WARNING: Gross tummy pictures inside.. I am looking for peop
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77 pounds!!! WAY to go and congrats!!!
I started MFP at 260lbs, and I weighed 227 this morning. I'm not a success story (yet!) but I feel the same way you do - I might wear a smaller size but I don't see any difference in my stomach when I look in the mirror. Well, I take that back, I DO see a difference, the sagging tummy is actually hanging slightly LOWER than it did 2 months ago. Arg! I was expecting it to start lifting as I lost weight, but instead it feels more loose. So frustrating. I do take my measurements and I have lost a couple inches around my "waist" (in quotes because I don't really have one, yet) and my hips, and that helps my self-esteem - I know it's coming off, I just can't see it yet.
BUT - you know, we can't choose where the weight comes off. I am willing to bet that, even though you think your legs are still big, weight has disappeared very evenly all over your body. You and I are carrying a lot of extra weight in our bellies, so it's just going to take a little longer. I totally agree with the paper towel roll theory - I mean, 33lbs lost on me barely shows, but my sister went from a size 6 down to a size 2 when she lost 8 pounds because she's already so tiny. As you get closer and closer to your goal weight, you will start seeing major changes.
Lastly - have you seen a doctor? Just as a precaution, sometimes large stomachs can be a sign of another medical issue. The last time I saw my doctor he ordered an adominal ultrasound just to be sure there wasn't a growth or something abnormal going on - everything was fine in my case, and I hope I'm not scaring you with this, I just believe in being on the safe side of things.
And one more thing - your stomach is NOT gross! Really, truly, I'm not saying this just to be nice, your skin is in very nice condition!0 -
Definitely do the measurements! They will show you what you can't see from the scale. Also, if you want to do body fat analysis, there are some cheaper options then just the scales. GNC use to have a pair of calipers for like $15 that you can do skinfolds with to get a body fat. Or if you don't want to spend anything, I can look through my certification books and give you the formulas that use measurements to determine body fat. The measurements aren't as accurate, but you'll still see the changes as you keep losing.0
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77 pounds!!! WAY to go and congrats!!!
I started MFP at 260lbs, and I weighed 227 this morning. I'm not a success story (yet!) but I feel the same way you do - I might wear a smaller size but I don't see any difference in my stomach when I look in the mirror. Well, I take that back, I DO see a difference, the sagging tummy is actually hanging slightly LOWER than it did 2 months ago. Arg! I was expecting it to start lifting as I lost weight, but instead it feels more loose. So frustrating. I do take my measurements and I have lost a couple inches around my "waist" (in quotes because I don't really have one, yet) and my hips, and that helps my self-esteem - I know it's coming off, I just can't see it yet.
BUT - you know, we can't choose where the weight comes off. I am willing to bet that, even though you think your legs are still big, weight has disappeared very evenly all over your body. You and I are carrying a lot of extra weight in our bellies, so it's just going to take a little longer. I totally agree with the paper towel roll theory - I mean, 33lbs lost on me barely shows, but my sister went from a size 6 down to a size 2 when she lost 8 pounds because she's already so tiny. As you get closer and closer to your goal weight, you will start seeing major changes.
Lastly - have you seen a doctor? Just as a precaution, sometimes large stomachs can be a sign of another medical issue. The last time I saw my doctor he ordered an adominal ultrasound just to be sure there wasn't a growth or something abnormal going on - everything was fine in my case, and I hope I'm not scaring you with this, I just believe in being on the safe side of things.
And one more thing - your stomach is NOT gross! Really, truly, I'm not saying this just to be nice, your skin is in very nice condition!
I have been to 2 doctors.. my ladies doctor who seen my body and my regular doctor whom I told I was loosing weight to and has seen my body form.. I never actually asked if there was anything wrong with me.. but neither said anything when I told them I was loosing weight and why... So I don't think anything is wrong.. but next time I go in for a check up, I will ask to be 100 percent sure.. but I doubt there is anything medically wrong... I am still young and the doctor even commented on noticing a different last time I was there.. she seemed proud
I always get freaked out when I find bumps and stuff on my body (since I found a bump on my forehead which was nothing really) and ask what they are so I'm pretty sure if she was concerned she would have voiced it by now.. lol.0 -
Definitely do the measurements! They will show you what you can't see from the scale. Also, if you want to do body fat analysis, there are some cheaper options then just the scales. GNC use to have a pair of calipers for like $15 that you can do skinfolds with to get a body fat. Or if you don't want to spend anything, I can look through my certification books and give you the formulas that use measurements to determine body fat. The measurements aren't as accurate, but you'll still see the changes as you keep losing.
