 45# bar. Don't worry about the scales. This isn't about how much you weigh but how much you can lift. If you are happy with the way your body looks, at this point, that is all that really matters. Keep up the good work. You are quite the inspiration and your pictures are amazing.

Rosplosion

As I said before, many of my friends continue to get smaller without losing weight. You do what makes YOU happy. If struggling against the scale isn't making you happy, then STOP.

...Oh, and what Dope said.

Otterluv

It's totally legit to reevaluate your goals and figure out what is most important to you at this moment. By all means, focus on strength and ditch the scale. If you decide at some point in the future that you want to cut more, it's not like you won't be allowed to.

Honestly, I have my goal set for 135 right now, but I figure that once I hit 150-155 I'll say "screw it" and focus on other things. My goals, my body, I can do whatever I want.

Your goals, your body, you do what makes you happy and proud of yourself :flowerforyou:

And holy crap, your bench is amazing!!!!

Jlennhikes

I say put the scale away. I had to for a different reason. I was dieting and working out, trimming down and getting results, but the scale hardly budged. It would mess with my mind too much when I didn't see a loss. You've shown what you can accomplish. Don't be nervous. Just keep doing what you're doing. It's obviously working

andreae13

I just realized, that's almost as much as I can bench and I am a 6'3" male. Great work, you should enter a power lifting competition. I'm willing to bet that's better than the record for your state.

I never thought of that, maybe I should look into it :happy:

mdj1501

Your self esteem is in direct proportion with the direction the number goes.


This is sooo true. But wow! Look what you have accomplished. If I could lift that much I would only be focusing on those numbers! Incredible! Go girl, RAWR!

Sarauk2sf

I've been overweight my ENTIRE life. Those that have been here know that your life ultimately revolves around the scale. Your self esteem is in direct proportion with the direction the number goes. I have worked hard, mentally and physically to conquer the demons that made me reach 323lbs. I've lost 143lbs and could probably lose another 20. I have been battling with myself the last 6 months to get those 20 off but I can seem to do it. I feel like I'm fighting my body the whole time. After a new bench PR of 230lbs on Thursday I started thinking. I LOVE being strong! My body is made for strength and building muscle. So I have decided to take a leap of faith and throw the scale out the window (or give it to my trainer at least) and focus purely on building those two. I am terrified of gaining weight since I've spent my whole life focused on losing it. I've been reassured by my trainer that if we do this the right way I won't gain too much and I'll get leaner...plus the best part, I'll get stronger! So I'd love some stories of success in this area with pictures of course and just for comparison sake, I currently weight 180, am 5'6" and have 26% body fat.

If your goal is strength then keep lifting heavy. I would keep an eye on the body fat % and also get dunked for hydrostatic testing if you haven't already. 26% at your weight is over 130lbs of lean mass and might be a little off. Good luck with your goals.

It's high for a female - but not that unusual at her height to have 130lb+ LBM.

SideSteel

That's a CRAZY strong bench!

Cranquistador

I just realized, that's almost as much as I can bench and I am a 6'3" male. Great work, you should enter a power lifting competition. I'm willing to bet that's better than the record for your state.

I never thought of that, maybe I should look into it :happy:

DO IT!!!

taunto

That's a CRAZY strong bench!

Right? I do 70 kg 1rm (roughly 150 lbs). I thought I was badass...

OP: You are one strong and badass chicka. Like Dope said, check the competition and get into it, if you like.

suziepoo1984

Wow.. Look at all those muscles! Great job.. You look beautiful!
About the scale, I cannot be of much help here, since I weigh myself everyday and the fluctuations truly do not bother me:)
I would think it would be a good idea to take a break from the scale for a while
Good luck :drinker:

_liftnlove

First of all, you are a complete and total, certifiable badass!!!! You should definitely enter a powerlifting competition!!! You would inspire and astound tons of people!!! Since you asked for success stories/pics from lifting, I'll share a pic, but I don't want to hijack YOUR thread of AWESOMENESS, so if you want to see more pics, you can check my profile or my blog... http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/_liftnlove/view/2012-my-year-in-pictures-576626

This is a year and half of extremely hard work, condensed into one pic...I've made a lot of progress, but I would be summarily crushed to death under a 230 lb bench, so I bow to the queen ...and yep, feel free to ditch the scale girl. The scale can't even come close to measuring what you're doing at this point.

delicious_cocktail

Finding your own definition of beautiful and feminine and reaching your potential . . . awesome, utterly awesome; and that's genuine beauty.

Much better than trying to shoe-horn your body into something that you've been told you're supposed to want.

andreae13

First of all, you are a complete and total, certifiable badass!!!! You should definitely enter a powerlifting competition!!! You would inspire and astound tons of people!!! Since you asked for success stories/pics from lifting, I'll share a pic, but I don't want to hijack YOUR thread of AWESOMENESS, so if you want to see more pics, you can check my profile or my blog... http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/_liftnlove/view/2012-my-year-in-pictures-576626

This is a year and half of extremely hard work, condensed into one pic...I've made a lot of progress, but I would be summarily crushed to death under a 230 lb bench, so I bow to the queen ...and yep, feel free to ditch the scale girl. The scale can't even come close to measuring what you're doing at this point.

Thanks, this is exactly what I needed to see!

jofjltncb6

Wow (on the weight loss) and wow (on the strength). I am both in awe and jealous. Best of luck with whatever you decide you want to pursue. Keep us posted.

(I'm tagging this to read the next time I'm tempted to skip a workout with a mental caption of "somewhere out there, a woman is warming up with your max." :drinker: )

Iron_Feline

You look amazing - yeah ditch the scale, it's just a number - focus on how you look, feel and lift.

I look forward to your next post about smashing a competition - that bench is awesome! :flowerforyou:

auroranflash

Wow (on the weight loss) and wow (on the strength). I am both in awe and jealous. Best of luck with whatever you decide you want to pursue. Keep us posted.

(I'm tagging this to read the next time I'm tempted to skip a workout with a mental caption of "somewhere out there, a woman is warming up with your max." :drinker: )

This!

Keep going and keep us posted

crazie4lulu

PLEASE... please creep my profile and add me!!!!!

SuperSexyDork

Wow (on the weight loss) and wow (on the strength). I am both in awe and jealous. Best of luck with whatever you decide you want to pursue. Keep us posted.

(I'm tagging this to read the next time I'm tempted to skip a workout with a mental caption of "somewhere out there, a woman is warming up with your max." :drinker: )

This!

Keep going and keep us posted

x3

You're amazing.

ZoeLifts

Wow! You are amazing and strong! I am very impressed! I too want to be stronger but battle with the urge to keep looking at the scale and worrying about that, but every time I try to cut and see that I can't increase my lifts, I get frustrated because I really want to increase those weights instead! I would love to see you enter some competitions, though! Killer bench!!:flowerforyou: