Grappling With My Goal Weight, Perceptions & Hormones

Obesity is just around the corner.

--
You take stupid to a new level. -- MFW

"Saffire" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

As many of you know, I've been feeling ambivalent over the last month or
two about reaching my goal weight of 125. I got down to 127, but was so
dismayed by the dramatic increase in sagginess that I've been debating
on whether or not to go UP in weight just to plump some of it out. I
don't REALLY want to do that, though. I also had to move over the month
of September and the added stress, extra activity and frequent
unavailability of quick food had me eating very little, so my goal was
within sight. After the move, I started eating more, partly just to
make up for not eating much during September and partly as part of this
ambivalence. The arrival of frequent daily hot flashes coinciding with
my move (and signaling and upsurge in hormonal swings) may or may not
have anything to do with it. Whatever the factors involved, I've been
eating between 1800 and 2100 calories per day for about a month. I
can't do that and get away with it, so my weight up 3-4 lbs (131.5 at
the highest). Part of of that is the extra sodium, but I'm guessing at
least 2 of those lbs is more fat than water. Amazingly enough, although
my calories have increased, my carbs have only increased slightly -- on
my worst day I had 91 carbs, but I'm basically staying between 45-60
carbs/day. My sodium intake has been too high, though, averaging about
3200 mg/day (one day it went to over 5000 mg).

In any case, I've decided to a) come clean with you all about my slight
weight gain since it's a little more than my usual 3-lb bounciness and
more of an upward trend, and b) let you know that I've come to a
decision -- I don't LIKE being in the 130s again -- my newly fitting
pants are getting snug and uncomfortable again and I don't WANT to go to
bigger pants. Besides, having gotten used to being in the 120s for a
while, I now see the 130s as simply too heavy for me -- I NEVER thought
I would say THAT! I had thought I would be THRILLED even if I never got
lower than the 130s again, but that's apparently not true. It's
certainly acceptable, pleasant and a DAMNED sight better than the 200s,
but it's no longer AS acceptable for me. Who knew?

It's amazing how our perceptions can change over time. I used to have
what I always thought of as my personal "Level of Disgust". When I was
in my early 20s, I got concerned when I got to 123 and ALARMED when I
got to 126. Eventually that LOD moved up to 128 ... then 133 ... then
143 ... then 151 ... then I just lost it completely. Well, I didn't
really "lose" it, I just STAYED disgusted all the time, rather than
doing something about it until I started low-carbing. I'm happy to say
now that 131 is my current personal Level Of Disgust at which I will
actually DO something, and it will probably go lower over time now that
I've become aware of it.

As far as the sagginess goes -- what's done is done and I'll be saggy
whether I'm in the 140s, 130s, 120s or 110s, so I might as well just
come to terms with it and go on not only to goal, but lower if I want to
(and I think I DO want to). I'm fifty years old and am in peri-
menopause -- my skin is going to get saggier over the coming years
ANYWAY -- gaining and then losing a lot of weight simply sped up the
process. It's a [censored] getting older and having to come to terms with
the bodily changes along the way, but EVERYONE has to do so at some
point (well, you don't HAVE to, but since there's not a whole lot that
can be done about it short of death, you might as WELL make peace with
it). I hope the sagginess will subside a little over the next couple of
years, but even if it doesn't, being at a weight that is easier on my
joints is more important to me than how I look. Don't get me wrong,
vanity ALSO factors into the equation, but it's not the number one (or
even number two) priority.

--
Saffire
205/130/125
Atkins since 6/14/03
Progress photo: http://photos.yahoo.com/saffire333

*** This post originated in alt.support.diet.low-carb -- its appearance
in any other forum is deceptive and unauthorized. ***

"Saffire" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

As far as the sagginess goes -- what's done is done and I'll be saggy
whether I'm in the 140s, 130s, 120s or 110s, so I might as well just
come to terms with it and go on not only to goal, but lower if I want to
(and I think I DO want to). I'm fifty years old and am in peri-
menopause -- my skin is going to get saggier over the coming years
ANYWAY -- gaining and then losing a lot of weight simply sped up the
process.