I won't have any extra money until the beginning of April as me and my husband's anniversary is coming up April 4th and we are going somewhere special, but I do know where a GNC is in town and I will check out those as soon as our anniversary is over... if you want to send me a message with formula's in the mean time you can... Hope I can understand them! I was good in math in high school and the bit of college I went to, but that seems so long ago... lol0 -
Someone on here wrote about the paper towel theory and I really took it to heart. Not sure of the source, but I will do my best to share it as I remember it...
When you have a brand new roll of paper towels and you take 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or even ten sheets off of the roll, it doesn't really make the roll look much smaller, Maybe a little bit, but since it is a long trip around the roll, those multiple sheet coming off don't look like a whole lot. BUT as you move closer to the cardboard roll in the center, even 1 or 2 sheet make a major difference in the look of the paper towel roll. We are the paper towel rolls and the cardboard tube is the skinny version of our selves. Even when we make dramatic changes in our bodies, it doesn't look like a whole lot. I have lost 23 of the 88 pounds I hope to lose and think I look pretty much exactly the same. However, I know that as I get closer and closer to my goal weight each pound will make a greater difference in how I look. I am sure that if you are wearing different sizes and other people notice, you have made major changes! 77 lbs is INCREDIBLE!!!!! As you keep going, losing pounds off of your now smaller frame will look more and more impressive! Don't give up, don't get discouraged, and listen to the people that have told you that you look great! Once you start to believe it, you will see the changes!
Best of luck and keep fighting! You can do it!
What a great description of weight loss! Love it! Thanks for sharing this.0 -
the organ "skin" has great ability to adjust at your age. Here is an old theory that has helped many women I know.
As you lose weight wear a girdle! Remember to get smaller ones as you lose the weight.
A good old fashoned girdle will give support to your stomach muscles while the weight comes off. And help you feel that
"your tummy is gettng smaller"
Many of my friends (and I'm 63 so there are a few) that had children used this method to help their tummys get back to normal
after childbirth,
Just remember to get one that is supportive and comfortable or you will not wear it - adjust downward as you lose the weight.
Good luck - your doing a great joo!0 -
the organ "skin" has great ability to adjust at your age. Here is an old theory that has helped many women I know.
As you lose weight wear a girdle! Remember to get smaller ones as you lose the weight.
A good old fashoned girdle will give support to your stomach muscles while the weight comes off. And help you feel that
"your tummy is gettng smaller"
Many of my friends (and I'm 63 so there are a few) that had children used this method to help their tummys get back to normal
after childbirth,
Just remember to get one that is supportive and comfortable or you will not wear it - adjust downward as you lose the weight.
Good luck - your doing a great joo!
Thanks for the tip! Unfortunally not sure it would work.. before I started loosing weight for my wedding I attempted to wear things under my dress.. I tried 2.
I tried the shirt kind that you roll down over your tummy that's supposed to smooth it out. It wouldn't stop rolling back up due to my uneven shape!
So I tried a girdle like your suggesting and the opposite happened.... it rolled right back down my stomach!
Neither helped much considering they wouldn't stay put! I did consider a full body thing.. but wouldn't that defeat the purpose? It would make me look smaller... but it wouldn't really help weight loose and they look terribly uncomfortable.
