I have always been particularly self-conscious of my arms, which are one of the first places fat goes when I gain weight. They get puffy, a little cellulite-y... it ain't pretty.

I started doing weights more than a month ago, which has given me tremendous confidence. I'm going through that initial scale plateau where you gain muscle and are losing fat. I'm the same number on the scale, but just as how I gain fat in my arms first, it was one of the first places I noticed fat leaving. They're still a little puffy, yes, but in a more fetching, bombshell pinup style way.

For the first time in... umm... five years, I wore a sleeveless dress to work. A workplace which, might I add, is a testosterone fest. Out of more than 60 employees, there are only 8 women. This is a real estate firm in Los Angeles, might I add. Everyone there could model, with the exception of myself and perhaps four other people.

Anyway, I attribute this non-scale victory half to less puffy arms, and half to just plain confidence boosting which comes with a regimented workout plan.

that is awesome

That is so awesome. I never ever wear anything sleeveless. I have arms just like my mother, large and somewhat hideous. They are one of my worst features I think. Even though I work out(lift heavy weights), I have NEVER felt good enough about them to wear something sleeveless-not even at goal weight. Good for you. That is amazing!!!

Congrats on the NSV

RVA, et al,

I have somewhat thick flabby arms but I wear sleeveless a lot. And while my sister (also thick like me) feels the way you do and tells me sleeveless isn't flattering on me, I figure, why not be comfortable? At some point, it's like: Whatever I wear, I'm not going to look stick-thin, and there are way too many cute tops/dresses that just happen to be sans-sleeves (and I mean, WAAAAAY cuter than what's out there in my size with short sleeves), so I just want to wear clothes I like, regardless of my arms.

I do have other parts I regularly hide (my low-hanging flabby stomach!), so I doubt my large arms are as unappealing to everyone as my abdomen. And if so, they'll have to get over the trauma

RVA - congrats on the weight lifting work - and if you toned up that much in just over a month, you must be quite disciplined!

(Didn't mean to discount your accomplishment and confidence. Just wanted to encourage people to feel a bit more self-acceptance.)