aroundhky

It is true......once you start lifting and exercising, the scales tend to slow down. Unless the number on the scale is your very #1 priority, I wouldn't let that deter you. With 500-600 cals a day, your body probably already thinks you are starving anyway. Cardio (walking, swimming, etc) CAN actually add muscle some, but resistance training is your number one way to add/retain muscle. When exercising and on a calorie deficit, make sure to get in even a little more Protein and up your calories a little if possible. This will help preserve muscle and ensure that more of the weight you are losing is fat, not muscle. This along with Water retention is the main reason the weight loss slows and weight adjusts when on an exercise/lifting routine. When I say water retention, I don't mean the bloated, puffy kind. Basically when you exercise, your body tears down muscles so that it can repair and build up even stronger. When taxing your muscles like this, those muscles need proper hydration (water) and protein to repair itself and build back even stronger. So it holds onto a little more water in the muscles to repair. So it's not like you are holding onto more fat or gaining fat, you'll actually be able to burn a little more fat by doing this. In the end, the scales may show a little less loss than they would've if you didn't exercise. But that's due to more muscle.......so your overall body composition (fat %) will improve. And more muscle fills in sagging skin and can reduce the amount of sagging skin. With all of that said, muscle can only do so much in regards to saggy skin. Basically, since it (muscle) is so dense, there's is almost no way to match, volume-wise, muscle gain for fat loss in cubic inches. Fat is easily added to our frame and takes up much more space than muscle and muscle is harder and slower to add to our frames, especially for the ladies. But exercising, especially resistance training can only help with skin issues. I truly feel it's the #1 reason why I've had very little to no skin issues. Congrats on getting the sleeve and I wish you the best with your skin issues!

That's a lot better than what I had! Wallets, sneakers.....I see a theme here. Our sleeves are basically leather.

That's fine with me.....I stole it from Dr.

I think my sleeve likes the abuse........I'm pretty sure it's a fetish thing. Seriously, those are good points "butter". My Dr explained it like this........... It becomes more "accommodating" than actually stretching. Kind of like an older broken in sneaker. The sneaker isn't really bigger or stretched thin after it's been around a while, it's just more pliable and allows just a little more food/foot to be put in. He said if sneakers actually stretched and didn't wear out, we could just use the same sneaker our whole lives from 3 years old through adulthood. But we can't and eventually as children, we cannot fit anymore foot in the sneaker and have to buy new shoes. So our sneaker sleeves only allow just a little more food in a few months after surgery....then it stops.

Squats.....lots of deep squats mixed with lunges 2-3 times a week.

That was classic "gmanbat"! It's not even a contest!

Wow! I hear ya there "curvy"......quite fetching!

Butter.....perhaps I AM a bit insensitive at times....which kind of makes my point I guess. If I were more sensitive, it would tend to lead to more drama. I know there's probably a good middle ground at which I need to aspire. So, I'm a "recovering insenstive toad"..... who is trying to do better. At least I'm past the denial stage.....acknowledgement is the first step towards recovery right?

That's certainly understandable given the fact that we've been programmed to define our fitness/health/etc by a number on a scale. And to me, there is SOME validity to a weight scale as it is A tool of measurement. I was the same way for a while and consumed/worried briefly with the number on the scale. Then I realized that I kind of had to choose and couldn't have it both ways. I couldn't have a really low number on the scale AND be as strong/muscular as I wanted to be. It's just a matter of goals or personal choice. There's really no wrong choice in my opinion. Being strong and lifting was/is my top priority (after getting blood pressure/cholesterol in check), even if it means the weight scale doesn't move as much as I wish it would. In the end, keeping my strength with regular workouts is worth it to me, especially if the body fat number goes down....the scale staying the same is ok with me.

You go Cheri! That was a very interesting article and I feel much more informed.....yet a little bummed out now knowing that this often happens in female circles. I feel so naive at times. Very cruel and harsh. Just because it's "natures way" or because it's hard wired into us, doesn't mean we have to comply and give in to urges to shun others. I commend you Cheri for choosing not to get caught up in this foolishness. I know all of this is really referring to women competing with each other and perhaps nothing to do with men or very little reference to men. But just a guy's perspective here........... a lady not getting sucked into the girl drama or......... a woman's aversion to drama is usually quite attractive to most males. Drama = stress for guys and most guys try to stear clear of that.

Love me sum ample a$$es!!!!

Ok, Laura, no problem. I'll find one of my shirtless pictures from a few years ago when I was 320 pounds and I'll send it to you. And it would be wise not to compare.........due to my boobs being bigger than yours!

We know. You don't have to trick us into giving you compliments. It's so easy to compliment you Laura! I hope you learn to not let this type of person tear you down or get to you....though that's easier said than done. Wish I could give you a big hug...make ya feel better!

I don't have the words.......

Wow....guess I've missed something! Laura.....I have no idea how anyone could "one up" you anyway.....you're amazing! I have no idea what exactly is being compared, but anyone can look good online and post that they can do this or that and not really have to prove it. Don't let these people kill your joy....you've done great!

True....your first workouts will be your most difficult. No where to go but up.

So some women really and seriously compete/compare things like this???

Congrats and I'm glad you are giving it a try! Good luck!

"baustin"....what are you goals? Anything specific, or do you want to run further, faster? Get stronger or add muscle? Hiking/biking?

I lift 5-6 days a week. I did make a last ditch effort to make my weight goal back over the summer and really had to watch my cals/carbs to do so and made it back in late August. It (215) was a little lighter than I prefer, so I started heading back to my "in the zone weight", which is the mid-220's and I just made it back to there. I hope it was muscle weight I added back on....... I do feel stronger at this weight than I did at 215. Are you getting in a little extra Protein and complex carbs?

That lady almost sounds a little "catty". She would be very annoying to have to hang around with. Maybe you can slip a "chill pill" in her drink the next time you have to see her.

Sounds tempting! My personal opinion, I'm ok with it as long as you ladies don't judge us guys for being nasty and sleezy on this board. Of course I'm not a web administrator, so that's just one guy's opinion.

Sheila, the more the merrier I guess. Good job on continuing without your instructor....sounds like growth to me. Way to go! I probably should do that update I guess, but nothing really new to post. I've actually gained a few pounds since making my goal weight, but I had kind of planned that anyway. I'm back up to around 227, so I need to slow that gain down.