And btw this is another thing I hate about my body that I'm trying to change! The snowman shape makes shirts roll up if they are to tight on the waist (I have to wear a size bigger to get it over my hips or pull my pants up to my belly button.. which I hate doing) and the time I did try to wear tight(er) pants they did the same thing and rolled down... arg! Fusterating!0 -
Wow! Don't ever undermine yourself with a weight loss of 77#! That is fantastic! It is more difficult to see changes when we start out bigger. You have so many things going for you, you are YOUNG! That is a great thing because your skin still has great collegen and elastisity. There is a great possibility that your belly will look what we consider to be "normal". But you know what? Flat stomachs arn't all what they are cracked up to be. Believe it or not, men like us soft. Keep doing your ab and core exercises, a super strong core will improve your posture and that alone can take ten pounds of of what you look like, in addition to a strong back that will decrease the chances of injury. My education is physical therapy so this is what I have learned. If when you have taken the weight off and you still are not happy with your body, then you can decide if surgery is for you. Yes, a mini tummy tuck is expensive. Around $5000. My mom had one after she had lost 150#, BUT she was 67 and had been heavy for many years. Hers was not going to snap back into place. I have hope for myself, although I wonder what will happen. I have 2 bellies like you, but the one over my belly button is getting smaller, I don't notice much change in the lower region. I have lost a total of 26# with 75# more to go. I am 50 and praying that I haven't damaged my skin. KEEP ON WORKING HARD! It will pay off in the end! Your health will improve as will your self esteem and the lean muscle mass and bone density will benefit you greatly as you age. :flowerforyou:0
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Okay, here's the womens formula from the ACE manual. There is a different formula for men, so if you want it too so you can figure your husbands too, let me know. Abdomen is the waist at the belly button and hips is the fullest part of the butt. All measurements, abdomen, hips, and height, are in centimeters.
Body Density = 1.168297 - (0.002824 x abdomen) + (0.0000122098 x abdomen^2) - (0.000733128 x hips) + (0.000510477 x height) - (0.000216161 x age)
Percent Body Fat = (495 / Body Density) - 450
Here's an example with a 30 year old who is 5'5" and has a waist of 40 inches and hips of 45 inches, just to make the math clear. This is just a made up person since I don't have your info.
5'5" = 65 inches
65 inches x 2.54 = 165.1 centimeters
40 inches x 2.54 = 101.6 centimeters
101.6 centimeters x 101.6 centimeters (for the abdominal^2) = 10322.56
45 inches x 2.54 = 114.3
Body Density = 1.168297 - (0.002824 x 101.6) + (0.0000122098 x 10322.56) - (0.000733128 x 114.3) + (0.000510477 x 165.1) - (0.000216161 x 30)
Body Density = 1.168297 - (0.2869184) + (0.1260363931) - (0.0837965304) + (0.0842797527) - (0.00648483)
Body Density = 1.001413385
Percent Fat = (495 / 1.001413385) - 450
Percent Fat = (494.3013617) - 450
Percent Fat = 44.30136167
Or 44.3% body fat0 -
Thank you Tonya! I don't need the men's for now.. my husbad is slightly overweight but has no where near the problems as me.. and he is very healthy.. he's only loosing weight to support me right now (I think he likes his tummy lol).. if he changes his mind and gets more focus'd I'll let you know.. one step at a time 0
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I have a friend who has a tummy like you while I didn't know her when she was bigger I did after she lost 50lbs and is in a normal bmi range. the line around her belly button is less defined and the top half of her abs are flat. The bottom part isn't as flat but it's not hugely flabby either, just slightly bigger.
Hope that helps!0 -
i have the same kind of thing going on with my tummy. ive always hated the way it was because it pooches out on top of the belly button and the bottom. my heaviest was 150 and now at 129. i still dont like the shape of it but you will eventually lose the fat depending on the effort that you put in. i do a alot of core work because that is the area i want to see change to most and although its not exactly where i want it its smaller. and congrats on the weight loss! keep your head up and although i know its easy to get discouraged dont give up!0
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First of all congratulations on your weight loss. Having lost a similar amount of weight I know it is a major accomplishment. Way to go it is good for your health, and don't give up until you get to a good BMI.
Second, we all store fat in different ways, and we all lose it in different ways. I wish mine would come off nice and evenly, but some spots seem to disappear quicker than others. When I look at myself in the mirror, I see the change, but there are parts that are now skinny right beside parts that are still fat and it looks a little weird to me. I know it will all even out eventually.
Third, you may be one of those people who carry a lot of visceral fat. That is the fat that is under the muscles around your internal organs to cushion them. It is a good thing in normal quantities, but some people when they get overweight also have large increases in their visceral fat. Having lots of visceral fat is a bad thing long term for health, and you could have had major losses in that area with little change in external fat. That would be a very healthy thing, but not to helpful from a look in the mirror and be satisfied with your progress point of view. If that is the case with you, you will see your external fat start to disappear more as the visceral fat goes away. I don't know if you have that particular problem, as far as I know only an MRI can show it, but keep going. When you reach your goal, if you are still not happy, you can re-evaluate what you need to do.
