talk about a wake up call

[kibskix]

I just took "before" pictures. Technically I have a -before- picture where I was 250lbs, but i didn't really consider that a before pic since I'd already lost around 25bs when I started atkins this time around. I took them just now, in nothing but my skivvies. And YIKES.

After working out as hard as I have, and eating as well as I have and losing 10lbs, I suppose I felt a little cocky, because I felt -good-. With all the benefits i'm reaping from Atkins, I honestly didn't think I looked like that in my undies. I suppose i've been just not really seeing it, I think thats something we can all understand at some point.

It doesn't detract me or depress me, but it really has opened my eyes to what needs to be done. WITH clothes on, I carry my weight pretty well. No one ever thinks I weigh as much as I do. But underneath, There is no tone at all. Its all jiggly. -because- of the jiggly, I can stuff my butt into a pair of jeans and have it look ok, but without jeans to hold it in, my butts wide, flat, and ugly. Then there's the infamous back roll, I can't WAIT for that to leave, I hope it leaves first. I'm somewhat concerned about my chest-al area lol too, especially after seeing those pictures. In high school I was on the high side of a C (chestiness is a family trait) and they're now DD and getting pretty darn floppy for someone who's only 23. I'm scared i'll have to have a lift before i'm 30, and i'm NOT interested in slicing up my girls.

Le sigh. What a sobering evening.

[stephbob]

I'm removing what I said because I'm sick and I think my meds are making me make no sense lol.

[Zarabelle]

I took before pics with clothes on and was pretty shocked at what I looked like! I am going to take another set at 194 - 30 pounds gone - and hope to see a difference. I certainly feel different and am wearing much smaller clothes. Just file those pics away on your PC and look at them again after another 20 pounds and a new set of pics. You will be pleased you took them in the future xx

[chinadoll]

Kib, what do you do to workout? Cardio is great for taking the weight off, and pilates really tones, but to change your body I recommend weight training. I lost 45 pounds originally and everything was floppy and nasty. Then I started weight training--not the sissy weights. I slowly built up the weights and lifted fairly heavy and in about three months I saw a huge change in my body. I had only lost another 12 pounds but man did I look different. Am trying to get back there now. I have lost seven inches in three weeks and I am sure the weights are a large part of that.

[EverLosing]

Sometimes we lose weight so fast with this WOE that our skin and body is struggling just to keep up with our lower weight. Things will adjust!! It does take time.

I love and recommend dry brushing. Search the threads for it. It works for me and many other people here. It helps the skin "get with it" as far as exfoliating and stimulating it to get to where you need it to be. Your skin will feel like a baby butt! The moisturizer you use straight out of the shower will help too. However, the biggest problem solver for what you see naked, I swear, is lifting weights. As women, we don't have enough testosterone to get bulky from lifting weights. It will help soooo much!! Looking better via weight lifting is just one of the benefits too. You'll feel better, look better, feel stronger, move your body with much more ease, not to mention what it does for your metabolism and bones. I figured I might as well start that when I started Atkins again. I'd feel funny starting to do what I knew I always should stepping into a gym to lift when I'm old! I think I look more healthy because of it. I fit into smaller jeans because of it. I'm looking for size 12 jeans and let's face it, I'm not that far away from 200 lbs. I love lifting! Can you tell? PM me if you want more info. I can show you a site that has exercises that are simple but it makes it so easy to start!

[jennbeingme]

I used to love weightlifting ( whine whine) That was when I was at my fittest and leanest- I was lifting some heavy duty weights and doing cardio 5 days a week- and boy could I eat a lot and still maintain... sigh
Now ....Although I do have two weights pretty much attached to me at all times ( just kidding... the kids are more like bungees I am limited to working out at home.. so cardio and core it is for me right now.
BUT... has anyone done the stretchy bands for resistance training?

Jenn

[momtomany1]

I need to learn more about stretchy bands, I have a set.

One of the real challenges of changing your body is addressed in this thread... results are not immediate. Well, actually they are, but they are incremental. It is so hard sometimes to think 'long term' and that is what it takes. You get results, you feel them! your muscles are firmer, you are in smaller clothes... for me though... I look in the mirror in my skivvies and what do I see? belly fat. It tends to take away my joy that the skivvies themselves used to be a 10 and now they are a 6!

(Who am I kidding, the last underwear I bought before I started Atkins were maternity undies because I couldn't take the waistband dig anymore!)

But see I feel better already... 6 beats 10 anyday!

Progress is in stages, embrace it. And hey lots of good ideas in here, I snagged a great body brush at the health fair, I'll give it a try!

[momonmission99*]

I'm sorry, you have me cracking up. I totally know what you mean!!!!!! ugh!
One day girl...one day.

