This is a collection of the questions people commonly ask me. Perhaps you were wondering about these
topics yourself, but "didn't want pry."
I hope this page helps satisfy any lingering curiosity you may have! :)
Cheers!
Jessica
This is by far the most popular question I am asked.
It's common belief that after shedding half your body weight, you're going to have some leftover skin. But only crash dieting or "surgically induced starvation" (bariatric bi-pass surgery) causes weight loss so rapid and dramatic that your skin can't keep up. Unfortunatly, T.V. Make-over shows have popularized the idea that weight loss = loose skin = plastic surgery. Crash dieting is so unhealthy, yet they glamorize it on television!!! :-(
The truth is your skin is a living part of your body, and not a stretched out balloon stuck that way on your outsides. Over time skin *can* shrink to your new shape! (Depending on your age and its elasticity.)
Pinch the skin on the back of your hand, that is all the thicker your skin is, and in order for your skin to shrink there has to be no fat left behind it. Think of it like an igloo melting from the inside. The ice on the outside will hold it's shape until all the ice from the inside is gone, then it finally collapses.
Our bodies are a lot like that. Once the fat cells are all gone behind the skin, your skin shrinks to the new shape. This takes a long time, and is not easy to do, so most people prefer to take the quick route with plastic surgery to tidy things up.
Here's what my skin currently looks like. (I hope it's not too traumatizing for ya!) ;) The skin on my arms and upper torso is tight. My belly still has the remnants of my old rolls. I am still working hard to get these last strongholds of fat off my body by changing my body's composition through strength training. I think it's working! :)
Click image to enlarge.
As you can see, my skin isn't hanging off in flabby flaps. This is because I lost my weight *very slowly* (a pound or less each week over the course of years). I've also been focusing more on getting healthy and toned, instead of just getting "skinny." I have no plans for plastic surgery.
I was born February 15th, 1978. I started my weight loss in August 2002 when I was 24.
I am just under 5 and a half feet tall. ( 5' 5.75", 65 and 3/4 inches, 167 cm.)
I wore women's plus size 24/26 pants, and 26/28 shirts. (XXL & XXXL) I did not have a scale, but I was easily 290 pounds. There are pictures of me that size in my before pictures.
I currently wear size 8/10. (Small)
Here is the tale of how my weight loss journey started...
Soon after we were married my husband, Aaron, brought up the topic of me "getting healthy," but I'd fly off the handle. I'd cry and say, "I am FAT! Why did you marry me if you didn't love me as I am!?" I felt personally attacked because I believed that being Fat and being Me were the SAME THING. For him to suggest that I should try to lose weight was a heartbreaking slap in the face!
Aaron then held me tight and assured me that he truly loved me, and that he could not live with anyone else. He then asked me, "If you lost your finger would you still be you?"
I softly sobbed, "Yeah..."
"And I would still love you just as much. What if you lost your whole hand, would you still be you?"
Again I agreed that I would still be me.
He then asked, "If you lost some weight would you still be you?"
Here I wavered. I was a Fat Girl!!! Fat was ME! I got mad and argued "But I am FAT! That's WHO I AM!!!"
But I knew that wasn't true anymore, and my paradigm suddenly shifted! I was finally able to see that being "Me" and being Fat were NOT the same. I knew it was true! As soon as I accepted that thought I knew that I would be able to get healthy & lose weight, and I have!!!
When I first started I didn't diet or workout. I just cut deep fried foods and soda from my menu.
I lost about 10 pounds by just doing those two things! I then started to pay more attention to the foods I ate. I started keeping a food journal to track what I ate and my daily weight. Soon I had lost another 10 pounds!
After a few more months I started walking - about 15 minutes on my lunch break(when the weather was nice). I just walked at my normal pace.
When the weather started to turn cold again, Aaron suggested we get a stationary bike. I could watch T.V. and burn calories at the same time! So we went to the store and selected a really nice recumbent bike with a big cushy seat! We got it home, and I was reading the Owners Manual and that is when one of the most depressing things in my life happened.... The specified weight limit for the bike was 250 pounds.
Even after losing 30 pounds... I was still too fat for the bike! It was so crushing.
Aaron then cheered me up and we went out and bought a yoga mat, blocks and "Yoga Conditioning for Weight Loss - with Suzanne Deason" DVD.
That DVD rocks, even to this DAY! It really progressed with me because it has FOUR different instructors to follow. When I first started doing yoga... I couldn't even reach the BLOCKS! I had to use 2 folding chairs while doing the routine with the Fully Modified instructor!!!
Eventually I was able to drop the last few pounds to get me on the bike.
I then used the preset programs on the bike to help me get a healthy cardiovascular system!
That is pretty much how it started, and you can see where it got me! :)
8. How did you stick with it so long?
Bribery - Pure and Simple. I bribe myself with rewards I really want to stick with it. It is also great for the budget when you can't buy anything special until you reach your goals! ;)
The constant loving support from Aaron has also helped me keep going when I was ready to throw in the towel as well. He is so perfect!!! *Sigh!*
Copyright 2011, Jessica Scott
Cheers!
