Skin and cold
Two things that I read about when I started doing this were the unwanted side effects of big weight loss. Being cold all the time and loose skin. One has been on my mind more than the other recently, but as I've been asked about skin I'll lump them both together.
First, the skin. It doesn't seem too bad. I'm young, I exercise, maybe I'm lucky. I'm not fantastically toned at the moment (although I've been told by people that I look toned, they clearly can't see under my clothes). My stomach in particular still seems to have a lot of flab and jiggle on it. What I don't know is how much of that is fat that has yet to go, and how much of it is skin that will be left behind once the fat has gone. As you deflate a balloon, at first the balloon shrinks as the air goes out of it, and it's only at the end that it starts to wrinkle up. I guess it's the same with skin. Maybe I'm just not thin enough yet to really get the loose skin effect, or maybe I won't get it. I don't know.
Or maybe it's just a difference in perception. I've never been thin. I don't have an 18 year old 10 stone body to compare myself with, I've always had a fat body image. So where I have areas that are a bit untoned (stomach, upper arms), it's still a lot better than anything I've grown up being accustomed to. So yes, I still have bingo wings, but they're a lot smaller than they were. From some angles they're hardly noticeable (to me), it depends how I hold my arm. But maybe if I was accustomed to being thin they'd be horrendously big. Again, I don't know whether I will lose any more fat there, or get any more definition. It's too early to tell, really. All I know is that it looks a lot better than it ever has done, and that's progress for me.
I told myself not to worry about it when I started doing this, that I'd see what happened. The other thing that I told myself is that I wouldn't allow myself to look at plastic surgery for a year after losing the weight. Partly to give things a year to settle down, to find out what my body actually wants to look like, but purely to see if I can maintain for a year before spending any money on it. I'm becoming more and more comfortable that I might not want to go there anyway, but if I do, I'll keep you informed.
Second, the cold. God it's cold at the moment. There are times when I sit and I think about the insulating capability of 82lb of lard and get a bit nostalgic. It's not only the temperature outside (and I can't think back in enough detail to wonder whether I feel colder than I did at precisely the same air temperature this time last year), but the lack of clothes. Last time it was this cold I was a lot bigger than I am now. As I've lost weight I've gone through summer and autumn, buying lighter clothes, pretty clothes. I have a serious lack of chunky jumpers and warm coats.
This struck me going to the rugby last weekend. I haven't been to many games recently with missing out on the playoffs and having a couple of holidays, and the last two games I went to were in glorious, don't even need a coat, autumn weather. Before that we're talking summer, and early September. So I picked up my thick rugby jacket to put on. This used to be a little snug, less so as time went on through March and April before I put it away for the summer, but still wearable.
It isn't now. I need coats, and jumpers, and warm stuff. Luckily a fleece I ordered a while back finally arrived last weekend, but it's only making a small inroad into the general chill.
And I'm sure I feel colder generally too. At the course yesterday I was freezing all day. I know there were some comments in the first session about it being cold, but no-one seemed to complain after that. But I didn't feel much warmer at 5pm than I had done at 9.30. In fact it feels like my fingers haven't been warm for days sometimes.
I'm really not looking forward to running outside next weekend (or this weekend, but I don't have a race this weekend so could dive for the relative warmth of the treadmill in the gym) if it's this cold. Still, it might make me faster if I have the incentive of a nice warm shower when I've finished!
Bring back summer!
First, the skin. It doesn't seem too bad. I'm young, I exercise, maybe I'm lucky. I'm not fantastically toned at the moment (although I've been told by people that I look toned, they clearly can't see under my clothes). My stomach in particular still seems to have a lot of flab and jiggle on it. What I don't know is how much of that is fat that has yet to go, and how much of it is skin that will be left behind once the fat has gone. As you deflate a balloon, at first the balloon shrinks as the air goes out of it, and it's only at the end that it starts to wrinkle up. I guess it's the same with skin. Maybe I'm just not thin enough yet to really get the loose skin effect, or maybe I won't get it. I don't know.
Or maybe it's just a difference in perception. I've never been thin. I don't have an 18 year old 10 stone body to compare myself with, I've always had a fat body image. So where I have areas that are a bit untoned (stomach, upper arms), it's still a lot better than anything I've grown up being accustomed to. So yes, I still have bingo wings, but they're a lot smaller than they were. From some angles they're hardly noticeable (to me), it depends how I hold my arm. But maybe if I was accustomed to being thin they'd be horrendously big. Again, I don't know whether I will lose any more fat there, or get any more definition. It's too early to tell, really. All I know is that it looks a lot better than it ever has done, and that's progress for me.
I told myself not to worry about it when I started doing this, that I'd see what happened. The other thing that I told myself is that I wouldn't allow myself to look at plastic surgery for a year after losing the weight. Partly to give things a year to settle down, to find out what my body actually wants to look like, but purely to see if I can maintain for a year before spending any money on it. I'm becoming more and more comfortable that I might not want to go there anyway, but if I do, I'll keep you informed.
Second, the cold. God it's cold at the moment. There are times when I sit and I think about the insulating capability of 82lb of lard and get a bit nostalgic. It's not only the temperature outside (and I can't think back in enough detail to wonder whether I feel colder than I did at precisely the same air temperature this time last year), but the lack of clothes. Last time it was this cold I was a lot bigger than I am now. As I've lost weight I've gone through summer and autumn, buying lighter clothes, pretty clothes. I have a serious lack of chunky jumpers and warm coats.
This struck me going to the rugby last weekend. I haven't been to many games recently with missing out on the playoffs and having a couple of holidays, and the last two games I went to were in glorious, don't even need a coat, autumn weather. Before that we're talking summer, and early September. So I picked up my thick rugby jacket to put on. This used to be a little snug, less so as time went on through March and April before I put it away for the summer, but still wearable.
It isn't now. I need coats, and jumpers, and warm stuff. Luckily a fleece I ordered a while back finally arrived last weekend, but it's only making a small inroad into the general chill.
And I'm sure I feel colder generally too. At the course yesterday I was freezing all day. I know there were some comments in the first session about it being cold, but no-one seemed to complain after that. But I didn't feel much warmer at 5pm than I had done at 9.30. In fact it feels like my fingers haven't been warm for days sometimes.
I'm really not looking forward to running outside next weekend (or this weekend, but I don't have a race this weekend so could dive for the relative warmth of the treadmill in the gym) if it's this cold. Still, it might make me faster if I have the incentive of a nice warm shower when I've finished!
Bring back summer!
posted by YP at 8:21 PM
3 Comments:
I know what you mean about the cold. I used to hate those skinny chicks that sat around shivering, complaining about the cold but I didn't have to lose much weight before I started feeling it. Still it's a good excuse to stock up on lots of lovely jumpers and things.
yeah I feel cold all of the time, but I'm also from a much warmer climate. Even so, I prefer running in the cold rather than summer time! It's too hot to run then and I think it makes it harder for me to run. At least when it's cool, running will warm me up, and it forces/pushes me to keep on going.
The depths of the coldness is simply bone-chilling. I keep hoping it will get better with time, but I'm going on two years now and I think it may even be worse this year, if that's possible!
It looks like you're one of the lucky ones with the skin issue. I'm sure it has to do with your age, how overweight you were and how long you were overweight for, and perhaps some good genes too? I'm willing to trade if you are!! ;D Oh well, can't blame a girl for trying!
Beverly
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