I'd like to re-introduce myself...
 

Hi!

I came on here about a month ago and only just fulfilled the criteria i.e. 15 pounds to lose. I weighed myself today and I cannot believe how much I've lost! I've now only got 6 pounds to lose to meet my goal! :carrot:

The thing is, I haven't really been doing anything much. I've cut down on my meat, wheat and alcohol intake dramatically since the beginning of the year. I started the fat smash diet in January, but only did the detox portion as I was going on holiday. I managed to lose some weight before going, so obviously felt better in a bikini on the beach than I would have done otherwise. I swam a lot and ate what I wanted on holiday (after all, it's a holiday!) with the intention of coming back to the UK and starting all over again. The thing is, the combination of jet-lag, freezing cold weather and no goal quite as scary as needing to be in a bikini, I haven't quite got around to starting again.

That said, I'm still trying to eat healthily, except perhaps for the blueberry muffins I made a couple of days ago and the glass of Pimms Winter I drank last night! I'm not exercising at all (no excuse other than the weather!)

I thought that the scales must be lying, as my previous ones broke, and different scales are calibrated differently etc. Anyway, I decided to try on some old trousers that would not fit me in December, and now THEY FIT! My waist is the thinnest it's been in a year! :cb:

The thing is, I'm the sort of person whose weight fluctuates dramatically! I'm wondering whether my weight loss may be due to muscle loss (as I'm not exercising) or hormones. I do tend to build muscle really quickly when I exercise (even steps or cycles), and I have that danger of looking stocky! I'm still quite flabby and gross, but that's what clothes are for! ;)

I need some ideas on cardio exercise that wouldn't make me build muscle, is low impact (I have a bad knee) and isn't swimming (which I hate)! I really don't want to regain all this weight!

Brilliant! That is great news!

I'm a fan of weight training (muscle burns more calories than an equivalent amount of fat), cardio and good food - I mean nutrition, of course! - to keep losing weight and getting in good shape.

What about the elliptical/cross-trainer or the recumbent bike? Both good for people with dodgy knees.

Silverbirch has some good ideas :)

But I'm wondering...why don't you want to build muscle? Or do you mean, you don't want to bulk up with a lot of lean muscle mass? Having a good amount of muscle will help you keep the weight off because it helps to burn more calories. I'm not an expert, but I would suggest adding a (short) weight routine to your workout to help you lose weight, and maintain your weight once at goal. Hope that helps...

And come and join the featherweights in our weekly thread.
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/show...39#post1569239

Thanks or all your help guys. I've had a really lazy weekend with the boyfriend. I ate a lot of food I didn't need to, and drank way too much wine. So, going to the gym tonight! Thanks for all your advice. I will try the cross trainer and bike. My knee is killing me as I'm sitting here typing this! I'm scared of doing exercises that bulk up my thighs, as I have very skinny calves. I end up looking like a ham or something! I did a lot of squats last year and ended up with lean yet bulky thighs, which have since converted to flab and cellulite since I stopped exercising like a crazy person! My thighs now touch when I walk, which they never did before! Boo!

One thing I have noticed is that while I build muscle very quickly (legs, arms, abs) the flab that's sitting on top of them takes ages to disappear. I assume that "just" requires a low fat diet and lots of cardio. But I'm still working on it!

I'll let you all know how it goes!