In the UK, they won't consider skin tucks and the like until you've
maintained a weight loss for a year - not only to make sure you're not going
to expand back in to them, but because the skin will recover somewhat over
that period.

So there's still hope : )

Nicky.

--
A1c 10.5/5.6/<6 T2 DX 05/2004
1g Metformin, 100ug Thyroxine
95/74/72Kg

JC Der Koenig said:

Obesity is just around the corner.

I wondered where you lived JC.

Regards

David

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To email me, please include the letters DNF anywhere in the subject line.

All other mail is automatically deleted.

Saffire said:

As far as the sagginess goes -- what's done is done and I'll be saggy
whether I'm in the 140s, 130s, 120s or 110s, so I might as well just
come to terms with it and go on not only to goal, but lower if I want to
(and I think I DO want to). I'm fifty years old and am in peri-
menopause -- my skin is going to get saggier over the coming years
ANYWAY -- gaining and then losing a lot of weight simply sped up the
process. It's a [censored] getting older and having to come to terms with
the bodily changes along the way, but EVERYONE has to do so at some
point (well, you don't HAVE to, but since there's not a whole lot that
can be done about it short of death, you might as WELL make peace with
it). I hope the sagginess will subside a little over the next couple of
years, but even if it doesn't, being at a weight that is easier on my
joints is more important to me than how I look. Don't get me wrong,
vanity ALSO factors into the equation, but it's not the number one (or
even number two) priority.

Saffire, the sagginess will improve considerably given time and
exercise. I dropped more than sixty pounds some fifteen months ago now
and had the same problem, no discernible body fat but some rather loose
skin. I am still at much the same weight and although my skin is not yet
"tight", it is no longer noticeably saggy. I was only slightly above
recommended BMI (4.5 lbs) when I began to drop weight, and managed to
lose almost all body fat giving me a very saggy appearance in some areas
of my body. I looked like a skeleton.

I lost weight to help control my blood glucose levels after experiencing
medically induced diabetes (from long term Prednisone treatment), not
because I was unhappy with my weight or fitness levels. I have replaced
a lot of the lost muscle which helps with appearance, and although I am
nowhere near the physical size that I was before, the skin has slowly
returned to normal. No matter who you are, you lose muscle when you lose
weight, and replacing that muscle brings a noticeable improvement.

I suppose that it is similar to a woman's appearance after pregnancy,
some recover their original figure, many don't. It takes determined
effort, it doesn't happen without both exercise and dietary control.

Long before I became diabetic I worked in diet and fitness areas and
have seen women who have successfully lost weight slowly lose the excess
skin and I have seen those who haven't sufficient patience resort to
surgery. I know that a year or two down the track which of them were
happier with themselves and it wasn't the the surgery nominees.

I suppose that it isn't a pleasant thought, but as an example, look at
the horror pictures and film footage of prisoner or war and
concentration camp victims after several years of starvation diets and
forced labour; they were walking skeletons, but they were not draped in
excess skin. The skin does eventually shrink. It may take up to two or
three years to fully recover but it does happen. None of this is a quick
process.

Regards

David

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To email me, please include the letters DNF anywhere in the subject line.

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And you still have yet to figure it out.

Good luck with that.

--
You take stupid to a new level. -- MFW

"J. David Anderson" <jdavidanderson_@hotmail> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

JC Der Koenig said:

Obesity is just around the corner.

I wondered where you lived JC.

Regards

David

--

To email me, please include the letters DNF anywhere in the subject line.

All other mail is automatically deleted.

I do not know what your'e current exercise regime consists of but I
would recomend that you strength train at a high intensity level at
least two times per week ie mon and fri. Workouts should take only 30
minutes or so . Take each set of each exercise to the point where you
can no longer move using proper form. You will find that you will get
firmer quite quickly prtovided your intensity of effort is high and you
get plenty of recovery between workouts. I am new to this site. I hope
you try this suggestion if you are currntly not strength training.
Brett

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I do not know what your'e current exercise regime consists of but I
would recomend that you strength train at a high intensity level at
least two times per week ie mon and fri. Workouts should take only 30
minutes or so . Take each set of each exercise to the point where you
can no longer move using proper form. You will find that you will get
firmer quite quickly prtovided your intensity of effort is high and you
get plenty of recovery between workouts. I am new to this site. I hope
you try this suggestion if you are currntly not strength training.

