How do you firm up if you are out of shape?

[corarose]

I walk 2 miles per day and then when I get to School I clean the kitchen with everyone else. I can sit back if I want to but I need the exercise. I lost 155 pounds so far and I have loose skin and I need to tighten it up of get it cut off.

How do you firm up if you are out of shape?

[wryter2000]

1. Oh, dear

Did you loose the weight too fast? It should have sprung back as you lost the weight. You're not old, right?

If you're walking 2 miles a day and working in the kitchen, that should be enough exercise. Building up muscle won't do anything about sagging skin, in any case. Any chance you can consult a plastic surgeon?

[corarose]

4. I am as old as the Hills in WV

Is 41 too old?

[Alenne]

2. get it cut off

that is the only way to get rid of stretched out skin.

[name not needed]

3. there a way

to lose weight without excess skin?

[Alenne]

7. Yes if

you don't have to lose a lot. If you have to lose 100 or more, no.

[corarose]

5. I checked that out and it's expensive

They do make payment arrangements so I will look into that after I get a job because my arms are so disgusting

[greatauntoftriplets]

6. Try weight lifting.

Tones muscles quickly. Madeleine Albright does it.

[corarose]

8. Would a fat cat count as a weight?

Valentino is so fat that you can pull your back out lifting him.

[greatauntoftriplets]

10. No.

And you need to do it repeatedly, build up a little at a time. Weights should start at maybe 10 pounds per arm, and work your way up as you stretch the limits. As high as you can go. Visit a health club and talk to your doctor.

[corarose]

12. We have a gym in my building but

Every time I walk past it good looking guys are exercising and I am afraid to go in.

We have an outdoor pool and I so desperately wanted to go in because I have been swimming since I was 3 or 4 years old.

[TreasonousBastard]

19. Swimming's great exercise...

one of the best things you can do.

You can also do things like situps and pushups and small weights at home without spending money for the machines.

The skin made me curious, and I did some googling. There's a lot of stupidity and quakery out there, and a lot of people want to sell magic pills and potions. I guess you know that already.

This guy though, seems to make sense:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/pierce7dd.htm

You've already covered the medical end of it, it seems, so maybe you can find someone to help out as a fitness trainer and give you some advice.

[ProfessorGAC]

22. NO! But you don't need much weight.

You could go to any sporting goods store and buy a couple of 10 pound dumbbells (as opposed to the 175# one in the White House).

You could just dedicate yourself to sitting down to the news or something and switch from arm to arm every 7 minutes. In a half hour newscast, you'd do 14 minutes with each arm.

You could put a couple of bricks in a sling made from an old towel. Then, you could rest an elbow on the arm of your chair and lift three ways: Palm up, palm down, thumb up. That will work all the different muscle groups.

Tone is created by repitition, not by mass. If you're looking to firm up/tone up, you're better off with relatively light weights, lots of times. This helps to drive water out of the pockets around the muscle, reduce water content in the skin (by driving more blood vessels into the dermis and muscle tissue underneath), and tighten up the skin.

That won't completely make the skin like new. After all, you, like the rest of us, are getting older and skin does stretch over time. But, it would be a cost effective way to make some progress.
The Professor

[Kamika]

9. you cut the skin

Sounds like you have ALOT of loose skin.. only real way is to cut that off.

[corarose]

11. I should have exercised when I was loosing the weight

But you eat so little that you don't have the energy.

I walk as much as possible.

Cutting it off will give you a belly that you can bounce a dime off of right? (Just kidding) But hell that would be nice.

[Kamika]

13. depends..

I dont know to be honest.. you will need to be in shape when they cut it.. I mean be in the shape you want to maintain. Then I guess you need to work your abs :D


Damn now you made me feel like I need to excercise :p

[Tinoire]

14. Congratulations! That is amazing and especially that you had

the will-power and perseverance to do it that slowly. 2 miles per day- congratulations!

[corarose]

15. I was in a Wheelchair 2 years ago

So I have made progress. I had to have the surgery so that I could walk again.

Thanks!

[Tinoire]

16. THAT is even more admirable!

Wow! :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast:

[corarose]

17. That is why I decided to do what I love doing as a career

I have a passion for cooking and I will be a Chef in a few months.

[chaska]

18. You're an inspiration, Corarose.

About the loose skin. I've done a lot of backpacking on the Appalachian Trail. I've seen a lot of people doing the whole 2200 miles in one go, and they always lose a lot of weight. Older folks sometimes have trouble with loose skin. Unfortunately, as we get older our skin looses it's elasticity, and it doesn't shrink as readily.

