Made Great Progress, But Now What?

Whit-Bit

Whit-Bit

New member
Hi everyone!

I'm brand new to this forum and was hoping to get some advice and also to share my progress.

I'm just under 5'9" and at my heaviest I was 240lbs, now I'm down to 150. From age 18-25 I developed a very sedentary lifestyle filled with video games and junk food. After moving in with my first boyfriend at 18 we both rapidly put on weight due to this lifestyle.

At 25, when we broke up, I dropped from 240 to 220 without really trying. Just from very simple lifestyle changes and getting out more. This trend slowly continued over the next couple of years until I reached 205 without really putting much effort in. It was at that point that I realized...if I want to lose weight I can! Look what happened without trying..imagine what I can accomplish with some hard work!

On June 24, 2015, weighing in at 205lbs I officially started my weight loss journey. Just under a year later I am 10lbs away from my goal of 140. The problem is...I don't know what comes after that. To lose this weight all I have been doing is eating healthy and walking every single day. I don't know much about fitness and working out and I am way too shy to work out in a public place like the gym.

I am so happy with my progress, but I am now left in a confusing place...wondering what is stubborn fat and what is loose skin..and wondering how to improve the look of my body. I have begun to have fears that I will never be able to get rid of the extra skin on my tummy without surgery.

I will post my Before and After, as well as some current pictures of my tummy. Any help/suggestions/advice will be greatly appreciated!!

Oh and some people in my life have been telling me to stop trying to lose weight...some are even worried about me. But I'm the one that sees my body naked every day and I can still see things I need to change. I think they are biased because they care about me and are also "shocked" because they see how much I've changed. They are happy for me, but are afraid I will overdo it.

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Hello Whit-Bit and welcome to the forum.

Firstly, well done upon such an amazing transformation; you certainly prove that, with dedication and perseverance, weight loss can be achieved.

Although you may be incredibly close to achieving your goal weight, don’t feel as though the forum has nothing to offer you, since many find that maintenance can prove more difficult than actually losing the excess in the first place.

While it’s difficult to say for certain, based upon the pictures you’ve provided, I’d be inclined to suggest that the excess is fat as opposed to loose skin. You now possess that little paunch that so many women wish they could get rid of.

Despite nearing your journey’s end, the body is also now beginning to enter the stage of maintenance, so you need to be astute when it comes to achieving the correct energy balance, since you’re now working within a very fine margin when it comes to providing the body with sufficient calories while still creating a deficit that allows the final 10lbs to be lost.

Although you’ve not mentioned their use, I assume that you’ll have no doubt consulted BMR and TDEE calculators upon your journey, to ensure that a daily calorie deficit continued to be created. As such, their use remains important in maintaining your level of weight loss.

If you have used them throughout your weight loss journey, up until recently, you’ll have no doubt ensured that sufficient daily calories were consumed to meet that of your BMR, allowing calories stored in body fat to be burned, thus, providing sufficient energy throughout the day.

Since you no longer possess the levels of body fat that you once did, the only way to provide sufficient daily energy is through the consumption of food. Additionally, instead of consuming sufficient calories to meet BMR, you now need to consume sufficient calories to meet TDEE, allowing calories burned through walking and daily activity, for example, to create a daily deficit.

As there may only be around a 400Kcal difference between BMR and TDEE, the rate at which you lose the final 10lbs will be slower, but provided you introduce a deficit from TDEE (and not BMR), you should soon achieve your goal weight.

Although you’ve stated that you don’t currently have the confidence to exercise in the gym, have you considered beginning to run? If you have, research introductory programmes, such C25K, as they’ll ease you in gently, while allowing more calories to be burned than walking alone.

Returning to your immediate concerns, Whit-Bit. Even if some of what you still possess is loose skin, don’t beat yourself up over it, since you’re in a far better position than you were 12 months ago.
 
Thank you so much for your reply!

My goal of 140 is not a definitive one, just a loose goal I have kept in my head. Once I reached that point my plan was to reassess the condition of my body and then try to figure out where to go from there. Losing the extra weight has been my main goal, but now the time has come for me to actually learn about fitness and maintenance.

The problem is, I didn't do any of the things you mentioned in your post, nor do I know much about any of that. I simply ate less, ate better, and walked. I didn't count calories or use any calculators at all. When I some more time I will try to look into the things that you mentioned keeping track of and calculating.

I have just barely started to jog a little bit for a portion of my walks, but I'm only comfortable doing this extremely early in the morning on the streets near my home. I couldn't do it in a very public place yet, but maybe I will get there.

Right now I am researching workout videos and programs on youtube, but it is very overwhelming when you don't really know where to start.
 
You’re welcome, Whit-Bit.

Although reducing calorie consumption, making healthier food choices and increased levels of activity undoubtedly help, to hear that you’ve achieved your level of loss without consulting BMR/TDEE calculators or counting calories makes it even more remarkable.

However, now that you wish to maintain, I’d recommend that you take the time to consult BMR/TDEE calculators, in order to ascertain a clearer idea of how many calories your body now needs to maintain current weight, based upon your measurements and level of activity.

If you currently feel uncomfortable about exercising in public places, home-workout DVDs may be an option to consider, as they’ll help to increase confidence, provide an idea of how movements should be performed, in addition to accustoming muscles to the rigours of regular exercise.

I’m not suggesting that you immediately opt for the likes of Shaun T’s Insanity workouts (although they’re very good), I was thinking more about beginner DVDs that demonstrate how squats, lunges, standing calf-raises and stomach exercises should be performed, all of which will benefit your running, if it’s something you’re considering as your preferred choice of cardio.

As much as you’ve found your way upon the journey to achieving weight loss, you’ll also find your way in discovering a form of exercise that helps to increase levels of fitness.
 
Wow, good for you! That's quite the amazing transformation you've made. In terms of what next for fitness, I think there's no real 'right' or 'wrong' here. From my experience, the best fitness is the one you actually enjoy and therefore you'll do on a regular basis. If you'd rather exercise at home vs. at a gym, there's plenty of super fun and inspiring workouts on YouTube - just search yoga, Zumba (if you like dancing), strength exercises, etc. I agree with you in that I don't like to make eating healthy nor exercising about numbers and super technical measurements. Perhaps that helps some people but as long as you're moving and getting your heart rate-up, you're doing fitness right! Best of luck :)
 
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