I am 49 and have just rededicated myself to losing weight. I am five foot three and weigh 231 pounds. My question for everyone is this. Do you regain your agility once the weight is gone? Five years ago I was still flexible and mobile. Now I really struggle with putting socks on, getting up from a kneeling position; even aspects of showering are challenging. It’s as though the middle section of my body has gone very stiff. I have no idea if this is due to advancing years or excessive weight but I suspect the latter. Have people here found that their agility comes back once the weight is gone? I am hoping the answer is yes, because I feel like an old lady before my time.
I'm only 20 pounds into this weight loss, but I've really noticed a difference already. I forgot how much it makes a difference... when you gain weight, it happens slowly, so you don't notice that you're getting slower, heavier, more lethargic. When you lose the weight (more quickly for me by far than I put it on..) I REALLY noticed the difference. My body moves easier. I stand up from sitting much easier, I get up from kneeling effortlessly..hiking is suddenly much easier... and that's only after 20 pounds. I can't wait to see what another 20 will feel like.
That said though, I do think that my increased exercise and fitness over the past 5 months have played a part also. I had been a sporadic exerciser beforehand, and think that my fitness and strength had suffered as a result. Now I'm getting stronger at the zsame time as I'm getting lighter. Both play a part.
Finally, I think flexibility really changes as you get older. I used to be very flexible.. now, after having had a knee injury as well as disc problems in my lower back, I'm nowhere near as flexible. I don't stretch as much as I should.. but when I do regularly, I really notice my range of motion increases. That may be playing a part for you as well.
You definitely do, especially if you start incorporating exercise (doesn't have to be a major sweat-fest or super-structured exercise plan right away, just get moving a bit. Adding strength training will also help with regaining functional strength.).
It too me a long time to really notice a difference in how I felt - some people will tell you that 20 pounds is enough to make a difference, and that may be true medically, but I didn't perceive a difference until about 55 pounds were gone. Then, I noticed I could stand longer, walk further, hop up the stairs without effort. By the time I'd lost about 85 pounds I felt like a switch had flipped. I could cross my legs again! I had tons of stamina. I started getting more chores done around the house because I didn't have to sit down and rest so frequently. I became a person who bounds up the stairs two at a time - that just happened, without conscious efforts. I stepped up the intensity of my exercise too - again, it sort of just happened, because I found to my surprise i had a body that wanted to move.
It won't happen overnight, or with a few weeks' dieting. But if you stil to your plan long enough to lose a significant amount of weight and really transform your body - for me it was 50-80 pounds, or about 1-1.5 years - you can regain a ton of strength and mobility, and really feel like you got a new body.
I agree with carter and kirsteng. You definitely get a LOT of benefits from eating right and getting yourself moving. More energy is a nice side effect too. Once you start losing the weight you'll notice it. Start moving, whatever you can work into your lifestyle. This will make a big difference.