If you start to work out with weights you can slowly start to fill up some of that skin with muscle. I started working out an hour a day (fast walking 20-30 minutes, and working with weight machines 30-45 minutes) a couple of months ago. I love how hard my muscles have become compared to how they used to be. And parts of me have grown perceptibly larger already.

Don't worry about them guys, nobody cares. And if they do care they're assholes. So what do you care what assholes think? Go work out.

[MissMillie]

20. I'm in shape..... round is a shape

sorry... I had to.


After skin stretches, it doesn't tighten up.

If your skin is causing you rashes, make sure you get it documented by your doctor. Your insurance company may cover the cost to remove it if it is deemed "medically necessary"

[MaineDem]

21. You can tone up the muscles but not the skin

Toning up the underlying muscle structure will help with the excess skin but exercising won't shrink it. Make sure you drink plenty of water.

The skin reduction surgery is expensive, painful, and time consuming. A woman I know is going through it now. She's lost about 170 pounds.

I still have a ways to go to reach my goal. I've lost 140 pounds over a year and 9 months. I have quite a bit of excess skin but I'm not going to have the surgery. I look at it now as a badge of honor. I'd rather have the flabby skin than the extra poundage. It all comes down to being happy in the skin you're in, so to speak. I lift weights, bike, walk, and do aerobics so if my skin is going to "shrink" fine, otherwise, what the heck! I don't like sleeveless clothes anyhow. :)

Good luck.

[ProfessorGAC]

23. Actually, MaineDem

The firming up of the underlying muscle tissue will drive out the interstitial water between the dermis and the muscle. That brings the skin into the muscle a little more firmly. It won't shrink the skin but it will increase the muscle size and tighten the skin to the muscle. The combination of these will appear to have reduced the excess flap.
The Professor

[MaineDem]

25. Yeah, that's what I meant

:evilgrin:

Thanks, Professor.

[corarose]

27. How much?

I went to a plastic surgeon and he told me that I didn't have enough hanging fat for the insurance company to pay for them to do it.

My arms are so disgusting but if I can firm them up on my own I would prefer to do that instead of surgery.

[corarose]

24. The Chefs at my College think that I am skinny

They keep putting food in front of me and telling me to eat. I wear a size small in a uniform but they are cut real big. They don't know what you look like under that uniform.

I have hanging disgusting fat with stretch marks that could make a map of the USA look like a small place.

[FDRrocks]

26. I hear pillates (sp?)

is good for loose skin. I just play the drums and usually eat under 1k calories a day.

[midnight armadillo]

28. 10 lb dumbbells: don't waste your time

While the suggestions to get some dumbbells are basically sound, you've probably met cats that weigh more than 10 lbs. If you were carrying around 155 lbs. of extra weight, then you surely have enough strength (despite the muscle atrophy that comes with very high levels of weight loss without weight training) that you can handle more than 10 lbs. Pick weights that'll keep your reps low, like 5-8 at the most, and tucker you out after 3-4 sets.

If you go to that gym, find a trainer who will teach you the big compound weight movements, the deadlift, the squat, the various overhead and bench presses...along with good nutrition. The average pump-and-burn trainer might not be what you need, so if you don't find someone you like keep looking, and don't be afraid to look up people involved in the local strength competitions like powerlifting - they'll know much more about building a strong functional body than Joe CardioKickBox.

If you're not yet ready to hit a gym, than workout at home. Additional aerobics will help (like, say, jump rope) but you should really look into resistance training. One low-impact, slightly off the beaten path method you might consider is strand (or cable) pulling. Iron Mind sells an excellent set, along with several books on the subject. Some great physiques have been built with cables alone, and it'll fit in your closet.

If you're really feeling funky, try the kettlebells available at Dragon Door. These are serious nutbusters, a favorite of martial artists, boxers, military, and more, and produce great results, and also fit in your closet.

On edit: I just read your post about having gotten out of a wheelchair 2 years ago. Wow, that's inspiring! You've already come further than you have to go to change your lifestyle, I think!!

On edit 2: www.cbass.com This guy has a number of excellent fitness books.

[RebelOne]

29. Well, unfortunately, that loose skin won't firm up.

You will have to have it cut off. My daughter lost 200 pounds since she had the gastric bypass. And she has lots of loose skin and she is going to have it operated on.

[IronLionZion]

30. protein after working out

helps build muscle. Soy protein works well. I would definitely consult your doctor too.

[Skittles]

31. WOW Cora - you are amazing!

as far as your skin goes, you need to consult a doctor. Exercise can only firm up so much - it's possible some surgery could be needed depending on how bad the looseness is.

You should feel so good about yourself! I'm very impressed. :thumbsup: