Spark ! First off, huge congrats on the weight loss !
We are just about in the same boat. Initially, I lost 80 lbs of fat. And I certainly had loose skin all over my body too.
Now, everyone is going to be a little different. But just some stuff for you to consider;
When I dropped from 272 to 192, my BF % was still at close to 20% ! {can't imagine how high it was at 272 ? 45% to 50% ?}
So the thing is, yes, I was a lot lighter, but probably had even less muscle than I did at 272, {and I didn't have much at 272.... just enough to drag my fat but around}
Anyway, I had wanted to be lighter / skinnier for so long, that once I got there, I was pretty happy.... kind of... for a little bit... but after a while, I started actually comparing the differences between being skinny, but loose, and in all honestly, still WAY out of shape, to lean, but with some good solid muscle mass.
Since then, I have become a weight lifting + cardio addict !
So in the last 20-22 months, I've gone from 192 @ 20% BF, to 215 @ 14%'ish BF > and NOW, I look, and feel like somebody who is actually in great shape, and not just skinny.
The only loose skin I have anywhere on my body, is around my mid-section, and this pretty much sucks. Because I'm sure my stomach skin has shrunk as much as it is ever going to, in the last two years. The only way I could ever have a tight, smooth stomach again would be with a $10K surgery, and 8 weeks recovery time....
And guess what ? I'd sign up for it right now, if I had the time and money.
Anyway, this is certainly a big obstacle in the road for me.
But for now, I'm going to keep working out as hard and consistently as I can, and eating really healthy (and plenty
) to keep shooting for my long term goal of 225 @ 9% BF.
I think I'd be pretty happy with that..... for a little while anyway
Peace,
Fish
PS, For myself, weight loss was the 1a course. Cals in vs cals out. Easy Peasy.
But now, if that were all their was too it, I'd probably have already gotten board, and gained back 110% of what I had lost ! Instead, when I graduated to body building, it put me right back at the start of a climb which will even be 10X's harder than fat loss ever was. This gives me a reason to stay focused for many years, as that's what it is going to take, to get to where I want to go
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PPS, As for psychological issues, geeez ! I guess I really am right there with you ! I've got ADD and OCD, along with severe hand-eye coordination issues..... Oh, and I suffered from fibromyalgia for 20+ years, and IBS.... although I have really beaten these last two health issues "mostly" into submission, nowadays.
It's probably because of these psych issues, that if I'm not climbing for the top (trying to look like ZKK) I will quickly be falling to the bottom, and in worse shape than I was when I started.... which pretty much would mean "dead".
So that pretty much sums it up. I'm not really doing all this because it seems cool..... but because for myself, this is pretty much a life or death situation.
old:
thank you!! -Kevin