What nobody tells you about losing weight
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That your body begins to look like an anatomy chart. That you can see muscles layered on muscles in your calves. That you can follow muscles right into the joint with your fingers. That you can pinpoint the source of your pain, instead of just saying “it’s my shoulder”. That when your hamstrings get tight, you can literally feel the tautness when you run your hand over them. And that it all just never gets old.
That it’s like constantly reintroducing yourself, to yourself.31 -
That you become obsessed with being able to see your collarbone. I love my collarbones,32
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I'm loving this.springlering62 wrote: »That your body begins to look like an anatomy chart. That you can see muscles layered on muscles in your calves. That you can follow muscles right into the joint with your fingers. That you can pinpoint the source of your pain, instead of just saying “it’s my shoulder”. That when your hamstrings get tight, you can literally feel the tautness when you run your hand over them. And that it all just never gets old.
That it’s like constantly reintroducing yourself, to yourself.
I've never really seen my leg muscles . Before , my legs were just round and kinda there. Now I can see actual definition of the different parts of the muscles. You can actually tell what muscle is there!.
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Diatonic12 wrote: »@pedro_testi It's all bizarre. You drive down the road in the safety of your own vehicle....how many rolls, let me count the ways. As time passes, the rolls become one big fruit roll-up. Then they start to disperse over a wider area.
Cotton balls of fluff or silly putty. It bounces as you're walking down the sidewalk. If you flap your arms too much you can hear it slap around and you wonder what in the hail was that. You don't tell anyone about it but it's difficult to keep it all under wraps.
You wonder about your collagen and the elastin fibers in your skin. Will they tighten or loosen. You keep swimming, working out and giving it all you've got. The big fruit roll-up becomes a deflated balloon but you have faith that everything will snap back into place. Your center of gravity changes.
Your attitude changes and the world looks brighter. You no longer give two horsesheets what anyone thinks about you. You become bolder. The folds start to disappear. Your jeans don't make that swishing sound. The arm flapping settles down and all is well.
Very poetic! Fantastic, and fun.4 -
One thing that I haven't read - but I also haven't read 500+ pages (!) is a small but noticible change for me. I was 300 lbs at my highest last year. When I got down to around 270ish I noticed that my shoulder bones were less padded and that my purse could hang easily from my shoulder without slipping off. I didn't have to hold on to it to keep it in place. Such an insignificant and chuckle-worthy but markable change in my day-to-day life.
I can relate to so many other of these situations. And I look forward to many of them occurring! ha!
It's motivating to read them. Keep up the funny, small, big, and realistic expectations!
I also really enjoy the practical advice helping with loose skin, etc. I have a long way to go and that part really bothers me. Everything is shrinking, but my tummy is very loose (especially after delivering 6 big babies!), the top of my thighs, my upper arms somewhat.. those areas might become a problem. I'm not sure that surgery would ever be an option. And some of this is probably also my age (nearly 44) settling in, too, but it's more prominent due to less of the padding and filling out of those areas in the past
What practical clothing can assist with this that you may have found to be useful?12 -
Finally deciding that I don't really want to eat mammals, birds or fish anymore. Tallying up everything I eat and knowing more about nutrients has helped me to be able to find healthy substitutes. But now I have to deal with a critical family who feel that my attitude spoils it for them, even though I don't proselytize. Now I can look at animals as comrades. 23
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katescurios wrote: »That you become obsessed with being able to see your collarbone. I love my collarbones,
Me too! I find myself staring at my own collarbones on the video when I am in zoom meetings. I really love my collarbones. For a long time I don't think I had any!11 -
I usually had a confident attitude on the outside, even if I doubted myself on the inside, but after close to two years of working on getting into better shape, that confidence is becoming real. There's still work to be done, but I know it's within reach as long as I don't give up.
Also, a lot of my family, friends & coworkers have noticed and continue to encourage me - that's cool, too.19 -
@StephanieLWS - Check out Shapermint.com. They have high waisted shaper shorts the hold in the thighs and tummy until you don't need it anymore. Helps with chub rub too.
https://shapermint.com/collections/shapewear/products/empetua-high-waisted-shaper-shorts?variant=7568057073724
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springlering62 wrote: »TMI for sure, but I’ve been taking soaking epsom salt baths following a fall running a few days ago.
Like you guys, I’ve slimmed down but have the pockets of fat or loose skin.
It floats!
Me and mah belly had the best time in the tub. It was like playing with Floam. Very entertaining, and totally gravity defying.
Love it - I get that when I swim. It's really entertaining actually.9 -
PattieCakes25 wrote: »They dont tell you about:
1. nosy people. Im not at my goal weight, not even half way, but people seem to think that because I am working to lose weight I am comfortable talking about what I weight. Im not there yet, and I dont think anyone should have to share what they weigh.
2. That some days I'll get tired of eating. I'll feel like Ive eaten everything possible, not be at my goal and not be hungry.
