Did you go through a flabby stage before you reached goal?

GenF32
GenF32 Posts: 184 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi there,
I've lost 12.5kg (28 pounds) and I'm over halfway to my goal weight which is 132 pounds. I've been working out pretty solidly for almost a year, have gained some impressive muscle tone, and lost most of the weight since November. Obviously I've lost quite a few inches all over, and am fitting into much smaller clothes now....

however...

I'm wondering if it's normal to go through a really flabby stage before those last few pounds of flab drops off? I think I'm doing everything right - not eating too few calories, and focusing on lots of protein and veggies, and prioritising weight training and circuits over steady state cardio. But some days I feel flabbier than I ever have. It seems like all my fat is loosening up, and I'm left with jiggle.

I know I probably just need to hang in there and be patient, knowing that if I do all the right things my body will catch up, but I'm impatient damnit! So I'm curious - has anyone else experienced this half-way through, did the extra 'jelly' eventually disappear?

TIA

Replies

  • GenF32
    GenF32 Posts: 184 Member
    Waaaaah! 8 hours and no replies. Come on folks, enlighten me.
  • msliu7911
    msliu7911 Posts: 638 Member
    Since I haven't yet reached my goal, I can't say for sure. But what I do know from the past is that until losing most all of their fat, many people won't see much muscle definition. Also, some people lose weight too fast so they lose fat and muscle, giving the flabby effect.

    For you i would say just give it a little more time. If you're doing everything as you mention below and still losing, you're going in the right direction. I would say to reevaluate once you get closer (10-15 lbs) to your goal. If you aren't seeing improvement, then you will probably need to switch up your workout routine and incorporate more lifting and change up cardio. Maybe right now its just a bad time of the month or your experiencing extreme water retention? :)
  • caribear1984
    caribear1984 Posts: 203
    I am not halfway there yet, but I've definitely noticed several periods so far when I stop losing scale weight, but I "tighten up" quite a bit. I have heard that it can take up to two years for the skin to rebound after weight loss. In my experience, it does look worse before it looks better. Hang in there, you are doing great. Patience is the hardest part.
  • SteelySunshine
    SteelySunshine Posts: 1,092 Member
    Hi there,
    I've lost 12.5kg (28 pounds) and I'm over halfway to my goal weight which is 132 pounds. I've been working out pretty solidly for almost a year, have gained some impressive muscle tone, and lost most of the weight since November. Obviously I've lost quite a few inches all over, and am fitting into much smaller clothes now....

    however...

    I'm wondering if it's normal to go through a really flabby stage before those last few pounds of flab drops off? I think I'm doing everything right - not eating too few calories, and focusing on lots of protein and veggies, and prioritising weight training and circuits over steady state cardio. But some days I feel flabbier than I ever have. It seems like all my fat is loosening up, and I'm left with jiggle.


    I know I probably just need to hang in there and be patient, knowing that if I do all the right things my body will catch up, but I'm impatient damnit! So I'm curious - has anyone else experienced this half-way through, did the extra 'jelly' eventually disappear?

    TIA

    I haven't experienced this because I am flabby, I got a lot to lose. But, I have heard this is entirely normal, that at some point you get jiggly and there is a whoooosh so to speak where you lose a couple of pounds pretty quick.
  • MysticRealm
    MysticRealm Posts: 1,264 Member
    Yes, as you fat cells become less densely packed together and the skin less tightly pulled you will probably have more squishy jiggly fat for a bit.
  • NanaWubbie
    NanaWubbie Posts: 248 Member
    How old are you? If you are under 40 years old, you might get lucky and tone up. If you are over 40, the flabbyness is because you jest have too much skin....plastic surgery is about the only thing to take care of it.
  • GenF32
    GenF32 Posts: 184 Member
    Thanks all, appreciate the replies. Nana I'm 32, and I'm not sure if I said so but my starting weight in November (having lost 10 or so kilos very slowly prior to that) was 80kg, so I was overweight but not morbidly obese. So it's not a case of having lost heaps of weight and now having loose skin. I think it's more likely to be as Mystic Realm said, a case of fat cells breaking up.

    Steelysunshine I'm impatient for that whoosh you mention!
  • katy_trail
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Yep yep yep.

    Every time I lose a bunch of weight, all that empty space where the nice, firmly pat used to be empties out and I get the 'rolls'. Same thing happens to my husband.

    Then our backs hurt because all the fat that kept our muscles tight is gone and the muscles aren't tight enough to hold my spine in place.

    The answer is EXERCISE. It happens to me around 15 pounds. I have come to look at it as a good pound, as it really does happen just before I make a big weight drop.
  • sugarandspice27
    sugarandspice27 Posts: 521 Member
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html

    Great article!
  • GenF32
    GenF32 Posts: 184 Member
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html

    Great article!

    Sure was! I've certainly noticed what feels like little marbles under my skin, described in the article.

    Thanks so much for all your responses - I'm feeling much more encouraged now :)

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