I don't know that I can do it until I can no longer move (I have quite a
few structural problems that have to be considered), but I DO do
strength training with a Total Body Trainer. I had stopped it for a
couple of months while otherwise occupied, but have started again in the
last couple of weeks. It's good advice -- I know it WILL help. I had
to give up my exercise bike when I moved, though, so I'm not getting any
aerobics in (I can't go out for walks due to foot problems and can't go
into a pool due to sensitivity to chlorine (and to the scented products
that abound in locker rooms)). I moved to a fairly small apartment and
need to some up with something that does not take much space.

Maybe I'll try the Oxycise stuff again, which involves mostly stretches
with intense breathing. I wouldn't need ANY equipment for that. I had
started that doing last year, mostly WHILE I was biking, but I kept
getting sick virtually EVERY time I did anything to intensify the biking
(including HIIT) and let it go by the wayside without really giving it a
chance. I always had to bike in front of a fan that was in front of a
portable air-conditioner, though, so maybe I was just taking in too much
dust and God-knows-what in the way of pollutants. I have to use a fan
here when using the TBT, too, but I've been feeling MUCH better in the
new apt which, unlike the old house, does NOT have constantly leaking
plumbing, ongoing major water damage in the bathroom and frequent sewer
backups.

--
Saffire
205/129/125
Atkins since 6/14/03
Progress photo: http://photos.yahoo.com/saffire333

*** This post originated in alt.support.diet.low-carb -- its appearance
in any other forum is deceptive and unauthorized. ***

Saffire wrote:
I'm happy to say

Quoted message said:

now that 131 is my current personal Level Of Disgust at which I will
actually DO something, and it will probably go lower over time now that
I've become aware of it.

First of all, congrats on spectacular weight loss!!!

I had something similar happen when I went below goal a couple years
ago. My original goal had been 145, but I was able to get down to 137.

Unfortunately, at 137 all the fat had left my face and neck and was
replaced by wrinkles and a ropiness, particularly in the neck, which
made me look every one of my (then) 55 years. I ended up going back up
to 142 where I have pretty much stayed ever since because it looks so
much better.

One thing that contributes to the problem of uncooperative skin after 50
seems to be how thick or thin your skin is, and this may correlate with
your coloring. I had light hair and the kind of skin where you could
see all my veins when I was younger, and it has wrinkled far more than
my brother whose coloring is very dark, though we have spent the same
amount of time in the sun. Redheads may have even more of a problem as
they age, based on an informal survey of friends I have watched get older.

--Jenny

http://www.geocities.com/lottadata4u/ Type 2 Diabetes info
http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/ Low Carb info

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Saffire wrote:
I'm happy to say

Quoted message said:

now that 131 is my current personal Level Of Disgust at which I will
actually DO something, and it will probably go lower over time now that
I've become aware of it.

First of all, congrats on spectacular weight loss!!!

Thank you!

Quoted message said:

I had something similar happen when I went below goal a couple years
ago. My original goal had been 145, but I was able to get down to 137.

Unfortunately, at 137 all the fat had left my face and neck and was
replaced by wrinkles and a ropiness, particularly in the neck, which
made me look every one of my (then) 55 years. I ended up going back up
to 142 where I have pretty much stayed ever since because it looks so
much better.

Yes, I remembered you saying that, which is why I was toying with the
idea of doing the same. I think I'll just try to go lower and see what
the result is, since I always have the option of going back up again
(Lord knows THAT'S easy to do :-)

--
Saffire
205/129/125
Atkins since 6/14/03
Progress photo: http://photos.yahoo.com/saffire333

*** This post originated in alt.support.diet.low-carb -- its appearance
in any other forum is deceptive and unauthorized. ***