Oops - haven't been down here in awhile...sorry folks...
Ali - I do think that loose skin is worse if you've been heavy for a long time. I started dieting when I was seven years old and my skin is taking a long time to tighten up. It's kind of like a rubber band - after you've stretched it for awhile it loses its elasticity a bit. What I do is use flax oil and Udos as a supplement; exfoliate with St. Ives Apricot Scrub about once a week (or you can use a loofa or Buf-Puf); moisturize with skin firming lotion (discovered this week that Suave has one that is only around $3.20 a bottle - compared to Nivea's at $10.99 - same active ingredients) and drink tons of pure water...also taking a multivitamin.
SunDrop - thanks so much
If you want to start on weights, of course you can do it at home. Earlier in this thread I mentioned Mistress Krista's website. Here's an article from her site called "Getting Started" that's well worth a read!
Quote:
Well, here you are at the gates of the first circle of weightlifting. Kinda intimidating, especially with all those huge sweaty guys in there looking like they all know what they're doing (usually half of them don't; your job is to find the ones that do and learn from them). It's tempting to think at this point that you need a whole array of belts, straps, gloves, and suits to begin strength training, especially if you see a lot of folks in there all decked out like medieval cyborgs. Well, the truth is that you don't. Here's what you need and what you can do without.
whatcha need
access to heavy stuff
Most of us don't have a complete home gym sitting in our nests. If you are thinking of putting together a home gym, check out my suggestions on what to buy. If you don't want to buy stuff for home, the first thing to do is find a gym. When looking for a gym, here are some things you should think about.
Is it reasonable? Don't pay for crap like a juice bar or the upscale clientele. Often you can find cheap rates at your local Y or university/college gym.
Is it convenient? Someone did a study showing that the ideal maximum distance a gym should be from your home, school, or work should be 12.5 minutes. I think that's a little harsh but you get the general idea. If your gym is too inaccessible, you probably won't go.
What kind of equipment does it have? You're looking for a gym that has free weights and plenty of them. Look for squat cages, dumbbells, and bench press racks. If all you see are machines, this probably isn't a gym for serious weight training.
Can you get a trainer? Often gyms include a free first session with a personal trainer, something a beginner should take advantage of, since they can show you how to properly use the equipment.
Do they take you seriously? If a gym staff greets your request for weights with sneers of derision or worried clearly-she's-crazy pity, you might find that they're the ones who also have a trainer that tells you to stay off the heavy stuff. Don't be scared off by gyms with virile or famous names like Gold's or Pitbull. Often these places are very welcoming to serious women lifters and have plenty of goodies in terms of their equipment.
good form
Learning good form is very important. I have illustrated some common exercises on my Dork to Diva page. Also check out Biofitness' demos, and Exrx. Or, go to your local library and check out some books on weightlifting. Look at how to do the exercises properly and safely. This will save you injuries and problems in future.
clothing you feel comfortable in.
If you're in the gym to pick up, by all means be generous with the classy workout togs. But if you don't care about having the latest in butt floss (which is a bad idea while squatting anyway), then just wear something comfortable. You don't need to look mahvelous to get a good workout. The beauty of the gym often lies in the fact that everyone is so concerned about how THEY look that they can't be bothered to notice how YOU look. So you don't need to invest in a new ensemble just to pump the iron.
proper nutrition
See Basic Nutrition.
a notebook
As a beginner, one of the hardest things to learn is how to focus and develop a program. Getting things in writing helps immensely. You can plan out your workouts, record your progress, and generally keep informed about how and what you're doing. At first it might feel a bit geeky to carry around a notebook but once you see how much it helps you stick to a program and chart your development, you'll come to appreciate it. It also helps you remember what weights you did, how many sets, and how many reps. You'll know when it's time to move the weights up without having to work from memory every time. As a beginner it's easy to feel overwhelmed; this puts you in control.
water
Despite the claims of ads for Gatorade etc., water is really the best liquid for rehydration (unless you're running a marathon or something, where you sweat so much that sodium retention becomes an issue). Carry around a bottle of it when you're in the gym and drink regularly. Thirst appears only after you've been dehydrated for a while, so it is not a reliable indicator of your body's need for water. If you're doing this whole working out thing right, you'll be sweating like it's high noon in Death Valley so drink up. Also, having a water bottle will save you the trip to the water fountain during which some gym moron can rip off your weights.
a grasp of basic gym etiquette
One thing that won't get you far in the gym is an attitude. Be a decent human being in the gym and clean up after yourself. Re-rack your weights, don't hog machines, and for heaven's sake, try not to block anyone's mirror! For more rules of gym etiquette, check out Lee Tucker's manifesto on how to be a good gym citizen.
