Movin' On Up...and the Most Honest Photo I have ever posted

Hanfordrose
Hanfordrose Posts: 688 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
For some of you the idea of a workout with ONE POUND WEIGHTS would be a joke, but that is what this old lady has been using. Today, I took a courageous step. I went Walmart looking for 2 pound hand weights, but they were sold out. The next size that was available were these THREE POUNDERS. I picked them up slowly, worried that I might drop one of them in the process of getting them down from their elevated display rack to the basket in my electric cart. (Yep. I'm one of those wheeled warriors, buzzing around the aisles.)

Once I had those 3 pounders in my hands, I knew that it was time to move on up to something heavier than my baby weights.

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Believe me, when I say that I really felt the difference as I did my Sit And Fit Exercise this afternoon. I was especially concerned about upping the workout on my biceps and triceps. Those 3 pounders made me really feel the effort during the lifts and curls. This was the whole point of getting bigger weights.

I have been losing all kinds of inches and pounds in the past 6 months, dropping from 4X to size 16 in pants and 30/32 to 20/22 in blouses and tops. Well, I can sort of fit into a 20 blouse; but I have one really BIG PROBLEM AREA. It showed, when I put on this new size 20 blouse. My arm was squeezed into that sleeve.

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On that day, I took the MOST HONEST PHOTO of my problem area...my upper arm. :noway:

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Though I am losing weight and inches everywhere else, my upper arms are refusing to yield their fat deposits. The only solution that I could see was MORE EXERCISE and HEAVIER WEIGHTS.

If my shoulders can take the weights, I am hoping that those new, bright green, 3 pounders will help to make a dent in that upper arm problem. I will be losing more weight, of that I am sure. The question will be..."How bad will my BAT WINGS be, when that fat is gone?"

At age 68 years old, I have no delusions about getting the tight skin of a fashion model; but I don't want to look like BAT GRANNIE. Say a prayer or wish me luck with those 3 pounders. They feel a whole lot heavier, when they are over my head, doing tricep pulls :laugh: .

Apparently, I am having some problems with Photobucket today. I hope that you can see the photos now, though they are a bit smaller than I had planned.
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Replies

  • josiereside
    josiereside Posts: 720 Member
    I wish you much luck! Keep on movin' for many more years to come!
  • BigBrunette
    BigBrunette Posts: 1,543 Member
    You're doing great! And "bat grannie" made me laugh. :)
  • jfrankic
    jfrankic Posts: 747 Member
    Congratulations on the heavier weights! You should be proud of yourself. I know lots of people here will be! :heart:
  • ckish
    ckish Posts: 341 Member
    Nice story but the pics are not visible on my computer. It says the images have been deleted from photobucket. Did you change your mind after starting the thread? In any case good luck. You will be at 5 pounders and beyond one day if you keep it progressing. Good Luck!
  • cwaters120
    cwaters120 Posts: 354 Member
    great job on the moving on up!!!! :drinker: You will do fine, I have NO doubts! You're improving by leaps and bounds, my friend, good job :sad:
  • shaydon80
    shaydon80 Posts: 138 Member
    You're doing a great job! Keep up the good work :)
  • Kxgz
    Kxgz Posts: 198 Member
    You are doing amazing and I hope you get some great results. You must be so proud of yourself! : )
  • aalpass
    aalpass Posts: 124 Member
    Hats off to the 3lb weights. Great job for stepping it up when the 2lb weren't available! AND a big hats off for even being on MFP.

    If i told my mum (who's 60) to use MFP she wouldn't have a clue!

    You go girl!
  • HealthyEscape
    HealthyEscape Posts: 255
    Seriously LOL at the "bat grannie" comment. Congrats on getting the bigger weights. Many people would have probably left the store empty handed when they saw what they wanted wasn't there. But not you. You looked at those big green monsters and said "I GOT THIS" and bought them instead. That, in itself, is a huge accomplishment. Keep doing what you are doing and rock those green monsters! You'll be posting your 5# and new "bat-less" arms before you know it :-)
  • Tamekia770
    Tamekia770 Posts: 25 Member
    LMBO! Bat Granny, You are on your way to your second life sexiness, and you are doing it well, congrats on not giving up like some and taking control of your health, you are an inspiration .and I thank you!
  • Hanfordrose
    Hanfordrose Posts: 688 Member
    Nice story but the pics are not visible on my computer. It says the images have been deleted from photobucket. Did you change your mind after starting the thread?

    No, I didn't change my mind. I just seem to be having problems with Photobucket today. So, I loaded them into my profile photos; and though the pictures are a bit smaller than I wanted, I was able to get them in this post.
  • marcon125
    marcon125 Posts: 259 Member
    You're awesome! Showing lots of determination in your weight loss, courage and a great sense of humor! I applaud your success and will be rooting for you in your further progress!
  • kdaughertyfp
    kdaughertyfp Posts: 49 Member
    You are such an inspiration! Way to challenge yourself by moving up to those green weights! :bigsmile: :flowerforyou:
  • Anna800
    Anna800 Posts: 639 Member
    You're doing a great job!
  • Hanfordrose
    Hanfordrose Posts: 688 Member
    Hats off to the 3lb weights. Great job for stepping it up when the 2lb weren't available! AND a big hats off for even being on MFP.

    If i told my mum (who's 60) to use MFP she wouldn't have a clue!

    You go girl!

    Tell your Mum to "Come on in. The water is fine." I would love to have her as one of my MFP sisters. There are plenty of us 'oldies but goodies' on this site; and this old girl logs in her food diary every day. I am confined to a wheelchair most of the time, though I can use a walker for just a few steps around the house. That doesn't keep me from exercising for 30 minutes nearly every day.

