My Turn to Overshare My Adventure

beastmodekittyx · March 2021

Congrats! You really are amazing!

JessiBelleW · April 2021

@springlering62
I love your overshare! Mad congrats on your journey and I feel like you can see your energy return. I really enjoy your posts and wish you continued success ☺️

springlering62 · September 2021

Well, hello, again!

It’s my third anniversary since starting weight loss, and I’m checking in again.

I am maintaining around 133 these days, yet am a wee bit smaller size-wise than I was, even though I weigh seven pounds more than I did in January.

It was a tough decision to add weight, after working so hard to lose it, but I was too too low.

I have curved up a bit, and lost the cadaverous “grandaddy longlegs” look I had when I was in the 120’s at the beginning of 2021.

In that hypercritical way we see ourselves in the mirror, that “fat brain” side (which will always be with me, I think) says it looks like I’ve gained weight, but my logical mind says, no, my hips and thighs have shrunk more, which just emphasizes my belly.

Speaking of “fat brain”, I’m not sure I want to lose it. It is what keeps me on track in maintenance, and tells me I don’t ever want to be there again.

Folks, have hope!!!!! With nutrition and exercise, even at 59, a lot of my extra skin - including the turkey wattle - has disappeared since last year.

The Floam inner tube is still with me, but is slooooowly diminishing. We’re talking glacially, epoc, age of dinosaurs, biblically slow. Yet it does.

I’ve learned that If I see wrinkles on my inner elbows or bags around my knees, it’s my body’s way of saying “You’re dehydrated, dummy. Drink something!”

Because my weight dropped so low, I lost muscle. My trainer busted me down and in January made me start from ground zero all over again, focusing this time on form. It is a blessing to have a trainer who loves, cares for and is brutally honest with you.

One or two other “mature” ladies have joined my powerlifting gym, and the young guys in particular treat us like queens. (The older guys are either terrified or hyper respectful and ignore us. Yay!) Sometimes I have to remind them,”if I can’t move my own equipment to the bench, how am I going to lift the equipment on the bench?” Half the time they smile and do it anyway.

Yoga is going swimmingly. Every time something new is called, I surprise myself by being able to do it- if not then, then by the next time I run acrost it. My goal is to have chin stand down (up, technically) by the end of the year.

And in a few lovely recent NSVs:

I ordered a pair of European Desigual jeans on clearance, and they FIT like a glove!!!!! The last time I went in Desigual I couldn’t wear a single thing in the store. Except a scarf. 🤦🏻‍♀️

I noticed something looked odd about my shadow while I was holding a plank. I stared at it for a bit, until I realized, my shadow had guns, baby.

And best NSV of all, Mr Spring joined me on MFP about a month ago. We are now hacking our way through weight loss and maintenance together.

Next year I hope to present you with before and after pictures of both of us.

At the suggestion of @annpt77 , I am sharing some GIFs I posted in another thread. This (I’m on page 2 after the brilliant initial posts by @badassamazon76 )is what a net weight loss of 89 pounds (after deliberately putting seven back on) looks like three years.

Warning. You may not be able to unsee those GIFS.

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10842208/moment-of-realness/p1

Happy weight loss and maintenance, y’all!!!!

2018 Versus 2021

bionicrooster · September 2021

you are a rock star, seriously!

NC_Girl · September 2021

You are my inspiration. Thank you for sharing. ♥️

DiscusTank5 · September 2021

So proud of you and your hard work!

Une_Poire · September 2021

Just found this thread for the first time, thanks for sharing and congratulations on all your hard work!

TinaLeigh67 · September 2021

Absolutely amazing! Such inspiration for those of us over 50!

ggeise14 · September 2021

Truly amazing! My hips are groaning just looking at the yoga poses!

RastaLousGirl · September 2021

Amazing!

lauriekallis · September 2021

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Your most recent updates have taken the weight of so many "loose-skin-worries" from my shoulders. And your enthusiasm and fitness is awe-inspiring - and even more "maybe I can do this" inspiring!

Latrellis · September 2021

You're amazing - read several of your posts! And now you're 15 yrs younger! Love it!