[kibskix]

China- i've been aiming for 2 hours a day, usually do 60-90 minutes of cardio sometimes all at once sometimes broken up into 2 workouts. I fill in the other minutes with the jillian michaels 30 day shred (which i guess does count as a little added cardio) and added core workouts, and my push up challenge of 20 a day. jillian keeps me ahead of the game in pushups, that woman seriously wants to destroy my shoulders. I'm also looking into getting some new yoga videos to keep me stretchy because the stuff i'm doing now keeps me sore 24/7 and somewhat knotted feeling.

My boyfriend has hinted at getting me a recumbent bike for my birthday in a couple weeks, and a gym opened down the street with about a 35$ a month fee. I know I could do better weight training at the gym, but I have a knee injury (patellar tendonitis) and am a little concerned I won't be getting my moneys worth at the gym since all i'm really allowed to do is low/no impact. I think they have a week free trial so I might to that and see what there is to do, its a pretty small local gym but its 24 hours so thats nice.

Right now I have 3lb weights I use with the 30 day shred, and I think in a few weeks i'll be able to move up to 5. My concern with my upper body is that its about the strength of a 10 yr old lol. I have unnaturally loose joints (double jointed wrists, shoulders, hips, etc) and I actually dislocated my shoulder throwing a baseball when I was 12. I'm trying to build the muscles to keep the joint where its supposed to be, but not injure myself trying too hard too fast. I can actually do push ups and throw a football now, which for years I was never able to do without searing pain. Hopefully i'll get up to more weight in my weight training, but I don't want to go too fast with it.

I know its a slow staged process, but I think because of my height and how a lot of my weight is in my chest and my hips, people don't really notice -how- overweight I am, so I never really paid attention to what was in the mirror unless I had clothes covering it up lol. I see that picture of me at 250 and go HOLY COW because I never thought, at the time, I looked like that! its weird how we don't see it. Now i'm 216 and really only like 1 or 2 sizes smaller than back then, even though the picture difference is -massive- lol Even when I was 180 I was still in 14s. My mom tells me I was "too skinny" at 180. 180 isn't even in my healthy range, its still considered overweight for my height and frame (medium). Then she says "well you're not meant to be a stick, you're supposed to be a big girl" What? That makes me sad. I dont think shes trying to be a jerk, I just think i've been overweight so long, she has no idea what I could be.

[SunnySmile501]

Originally Posted by kibskix

My boyfriend has hinted at getting me a recumbent bike for my birthday in a couple weeks, and a gym opened down the street with about a 35$ a month fee. I know I could do better weight training at the gym, but I have a knee injury (patellar tendonitis) and am a little concerned I won't be getting my moneys worth at the gym since all i'm really allowed to do is low/no impact. I think they have a week free trial so I might to that and see what there is to do, its a pretty small local gym but its 24 hours so thats nice.

Right now I have 3lb weights I use with the 30 day shred, and I think in a few weeks i'll be able to move up to 5. My concern with my upper body is that its about the strength of a 10 yr old lol. I have unnaturally loose joints (double jointed wrists, shoulders, hips, etc) and I actually dislocated my shoulder throwing a baseball when I was 12. I'm trying to build the muscles to keep the joint where its supposed to be, but not injure myself trying too hard too fast. I can actually do push ups and throw a football now, which for years I was never able to do without searing pain. Hopefully i'll get up to more weight in my weight training, but I don't want to go too fast with it.

This is a prime example of why you need to build up slowly and take at least two rest days a week. The double joints and loose joints make you more apt to end up with the horrible disorder from which I suffer--Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD)--and it is sooo not fun. Your knee injury is especially disturbing (that's how my RSD started). Sorry, but if I can stop one person from suffering from this monster disorder, I will be happy.

You can do much harm by over-training and not taking rest days for your muscles and joints to recover. You are only 23 years old--you have time to do this right. You do not have to "do it all" this week or this month.

You need to take a lot of vitamin C (I was in a research study about high vitamin C intake preventing or limiting RSD after injury) and do not continue to work out until you are extremely sore. Do NOT push past the pain. This is your Substitute Mom talking and I know what I am talking about!

I ended up in a wheelchair, then a walker and then walked for years, barely, with two quad-canes--all because physical therapists pushed me too hard after my knee injury and surgery. They went by the no pain, no gain theory and it backfired. I am hardheaded and if they said I should be able to do something, I did it no matter how bad it hurt. That was the wrong thing to do.

Now, plan out a sensible workout plan with rest days included and you will have all the jiggly parts firmed up in no time and won't end up in a wheelchair doing it. Mama said!