Weight!!

[andrea_h]

Hi,

This might seem an odd question but.......I don't know if I'm happy or not!!

I'm 29, 5' and 8st13lbs, size 10-12 - I've recently lost weight (intentionally),approx one & half stone since July, I was 10st 6lb, size 16-18.

The thing is, in my head, I still think I look the same, although I know I don't - smaller dress size, lower weight, even people telling me, doesn't seem to make me appear/feel thinner!!

Now I know that weight & appearence aren't the most important things in the world, but, I've really worked hard to get the extra weight off...........the problem I'm having is, is it enough - should I be happy now, and try to maintain my current weight or should I continue to 8st 7lbs (my initial target)???

Also, which excercises would be good to get rid of the flab on my tummy (post child - age 3)?....nothing too major, I'm very uncoordinated, and quite unfit!!

[4getmenot]

8st 13ilbs is probably under your average weight, why lose any more?, If you still dont like your body just try and tone up to change your body shape rather than lose any more weight. And as for the tummy normal sit ups should do it, or get one of those ab machine that help you with sit ups, I do 50 a day and they are quite good.

[snook]

You say you don�t know if you�re happy or not (with your current weight, and your weight loss, I think you mean). If there was a problem, if you had anything to really worry about with regard to your weight and general health, you�d know about it. You would simply be unhappy. You don�t need to agonise over whether you�re unhappy or not � if you had good reason to be unhappy you�d know it.

This situation, of losing weight and still feeling overweight, is addressed in Dr Maxwell Maltz�s amazing book, Psyho-cybernetics. He was a plastic surgeon (before surgery for cosmetic reasons became a fad), and he noticed that some patients were not �happy� after surgery � their ears no longer stuck out, or their nose was a little less prominent, or a facial scar was minimized, but the patients still saw themselves, in their mind�s eye, as having the original �defect�. Their 'self-image' had not yet been updated.

I can�t go into his techniques here, but I�d advise you to get hold of the book. Published in 1960, it�s sold about 30 million copies � I think that speaks for itself. There�s a brief explanation of Dr Maltz�s ideas on this page here

As for your tummy, sit ups will help, as will simply flexing all the muscles of your midsection, hard as you can, and holding for several seconds, then repeating the exercise several times (do it every morning). And a big help would be to eat sensibly; good common sense rules are listed in an answer to an earlier post here

Good luck, and stop worrying!

[wilsarnie]

Sit ups are great for the main tummy muscles in the middle but you need to do your obliques, the ones at the side to tone up any wobbly bits at the side.

You can do these in your lounge so no-one need see you!

• Lie down with one leg bent, and lay the other leg over the knee of the bent leg at 90' angle. With your arms by your side (not clasping behind your head) raise one shoulder towards the knee on the leg that is resting on the other. Do this for 2 sets of 10 (this can be increased over time). Swap legs and sides.


• Lie down with both legs bent. With arms by side of legs, raise shoulders just off floor. Reach from side to side (moving your arms 'down' your legs about 6" or so). Do this for 2 sets of 10 (this can be increased over time).

With both of these exercises you must remember the more you put in to them the more you get out of them. Try and remember to keep your shoulders off the floor for the whole duration of the exercise. You'll be able to feel the pain, BUT the pain will decrease the more you keep doing it.

Well done on your overall weightloss. You will be a role model and will be motivation for others so keep that in mind!

For your height you are actually mid weight, so just perfect. You only need to lose more if you have a very very small frame.

Perhaps you have some old pictures of you pre weightloss that you could compare recent pics of you? Would that perhaps help you realise how your body has changed over time?

Let us know how you get on

wilsarnie

[maggie01]

Sometimes people including myself feel that losing weight will make them happy. But maybe it was not the weight alone that makes you feel unhappy.

[Jay70]

I think maggie is on the right track. I think the one main thing I've learnt in life is everything is about balance. While it's good that you have lost some weight it's easy to go to far the other way and become obsessed with it. I think that when people become obsessed with it other parts of their life suffer. I know people who's relationships have broke down because they spend so much time at the gym. I'm sure you look great. Try and do things for yourself which make you happy and dont worry about other people too much.