I second taking measurement. They will show a lot more than the scale will.0 -
I will add my $,02 too, because looking at your pictures, I could have been looking at myself. I have almost the exact same shape in my stomach. I have had two miscarriages and had two c-sections, and have the "pooch" that hangs over my incision. Two babies 18 months apart stretched me out good, and I was probably around 195 when I got pregnant the first time. Oy! I'd give anything to be that weight now!!
So, I started at 247 and I'm just at 220 now. 27 lbs in about 10 weeks, which I'm immensely proud of, but I'll be ecstatic when I'm at 77 lbs. Congratulations on the first part of your journey! Just to give you an idea, I went to my husband's gym and had one of the girls there take my measurements. January 17th was the first time, and March 14th was the second time. I lost 13.75 lbs total from my entire body, including 6.25 inches from my waist. What?? Yeah, that's only with 27 lbs. I can only IMAGINE the inches you've lost! It may be hard to tell sometimes, because even though I've lost 27 lbs, my tummy pooch isn't shrinking as quickly. My waist is smaller, but right below my belly button is taking it's sweet time. But it IS going down. Today I put on a pair of shorts I haven't worn since last summer.Take the victories where you can find them to keep yourself motivated! Smaller clothes? Yay!
Something I think you really need to focus on is this: You are doing something successfully that many, many people are unable to do. You are taking charge of your weight and your health, and you're following through with something that is really hard, especially since you say you aren't able to see the results. You're just plugging along, day in and day out because you know it's good for you. For that, pat yourself on the back. Be very proud because you are doing a phenomenal job. 77 lbs is like a 9-year old kid, for crying out loud! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!
Callypgian - I'm going to pick up that magazine, too. Thanks for the info!
And Silhouettes - I just looked again at your profile pic and the pic in your ticker ... I can see an amazing difference just in your face, honey. Great job! ;-)0 -
And I'll repeat, I don't have the money for surgery, we are barely getting by the way it is... If I can't get it toned and get rid of it then what ist he point of even trying to loose weight? I don't want to think that it's not possible.
My stomach is more of a beer gut shape not so much split in two but it is/was huge it has come down a lot in size. Even if it doesn't go completely and I have skin flap there then it is still more healthy than having fat there.0 -
When you have a brand new roll of paper towels and you take 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or even ten sheets off of the roll, it doesn't really make the roll look much smaller, Maybe a little bit, but since it is a long trip around the roll, those multiple sheet coming off don't look like a whole lot. BUT as you move closer to the cardboard roll in the center, even 1 or 2 sheet make a major difference in the look of the paper towel roll. We are the paper towel rolls and the cardboard tube is the skinny version of our selves. Even when we make dramatic changes in our bodies, it doesn't look like a whole lot.
77 lbs AMAZING congrats!!!!!
I recently heard this, but I haven't checked to verify it with a reliable source. So take it with a grain of salt.
Check it out before you decide anything...
Maybe others have heard of this and will chime in with their opinions.
I heard that after you lose 10% of your body weight you should maintain for a month or so to let your body catch up to your new metabolism, let your skin catch up to your new smaller size... then continue to lose 10% of your new body weight... and take a break and so on til you get to your goal.
I got to expect that this would be really tough psychologically.
I had to maintain for a while due to a health scare. It was really tough for me to add back calories I was afraid all might weight would grow back over night.
GOOD LUCK0 -
I saw this success story in the forums yesterday. I have a lot of the same fears as you! This woman gives me hope!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/192530-progress-pics-again-105-lbs-down0 -
I think you are doing wonderful. I'm sure you are losing it everywhere and that is why you are not seeing your tummy shrink like you want to. I really don't have a success story for you, all I can say is that you are amazing to lose 77 pounds. You are well on your way to reaching your goal and you should be so proud of yourself. I think you are a success story. :flowerforyou:0
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silhouettes....I've just looked at your pics and your before and after pics are really showing a marked difference in body weight ...You are doing really, really well and I'm proud of you!
Keep up your great efforts and it will pay off further x x0 -
I am speachless at the last few comments! I never even said which pictures were the before and after, but it's obvious to you guys!
I thank you so much for the comments! Yes, my ticker was taken on Oct. 12 when I meet Matt from my favorite band and my profile pic is a few days ago after I got my contacts in.. thinking of changing my ticker soon.. but I'm so happy you can see the difference in just 5 months (and I have been doing this for 10!).0
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