3. That after doing abs, it hurts to cough the next day, and thats the day when you seem to need to cough most...
Ask those nosy people "why do you ask?" they may only be looking for some motivation for themselves. It turns the question back to them without answering an intensely personal question?9 -
katescurios wrote: »That you become obsessed with being able to see your collarbone. I love my collarbones,
Me too! I find myself staring at my own collarbones on the video when I am in zoom meetings. I really love my collarbones. For a long time I don't think I had any!
So true! And now I'm starting to see them all the way across - it's like a whole new cool bone - what in the world - will it keep going until I get that little hollow under there?? So cool - yep obsessed!4 -
Y’all are gonna think I’m nuts but I’ve reached a point where everything is wondrous, amusing, or both.
I was drying my hair this morning. It’s really short and I have to pull it straight up and curl it with a round “cricket” brush while I blow.
As I was turning my brush, I noticed my bicep was going up and down, up and down, a là Popeye.
I was so fascinated, I ended up burning my noggin.30 -
Hahaha! I was brushing my teeth not long ago and said, hey, what’s that moving? Are those traps? Oh my gosh I have actual traps! So I’m sitting there flexing my muscles in the mirror like a loonie. But seriously I used to be skinny, but I have never had visible back and shoulder muscles even then.springlering62 wrote: »Y’all are gonna think I’m nuts but I’ve reached a point where everything is wondrous, amusing, or both.
I was drying my hair this morning. It’s really short and I have to pull it straight up and curl it with a round “cricket” brush while I blow.
As I was turning my brush, I noticed my bicep was going up and down, up and down, a là Popeye.
I was so fascinated, I ended up burning my noggin.
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springlering62 wrote: »That your body begins to look like an anatomy chart. That you can see muscles layered on muscles in your calves. That you can follow muscles right into the joint with your fingers. That you can pinpoint the source of your pain, instead of just saying “it’s my shoulder”. That when your hamstrings get tight, you can literally feel the tautness when you run your hand over them. And that it all just never gets old.
That it’s like constantly reintroducing yourself, to yourself.
This!! Even my ribs, and hipbones, and yes the muscles. Definitely never gets old.8 -
No one told me that when I lost 40 pounds I would still be in a size 16 pants! WTH?!?!? I am losing from top to bottom. My shirts are looser, but the pants size just won't budge.27
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imgwendolyn2015 wrote: »No one told me that when I lost 40 pounds I would still be in a size 16 pants! WTH?!?!? I am losing from top to bottom. My shirts are looser, but the pants size just won't budge.
We're opposites; I've lost about five pants sizes, but size 18 shirts still fit, and I show no signs of sinking below a 38DDD bra. (And I would not mind losing some cup size!) Bodies are weird. (grin)
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It was interesting that after losing a significant amount of weight, I had a lot of excess belly skin. So much so that it was causing rashes. As we get older, the skin is not nearly as elastic as when we are younger. So no matter how many sit ups I did, I couldn't rid of the excess belly skin (and under arm and upper thigh skin as well. ...). I had to have a panniculectomy to get rid of the excess belly skin, which left a scar from one side to the other. The neat part was that I got a brand new navel out of the deal....lol16
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It was interesting that after losing a significant amount of weight, I had a lot of excess belly skin. So much so that it was causing rashes. As we get older, the skin is not nearly as elastic as when we are younger. So no matter how many sit ups I did, I couldn't rid of the excess belly skin (and under arm and upper thigh skin as well. ...). I had to have a panniculectomy to get rid of the excess belly skin, which left a scar from one side to the other. The neat part was that I got a brand new navel out of the deal....lol
I'm probably looking at abdominoplasty when I get the rest of the weight off. The skin of my lower back and thighs is shrinking with me, but I had three nine-pound babies in the middle of getting fat, and I look six months pregnant. I don't see how that will shrink down in a way that's not problematic, I really don't.
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imgwendolyn2015 wrote: »No one told me that when I lost 40 pounds I would still be in a size 16 pants! WTH?!?!? I am losing from top to bottom. My shirts are looser, but the pants size just won't budge.
Same here. I went from a US size 18 to now a 16, with 45 lbs lost. Kinda discouraging9 -
MadDogManor wrote: »imgwendolyn2015 wrote: »No one told me that when I lost 40 pounds I would still be in a size 16 pants! WTH?!?!? I am losing from top to bottom. My shirts are looser, but the pants size just won't budge.
Same here. I went from a US size 18 to now a 16, with 45 lbs lost. Kinda discouraging
It seems to me that the smaller the size, the smaller the weight range within that size. So an size 18 will accommodate 20-30 pounds range but a size 10 will only manage a 10-15 pound range. That range seems to apply both directions, going down and going up. Does that makes sense?21 -
jrh_this_better_work wrote: »MadDogManor wrote: »imgwendolyn2015 wrote: »No one told me that when I lost 40 pounds I would still be in a size 16 pants! WTH?!?!? I am losing from top to bottom. My shirts are looser, but the pants size just won't budge.