Jessica
Questions:
1. Do you have "loose skin"?
2. How old are you?
3. How tall are you?
4. What was your size/weight before you lost weight?
5. What size are you now?
6. What motivated you to start losing weight?
7. How did you get started?
8. How did you stick with it so long?!
2. How old are you?
3. How tall are you?
4. What was your size/weight before you lost weight?
5. What size are you now?
6. What motivated you to start losing weight?
7. How did you get started?
8. How did you stick with it so long?!
1. Do you have loose skin?
This is by far the most popular question I am asked.
It's common belief that after shedding half your body weight, you're going to have some leftover skin. But only crash dieting or "surgically induced starvation" (bariatric bi-pass surgery) causes weight loss so rapid and dramatic that your skin can't keep up. Unfortunatly, T.V. Make-over shows have popularized the idea that weight loss = loose skin = plastic surgery. Crash dieting is so unhealthy, yet they glamorize it on television!!! :-(
The truth is your skin is a living part of your body, and not a stretched out balloon stuck that way on your outsides. Over time skin *can* shrink to your new shape! (Depending on your age and its elasticity.)
Pinch the skin on the back of your hand, that is all the thicker your skin is, and in order for your skin to shrink there has to be no fat left behind it. Think of it like an igloo melting from the inside. The ice on the outside will hold it's shape until all the ice from the inside is gone, then it finally collapses.
Our bodies are a lot like that. Once the fat cells are all gone behind the skin, your skin shrinks to the new shape. This takes a long time, and is not easy to do, so most people prefer to take the quick route with plastic surgery to tidy things up.
Here's what my skin currently looks like. (I hope it's not too traumatizing for ya!) ;) The skin on my arms and upper torso is tight. My belly still has the remnants of my old rolls. I am still working hard to get these last strongholds of fat off my body by changing my body's composition through strength training. I think it's working! :)
Click image to enlarge.
As you can see, my skin isn't hanging off in flabby flaps. This is because I lost my weight *very slowly* (a pound or less each week over the course of years). I've also been focusing more on getting healthy and toned, instead of just getting "skinny." I have no plans for plastic surgery.
2. How old are you?
I was born February 15th, 1978. I started my weight loss in August 2002 when I was 24.
3. How tall are you?
I am just under 5 and a half feet tall. ( 5' 5.75", 65 and 3/4 inches, 167 cm.)
4. What was your size/weight before you lost weight?
I wore women's plus size 24/26 pants, and 26/28 shirts. (XXL & XXXL) I did not have a scale, but I was easily 290 pounds. There are pictures of me that size in my before pictures.
5. What size are you now?
I currently wear size 8/10. (Small)
6. What motivated you to lose the weight?
Here is the tale of how my weight loss journey started...
Soon after we were married my husband, Aaron, brought up the topic of me "getting healthy," but I'd fly off the handle. I'd cry and say, "I am FAT! Why did you marry me if you didn't love me as I am!?" I felt personally attacked because I believed that being Fat and being Me were the SAME THING. For him to suggest that I should try to lose weight was a heartbreaking slap in the face!
Aaron then held me tight and assured me that he truly loved me, and that he could not live with anyone else. He then asked me, "If you lost your finger would you still be you?"
I softly sobbed, "Yeah..."
"And I would still love you just as much. What if you lost your whole hand, would you still be you?"
Again I agreed that I would still be me.
He then asked, "If you lost some weight would you still be you?"
Here I wavered. I was a Fat Girl!!! Fat was ME! I got mad and argued "But I am FAT! That's WHO I AM!!!"
But I knew that wasn't true anymore, and my paradigm suddenly shifted! I was finally able to see that being "Me" and being Fat were NOT the same. I knew it was true! As soon as I accepted that thought I knew that I would be able to get healthy & lose weight, and I have!!!
7. How did you get started?
When I first started I didn't diet or workout. I just cut deep fried foods and soda from my menu.
I lost about 10 pounds by just doing those two things! I then started to pay more attention to the foods I ate. I started keeping a food journal to track what I ate and my daily weight. Soon I had lost another 10 pounds!
After a few more months I started walking - about 15 minutes on my lunch break(when the weather was nice). I just walked at my normal pace.
When the weather started to turn cold again, Aaron suggested we get a stationary bike. I could watch T.V. and burn calories at the same time! So we went to the store and selected a really nice recumbent bike with a big cushy seat! We got it home, and I was reading the Owners Manual and that is when one of the most depressing things in my life happened.... The specified weight limit for the bike was 250 pounds.
Even after losing 30 pounds... I was still too fat for the bike! It was so crushing.
Aaron then cheered me up and we went out and bought a yoga mat, blocks and "Yoga Conditioning for Weight Loss - with Suzanne Deason" DVD.
That DVD rocks, even to this DAY! It really progressed with me because it has FOUR different instructors to follow. When I first started doing yoga... I couldn't even reach the BLOCKS! I had to use 2 folding chairs while doing the routine with the Fully Modified instructor!!!
Eventually I was able to drop the last few pounds to get me on the bike.
I then used the preset programs on the bike to help me get a healthy cardiovascular system!
That is pretty much how it started, and you can see where it got me! :)
8. How did you stick with it so long?
Bribery - Pure and Simple. I bribe myself with rewards I really want to stick with it. It is also great for the budget when you can't buy anything special until you reach your goals! ;)
The constant loving support from Aaron has also helped me keep going when I was ready to throw in the towel as well. He is so perfect!!! *Sigh!*
Copyright 2011, Jessica Scott