whatcha don't need
a belt
You see a lot of guys hanging out at the gym wearing those big leather or Velcro-nylon belts. They wear 'em everywhere---to the water fountain, on the StairMaster, doing bicep curls. You'd think their spines would just collapse like so much gelatinous goo if they ever took those things off. Now, a belt does have its uses. During heavy squats, deadlifts, and presses, the belt can help stabilize your torso through increasing intra-abdominal pressure (IAP). Worn loosely, it can provide proprioceptive cues to keeping your spine in proper position. But as a beginner, you don't need this.
gloves
Gloves are a pretty personal thing and if you want to wear them that's fine. The danger in gloves is that the assistance they lend to your grip impedes your grip strength development. If you're worried about calluses, pick up a foot file. Every day in the shower, file down your calluses. After the shower, apply some heavy duty hand cream. You'll have some skin thickness there which will protect your hands, but it won't feel rough.
straps
Along the same lines as gloves, straps wrap around your wrist and then around the bar. Once again this is aiding your grip potential, which does not force you to develop much grip strength. However, straps are fine to use as your grip develops. You just work till your grip fails, then use the straps to keep on going. A helpful tool, but not a necessity for a beginner.
supplements
You hear about all these marvelous things that will not only make you skinny and beautiful but will also make you pack on muscle like the Incredible Hulk on 'roids. Most of them are crap, variously packaged forms of speed, novocaine for your stomach, or other things that have very unpleasant and potentially dangerous side effects. As a beginner you should rely on nutrition and exercise alone to build muscle mass and burn fat. I would recommend only a daily protein shake, which gives you a low-fat source of protein that you might not be able to get in your diet, and a daily multivitamin.
snazzy and chic gym stuff
As I said, no-one cares what you look like since they're all fighting to keep from getting crushed by heavy objects or climbing infinite virtual hills. Besides, you're just going to sweat all over it and probably smear some occasional grease or plate crud on it too.
a personal trainer
While I recommended taking advantage of a free personal training session, a PT is not required to help you learn if you take charge of your own education. If you choose to lay out the cash for one, great. But find one that will take you seriously and show you how to do the exercises right. I have already heard enough horror stories about personal trainers to last me a lifetime. If possible, find yourself a trainer with experience in powerlifting or Olympic weightlifting.
a gym full of the latest and weirdest isolation machines
Considering you can get a great workout with just two dumbbells, you don't really need that machine which does your inner thighs. Performing basic compound exercises with free weights will give you a full-body workout. See "Don't Fear the Free Weights!" for more on this.
MrsJim: Yeah my co-worker keeps telling me the amazing benefits he has had with flax seed oil, this guy is recovering from cancer and chemo and has told me everyone is amazed at how his complexion and everything has improved greatly due to it. Yeah I have some of the nivea stuff and have started using it (how much has this helped?). I just don't want surgury, but I hate the fact that no matter how muscular my tri-cep/biceps get (since Jan, I have lost 2mm on calliper tests on my bicep and triceps, not too too much, but my body fat has gone down<but my weight went up, I should throw out my scale>), I still have the folds and it makes my upper arms kinda look fat grrrr. My mom just lost 140lbs at the age of 53 (I always show off my mom I know, but she rocks), she has good muscle too, but she is also struggling with the skin.
It's just that there are some people who've lost a great deal of weight and seem really tight and buff. I just want to be tighter. I figure I am doing good things towards it, mini-meals, more protien (not high protien though), less processed food, I might basically cut-out refined cards all together (well asides from the occasional treat, but I generally just eat a lot of fruit and complex carbs). I have been seeing a personal trainer. I know these things take time but it can be frustrating especially when all the fashions right now are mid-drift baring. Oh well, I have a to-die for back and shoulders (my trainer said I was lucky with my back, a lot of women who have lost weight suffer from loose skin on the folds below the ribs), maybe I should just focus on that
Ali - I was wondering the same thing.... about the amount of time we were overweight. I was overweight for 20 years...
It's just though... I'm a small size 8 (my 8's are loose, but 6's don't fit me yet) but I don't have the body of a girl who's a size 8). It's getting frustrating because I just bought one of those mid-drift shirts.... as motivation....
My back and shoulders are good... sounds like we're similar... my arms and my abs are my main problem... and so are my breasts. I went from a 42D to a 34B.... and so you can imagine that extra skin there is a problem. UGH UGH UGH. ANd can you really tone your breasts?????
I have the Nivea Cream.
THANKS MRS. JIM.... the nivea cream is a bit $$$... I'll have to look for the suave one.
I have the same problem with MY boobs - saggy baggy but Jim says he doesn't mind! I hear ya - I used to be a 44DD and I'm now a 32/34 B. Big change, huh? My sisters keep pestering me to go under the knife, but I hate surgery and besides, I can think of a lot of nice things to do with $4000 (like get a horse!).
Since breasts are made of skin, tissue and fat (no muscle) you can't 'tone' them, but what you CAN do - and what I heartily recommend - is doing strength-training exercises such as flyes, chest presses, pushups, etc. There are so many ways to do them - lying down flat, incline, decline, etc. - check out Mistress Krista's site http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html which I mentioned above for some good basic exercises.
The Suave Skin Firming cream isn't as 'thick' as the Nivea but I think it works just as well, for about 1/3 the price. And yes, I do believe it does work! I also drink lots of water and once a week, exfoliate my entire body using the St. Ives Apricot Scrub.
I thought I'd jump in and share my personal experiences with loose skin (ongoing). I lost around 120 pounds in eleven months (from June 2001 to May 2002) so it was fast and have maintained the same weight for around three months but my body fat % is still dropping, indicating that I'm still losing a little fat and building muscle. I think that my loose skin is tightening up .... slowly .... Supposedly I have "the most defined arms in the gym" now (not my words) and the loose skin is very minimal on them. I feel very comfortable going sleeveless for the first time ever! My stomach area is improving also, and that's not so visible so it doesn't bother me. My problem area now is my thighs (backs) but that's probably because I carried a lot of weight there (lost 12 inches off each!) and that's where the fat was last to come off (still a little bit left).
People have often commented on how tight my skin is for someone who lost as much as I have (and I was overweight my whole life -- first diet was fifth grade) (BTW I'm 47). It's certainly not perfect but I'm going to give it a full year after the weight loss and then evaluate. I attribute it to several things: first and by far the most important -- weight training!!! I lifted heavy and hard for the entire time I was losing and still do. I've read that lifting weights stimulates blood circulation in the area which helps to tighten the skin and build new circulatory pathways. I also read that weightlifting releases a hormone that tightens the skin. All I know is that it was and is critical to my success for these reasons and for muscle building reasons and we know that muscle burns fat (plus it looks fabulous!) I urge anyone who is losing a large amount of weight to get to a gym right away and lift as heavy as possible. Don't worry about "bulking up" -- you'll only get smaller and more defined. (I'm a size 4 at 135 pounds and 5' 4").
I eat a very "clean" diet that is heavy on protein (chicken breasts, egg whites, fish etc) and only eat complex carbs (no bread or pasta, even whole wheat, very little dairy, and just a little low-glycemic fruit). Interestingly, I have not had the hair loss problems that I had with previous weight loss attempts with Weight Watchers and I attribute that to the much higher amount of protein that I eat (up to 180 grams per day).
I also take vitamins C and E and EFAs (essential fatty acids) which are also good for skin recovery and growth. I've used the Nivea skin tightening lotion since the beginning along with other moisturizers (I take a LOT of showers every day because I'm in the gym usually twice a day -- once doing weights and once doing cardio).
So my own experience has been that despite being old as dirt (as my children would say) and having been overweight my whole life and being hypothyroid, the skin is tightening up nicely. It's not perfect but I think it's getting better every day. I'm hitting my legs very hard in the gym (squats, hack squats, leg press, stiff-legged dead lifts, leg curls, lunges) and starting to run a bit along with at least an hour of cardio per day and I think it's paying off on the last problem areas.
So, I do weight train about 3X a week... but maybe I'm not lifting enough weight... I haven't upped my weights in months....
I wish my skin was tight... I'm only 26, but it's not bouncing back as fast as I'd like. I haven't reached goal yet... but I'm getting impatient... people say wait a year after you reach goal... which i have no choice but doing. But I'm still so self concious around the guy I'm dating.
Thanks Meg - you're giving me some hope!!!! I have certainly increased my protein and decreased my carbs - but I know for me I can't go low-carb.... it sets me up for failure because I know I can't give up carbs long term... and so I just give up. But it's a huge difference in the amount of carbs I used to eat.
Mrs. JIm - I'm going to check out that website ASAP! Thanks a ton for all your advice and encouragement!
So .... I'm getting pumped up. I'm doing this. I just called my gym and I signed up for an orientation for the free weights. I've been a mcahine girl for 4 years... and I've been told to really tone, free weights are the way to go... I've been too scared to try... but tonight's the night.
She can tell me how much weight I should be lifting and how often to increase my weights.... plus the orientations are free.
Meg - You GO GIRL! Hey, you eat the same stuff I do - except I do eat a lot of cottage cheese.
I hear ya on the hair loss thing. Thank goodness it's never happened to me (because my hair is fine anyway), but when I was doing the Optifast study back in 1990, quite a few women were losing their hair during the fast. Pretty scary.