BrightEyedAgain · April 2023

Bump

I just reread this thread. It has always been inspiring to me, so I wanted to make sure others saw it as well. Cheers to springlering62...I really appreciate what you bring to MFP.

springlering62 · April 2023

Thank you so much!

My bestest NSV (non scale victory) since I last posted here is that my husband joined me on MFP about a year and a half ago. He has shed a lot of weight, from XXXL to XL. I was admiring his tiny butt and crazy firm calves just yesterday. He’s still in “obese range” last time he weighed (months ago) but has a triangle shape with huge broad shoulders and everything else tapers down to his delicate ballerina ankles lol.

His health has improved vastly, he‘s off the diabetes meds, and best of all, he gets upset if he can’t exercise. Win!!!!!!!

We do aquafit together several times a week and it’s awesome that we can share a workout, and to watch my ordinarily dry husband turn into the class clown in the water. Everyone thinks he’s awesome and yeah, he is.

One of our kids also does MFP now, too, though she doesn’t follow it as tightly as we do.

I’m holding at 142 these days, versus my very frail looking “too-too” low of 127, when I had lost all my muscle. The extra weight is definitely all muscle, because it’s very visible now. All I have to do is a couple of bicep curls and everything starts popping all over. This gym has mirrors and it’s endlessly fascinating to watch this stranger in the mirror. I bet they all think I’m the vainest person on the planet, lol.

My beloved trainer retired, so I moved from her old school “metal gym” to my husband’s gym, which has an older clientele, but has ah-mazing amenities. I tried one of the trainers but he wouldn’t challenge me so I figured my days with trainers were over. But then one of the female trainers actually approached and asked if she could train me. I told her only if she wouldn’t baby me, and push me harder if I moaned.

OMFG. This gal is methodical and mildly sadistic, as in “Walk that off” and then adding extra plates while my back is turned.

I’m enjoying her workouts so much, I’ve backed off of so much yoga, and have added a couple of solo weight sessions a week, and some “Muscle Madness” cardio classes. I’ve also added mat Pilates back once or twice a week, after remembering how much it helped my hip pain, which flared after our weird spring weather.

I still do hot power yoga four or five times a week, back to back classes every Saturday morning. And I finally got that chin stand goal- and a flying pigeon, too. Now working on full grasshopper and allllmost there. Cannot balance on one leg to save my life, but arm balances? Pshaw. No problem, thanks to weightlifting strength. I love them.

Lifting and yoga are super complementary disciplines.

September will be my five year anniversary of beginning this whole weight loss and exercise thing, and next year, five years of being at goal.

People have forgotten I was obese, which is weird to me. I even had an argument with a woman in yoga class last week who insisted I’d never been overweight in the eight years we’ve come to that studio, and was exaggerating.

I’m absolutely determined not to be one of the “put it all back on in five years” statistics, so five years of maintenance is my current goal.

Weight loss is life, health, attitude, everything changing, and it’s something we can take ultimate control of by and for ourselves.

Sparkuvu · April 2023

"I’ve learned that If I see wrinkles on my inner elbows or bags around my knees, it’s my body’s way of saying “You’re dehydrated, dummy. Drink something!”" INTERESTING COMMENT FROM @springlering62, I was just speculating on same.
So, searching out threads to help me get myself back on track, have had a bad 4 months of failing myself.
One thing I've noticed, but not sure if it's just flat out negative, or whether it's a warning--but of the 4 pages of comments on this thread, I only found 13 people still active on MFP--& that may be some recounts if they posted more than once. That's so sad. All these, I'm in it FOREVER, but then they're not. I do wonder, what happened? Did they give up? Move on to another venue? Succeed & feel they no longer need a check in? Die? IDK, but meanwhile, whether I'm actually walking the talk, or not, it does show me that keeping on regardless of how feebly I'm doing it, is where the elusive prize ring is.
Not really anything useful to say, but I did want to acknowledge you, and let you know, you are inspiring people out here with your honest and fun to read threads! (PS, you've left us hanging too long on the BL why am I doing this again thread, lol)

herringboxes · April 2023

Terrific updates! And you guys are so lucky to have each other.