    I am working for some new knees, when I get to Onederland. I know that I still have a lot of years left in me, and I want to live them on my feet...not on my butt. Can you imagine, how much more that I will be able to lose, when I get my new knees? I want a grannie tricycle with a basket in the back. Then, my hubbie and I can bike together and go picnic by the lake.
  • healthyKYgirl
    healthyKYgirl Posts: 272 Member
    Awesome going for the green weights! You are doing great and Congratulations! :drinker:
  • Keegansmum6
    Keegansmum6 Posts: 193 Member
    Wow good for you!!!
  • maecrocker
    maecrocker Posts: 56
    Great job going green. Keep on moving up! Before you know it you will be riding that tricycle and going on your picnic!
  • jennylea16
    jennylea16 Posts: 97 Member
    That's a great job and a great step up! I enjoyed reading your post. :) Good luck and keep it up!
  • Snitch1
    Snitch1 Posts: 201 Member
    I want a grannie tricycle with a basket in the back.

    I BOUGHT ONE!! HOT PINK W/ A SNAZZY HELMET TO MATCH..NOW..to get the guts to go out and ride the sucker! You will love it. Mine is a one speed, but you can but a conversion kit to make it have 3 speeds. My knee's cannot take that. But, congrats! You are doing wonderful..Add me if you want a granny buddy! I am 52, 53 in August..have been a grannie since I was in my 40's..
    Love it!
  • suelegal
    suelegal Posts: 1,282 Member
    Congrats!! You look great in green! Hope you keep movin' on up for a whole lot longer!
  • mom2kpr
    mom2kpr Posts: 348 Member
    Looks like my arms. lol. I'm 42 & have had arms like that for over 15yrs. Now that I'm getting serious about weightless, I too hope to shrink them. Like you have no dreams of super model arms, but would like to feel comfortable in shorter sleeves.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Great job! I started with a couple of cans of Bush's baked beans before I got 2 pound weights. Now I have a whole home gym. Never thought I could lift heavy things.
  • jeanywren
    jeanywren Posts: 72 Member
    Sue, I love your sense of humor!!!! You are going to have some pretty good muscles if you keep up with the weights. I need to get some, have some stretchy bands that I have started using. Keep up the good work, looking forward to your next blog!!
  • dwalt15110
    dwalt15110 Posts: 246 Member
    I have arms like those and I want to get rid of all that too. Congrats on upping the weights. I hope you see results soon.
  • kss1231
    kss1231 Posts: 167 Member
    Good for you! You look great, keep up the good work.
  • phjorg1
    phjorg1 Posts: 642 Member
    To answer your questions and general comments, 3lbs is prob still not heavy enough.. If you're hitting failure at 6 reps then sure you're on pace and on the right track in your workout. But I have a hunch for the bigger compounds you could easily be doing more.

    As regards to your bat wings, I hate to say this but you might be SOL. That looks to be excess skin. There is no lifting, dieting, cardio, exercise, arm workout, etc that can ever fix that. It's organ tissue. It does not go away. However your skin is somewhat elastic, and exercise can make a dent in firming it somewhat I will concede, but normally the rule is the longer it's big, the less is will shrink after weight is lost. And it's nothing you can predict. Some people's skin tightens up, other peoples does not., It's a genetic thing, not a workout thing. If you want that fixed, it's prob going to be surgery. Give lifting and exercise a try though, hopefully it will help.

    edit: Just to be clear here, because I think you're misunderstanding. Lifting heavier wil NOT help tone your arms or reduce your bat wings. the reason for lifting heavy is to retain lean mass while burning calories. And lifting itself is a good calorie burner. So this is why proper lifting templates are things like squats, bench press, pull ups, dead lifts, shoulder presses and the like. Big heavy compound movements that work a lot of muscle groups, and maximize calorie burn and fat loss with optimal lean mass retention. this is also why exercise like bi curls and tri extensions are pretty much dam near useless. small puny muscle groups that give far lower calorie burn and work less muscle groups. But people do them in the mistaken belief that somehow it will help with losing arm fat or toning problem areas. Well it won't, and it's basically a waste of time when you could instead put your time towards larger compound movements and get far larger benefit..
  • WDA4655
    WDA4655 Posts: 91 Member
    Woo! Hoo! Hoo! You go girl! You took it up a couple notches with those 3 pounders! So glad for you! And as far as starting out with the 1 pounders, when I was in...probably my late 20's...I started out with the 1 pounders from Walmart too. Loooonnnng time ago! lol! Now I wish I still had them...but at this point I'm not even ready for them. I can't even do 10 Reps. and 5 Sets with no weights. lol! I'll get there just like you! Steady the pace with power and grace as you finish the race! That's for you and everyone else out there. You are such an encouragement to me and others! I so hope that you see how much this means to me and others. It's one thing to have to lose a few pounds, even 10 or 20 buuuut when you are dealing with obesity it's another story, especially when there are other health issues that are involved related to the weight or not. Not everybody has the same story, but oh how we can relate. Thank you for opening up your life to let other in. My scripture for this morning was about baring one another's burdens and that is what you do along with everyone else here. You climb under the weight that we are all baring and you help caring ours when you share what you've been through, are going through and where you're going. We'll meet you at the finish line, maybe not all at the same time, but we'll get there one at a time. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Praying for everyone to overcome, pushing through every obstacle, and cross that finish line! Enjoy your evening!
  • crazypeachs
    crazypeachs Posts: 55 Member
    great job! soon you'll wonder why you thought they were so heavy. :wink:

    keep up the good work!
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Well it won't, and it's basically a waste of time when you could instead put your time towards larger compound movements and get far larger benefit..

    You missed the part where she's in a wheelchair a lot of the time? Doing something to keep her muscles active and engaged is a good thing, even if it is only a few pounds.

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