Same here. I went from a US size 18 to now a 16, with 45 lbs lost. Kinda discouraging
It seems to me that the smaller the size, the smaller the weight range within that size. So an size 18 will accommodate 20-30 pounds range but a size 10 will only manage a 10-15 pound range. That range seems to apply both directions, going down and going up. Does that makes sense?
This seems to be true. I stayed at 16 forever, then 14 a long time, but now I seem to have flown through 12. Weird. Could also be body composition changes as you get more fit.
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jrh_this_better_work wrote: »MadDogManor wrote: »imgwendolyn2015 wrote: »No one told me that when I lost 40 pounds I would still be in a size 16 pants! WTH?!?!? I am losing from top to bottom. My shirts are looser, but the pants size just won't budge.
Same here. I went from a US size 18 to now a 16, with 45 lbs lost. Kinda discouraging
It seems to me that the smaller the size, the smaller the weight range within that size. So an size 18 will accommodate 20-30 pounds range but a size 10 will only manage a 10-15 pound range. That range seems to apply both directions, going down and going up. Does that makes sense?
This seems to be true. I stayed at 16 forever, then 14 a long time, but now I seem to have flown through 12. Weird. Could also be body composition changes as you get more fit.
Also, it seems to be based in the origin of the 16. When I had moved from 16s to 14s in Lane Bryant and decided to brave my first "non-plus" store (JCP) only to have the 14s not fit at all and the 16s be snug. It was shocking because previously it had felt that 16s were big! That's the point I realized that 16s in non-plus sizes are not the same as 16s in plus sizes.22 -
MadDogManor wrote: »imgwendolyn2015 wrote: »No one told me that when I lost 40 pounds I would still be in a size 16 pants! WTH?!?!? I am losing from top to bottom. My shirts are looser, but the pants size just won't budge.
Same here. I went from a US size 18 to now a 16, with 45 lbs lost. Kinda discouraging
It is, but since i still see the scale moving I will stick with it. I plan to do more body weight exercises and keep walking in the hopes that one day it will let go. I trust that my body will know what to do! I set out for July 1st as my goal so I have a while to keep at it!5 -
jrh_this_better_work wrote: »MadDogManor wrote: »imgwendolyn2015 wrote: »No one told me that when I lost 40 pounds I would still be in a size 16 pants! WTH?!?!? I am losing from top to bottom. My shirts are looser, but the pants size just won't budge.
Same here. I went from a US size 18 to now a 16, with 45 lbs lost. Kinda discouraging
It seems to me that the smaller the size, the smaller the weight range within that size. So an size 18 will accommodate 20-30 pounds range but a size 10 will only manage a 10-15 pound range. That range seems to apply both directions, going down and going up. Does that makes sense?
That is interesting! I am keeping tabs on everything that is happening to my body during this journey so I will make sure to note once I am comfortable in the next size down.2 -
Yeah, I count going from a 16 plus to a 16 straight as one size, because there's a two inch difference at hip and waist in my preferred brand of jeans between their 16 plus and their 16 regular. The two are NOT the same.12
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AlexandraFindsHerself1971 wrote: »Yeah, I count going from a 16 plus to a 16 straight as one size, because there's a two inch difference at hip and waist in my preferred brand of jeans between their 16 plus and their 16 regular. The two are NOT the same.
IMO, clothing really shouldn't be this confusing. *shakes fist*!!15 -
AlexandraFindsHerself1971 wrote: »Yeah, I count going from a 16 plus to a 16 straight as one size, because there's a two inch difference at hip and waist in my preferred brand of jeans between their 16 plus and their 16 regular. The two are NOT the same.
Oh, that is silly. I wonder if that is what happened today as the size I put on was a 16 medium. What the heck does that even mean? I am so nervous to shop for clothes because after the weight I have lost I want to be able to say I can bu a different size. Oh well, I guess I shop at the second hand store for a while until I am solidly a size down. Ugh...4 -
I second jrh...I’m a size 10 and if I go up 5 lbs my pants get a touch on the snug side and if I go down 5 lbs (why can’t I stay there!), they get a touch loose. I would guess that 15 lbs would be the max weight range for a size 10.3
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imgwendolyn2015 wrote: »AlexandraFindsHerself1971 wrote: »Yeah, I count going from a 16 plus to a 16 straight as one size, because there's a two inch difference at hip and waist in my preferred brand of jeans between their 16 plus and their 16 regular. The two are NOT the same.
Oh, that is silly. I wonder if that is what happened today as the size I put on was a 16 medium. What the heck does that even mean? I am so nervous to shop for clothes because after the weight I have lost I want to be able to say I can bu a different size. Oh well, I guess I shop at the second hand store for a while until I am solidly a size down. Ugh...
Medium would either refer to it being Misses or it refers to the inseam, which is a different measure altogether, so they might offer their jeans in Short, Medium, or Tall lengths. (Depending on the brand, I sometimes take a tall. This is why I know this.)4
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