DiscusTank5 · April 2023

"I noticed something looked odd about my shadow while I was holding a plank. I stared at it for a bit, until I realized, my shadow had guns, baby."

I love your inspiring posts and photos (esp. those yoga poses--wow) but the above quote was my favorite thing I've ever read on MFP. Thanks for the inspiration and the honest talk. The tunnel metaphor was an apt one. I've always feared maintenance, but I'll keep reading your and others' experiences to know what to expect when I arrive in the next 30 lbs.

springlering62 · April 2023

@Sparkuvu You’re back in the game. That’s all that matters.

If we waste our time on what was, we have no time to enjoy the present or energy to give the future. Lordy that sounds trite, but regrets are an utter waste of time.

What we we’ve experienced conspires to make us who we are today. And today is a pretty darn good place to be, as long as you don’t waste today chewing on yesterday.

If I sound like a sixty year old grandma, because that’s what I am. Older and wiser, and sixty years to freaking “get” it.

Go out there today and kill it for tomorrow’s sake, sweetie! 😘

Pdc654 · May 2023

@springerling62. You give all of us older women hope that we can build muscle. Although I am 10 years older than you, (I think, assuming the 62 at the end of your name is the year you were born), I am hoping to build back some of the muscle I have lost over decades of yo-yo dieting with no strength training and of course age. I started lifting weights about 6 months ago, but had to restart after some illness earlier this year. It's so nice to hear how successful you've been, and that all the cardio you do has not hampered you. I don't do as much as you do but I do quite a bit of cardio especially in the summer. I love it, so I don't plan on cutting back on that. Can I ask how much weight training you do a week, and for how long your sessions are? Not that I am going to increase mine anytime soon, but just interested. Currently I'm trying to work back up to 3 times a week for 45 to 60 minutes. I am also trying to prevent any worsening of my osteopenia by including weight training in my routine.

springlering62 · May 2023

Pdc654 wrote: »

@springerling62. You give all of us older women hope that we can build muscle. Although I am 10 years older than you, (I think, assuming the 62 at the end of your name is the year you were born), I am hoping to build back some of the muscle I have lost over decades of yo-yo dieting with no strength training and of course age. I started lifting weights about 6 months ago, but had to restart after some illness earlier this year. It's so nice to hear how successful you've been, and that all the cardio you do has not hampered you. I don't do as much as you do but I do quite a bit of cardio especially in the summer. I love it, so I don't plan on cutting back on that. Can I ask how much weight training you do a week, and for how long your sessions are? Not that I am going to increase mine anytime soon, but just interested. Currently I'm trying to work back up to 3 times a week for 45 to 60 minutes. I am also trying to prevent any worsening of my osteopenia by including weight training in my routine.

Good for you @Pdc654 !!!! That’s such a great attitude.

I work with a trainer twice a week for an hour each session. I work out on my own in the gym for 45 minutes or so twice a week, two or three cardio weight classes, several power yoga classes, and aquafit four or five times a week.

I know it sounds like a lot, but I’m like a kid in a candy store. I want to do it all. I was “that kid” who was always picked last, and who everyone rolled their eyes at in disgust when they got that last pick. So as a result, I loathed exercise or sports of any kind my whole life. This is like a whole new world for me.

BTW, I know a lot of people discount aquafit for strength (and pretty much anything else). . Aquafit is what you make it. You can be the ladies in the corner who gossip, or you can pound it, and anything in between. I like aquafit because it’s something my husband and I can do together and have fun. Pool time = Fun Time.

I use aqualogix aqua bells and resistance fins I bring to class myself, after someone here recommended them. The blue bells are supposed to be able to generate as much resistance as 50 lb weights. The harder you swing them, the heavier they feel. It’s a heckuva workout. You get the benefits of low impact but with a strength workout, too. https://www.hydrorevolution.com/product/total-body-system/

Husband uses the gym-provided foam barbells.

I pshawed it at first, but aquafit is now part of my strength routine. Highly recommend, unless you’re prone to gossip. 😬

My Turn to Overshare My Adventure

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