Lisa and everyone else - just want to say again...Fear not the free weights...like Meg sez - lift as heavy as you can (while maintaining proper form - Krista's website has a great section of good form and bad form - or you can just go to my gym and see a lot of folks using incredibly bad form), eat clean, train hard and the fat will go away - and your skin with tighten up as well (just drink a lot of water - I usually aim for a gallon a day - and use those EFAs - I switch between Udos and flaxseed oil, but want to try hempseed oil if I can find it anywhere).
Lisa -- good for you!! Here's a little secret -- the free weights are a lot more FUN than the machines. You'll get addicted, I'm sure! There's something about being in control of the weight rather than just using a machine that is so much more ... empowering, to use a cliche. At 257 pounds, I was intimidated by the free weight area in my gym and had to force myself to venture into that testosterone drenched room but now I get a real kick about going in there and lifting, in my ladylike way. (Some of the guys sound like they are giving birth and it just cracks me up!) And I've discovered that the biggest, scariest looking guys are usually the sweetest and the first to say something nice or give you a spot.
Don't let anyone at your gym give you a line about "women shouldn't lift heavy" etc. I see women effortlessly doiing bicep curls with little dumbbells and then wondering why they can't see any muscle definition. Lift as heavy as you can and keep pushing yourself every time.
Mrs. Jim -- thanks! I love reading about your progress and following the L & S board. What I do is similar to BFL but with more cardio and more lifting. A thought -- since you are a moderator -- what about moving this thread? I think that it's of interest to more than the WLS group. It's an issue that anyone who has a lot of weight to lose is wondering about and many may not stumble on it here. Is there a better, more general location?
Meg - well, the good thing is that I go to an all-girl gym and I love it. When I started I was 4'10" and 220.... I was huge. ANd I just knew I wouldn't want to work out in front of guys. My gym is amazing and I love it.... free nutrition classes, orientations, a rock climbing wall... all the machines, free weights and cardio you could ever want... with a cardio theater (you just bring headphones and you get to choose between 2 movies on big screens, 2 tv's on big screens, and radio stations).
But the all-girl thing is great.... especially for the lifting part...so i won't feel so intimidated.
As for moving the thread.... that's cool... I posted it here because I was considering surgery as a way to get rid of this skin... but I'm going to head down every possible highway before resorting to something so drastic.
Meg - I think you're right!!! What I'll do is move it to...errrmm...Diet Plans I suppose? That's probably the most visited forum at 3FC (other than the Buddy Up! which wouldn't apply anyway).
We'll leave a sticky here at the WLS board though.
And Lisa and Meg - PLEASE come by the BFL/Bodybuilding board! Meg - I know you've been there before and remember your response to QZ - the reason I asked Suzanne to rename the forum from just regular ol' Body for Life to BFL/Bodybuilding is that so many of us BFLers have gone on to different things, using the same basics that we learned in our BFL challenge(s). One thing I've learned about bodybuilding...there isn't just 'one way to go'. However, I do believe that BFL is a great way to get started with weight training, which can look pretty intimidating and scary to the beginner (especially if she/he has a HUGE amount of bodyfat to lose!).
Lisa - Your gym sounds amazing! a rock climbing wall huh?
Take care and hope to see you both at the BFL/BB Board!
Hm, you'd have to ask someone who's been pregnant - that wouldn't be me...
There was an interesting article in Oxygen Magazine a month or two back about stretch marks, how some women get them, and others don't. I think part of it HAS to be genetic IMO.
Iv been thinking alot about starting weight training. Iv started my new diet and exercise lifestyle 2 months ago and have so far lost 2kg (4.4lbs). Now that im on a roll (iv been told its good to loose it slow), i think its very important to start the weights. I dont have any loose skin atm, and i would like to prevent it as much as possible, or at least minimize it.
i am currently trying to decide on a good gym or trainer (dont mind paying for personal trainer). I think i trainer would be better for me, so i am shown the right way to life the weights (i would forget otherwise...lol).
Im 18, female, 164cm tall ( 5'5")currently 74kg (162lbs). Im only 6kg (13lbs) overweight, but i had put on 17kg(37lbs) within the span of a year, 2 years ago! I use to weigh 58kg (127lbs) which is my goal weight. My q to you is, what kind of free weights, how heavy weights, and what kind of exercises, would i be looking at for a beginner. I do want muscle defination, the "toned" look, but i dont want lots of muscle. I do realsise that those small hand lightweights dont tone much, or at all.
Could you recomend or at least gimme an idea of what im after. I dont want to like turn up to a gym and have someone tell me to not do heavy weights and just do aerobics classes. With a little extra knowledge, i will then know if there really going to help well or just want my $$.
Mrs Jim,
I am also wondering about weights. I read somewhere that women were suppose to use 'light weights' in order to get the best results. "Low weight; high repetitions".
but Jim says he doesn't mind! 
