Tulipgirl6's Journal, 22 August 2014

You must take the kind words from others where you get them. Heavy weights builds muscle mass, many reps with lower weights defines the muscles you already have. I want bigger triceps, so I am doing heavy weights with low reps. Later, when I want to define them, I will lower the weight and do lots more. Hope you stop being hangry soon. :) 

Nope, that is what liposuction does, once you go back to your bad eating habits, it goes directly to the part where the fat was sucked out and gets even fatter and even harder to get off. You might need more "cardio" instead of strength training, and/or the exercises you are doing for your body is not challenging it anymore. Maybe you have to switch it up, play tennis, paddleball, handball all excellent overall exercises. Mrsmole, women won't bulk up no matter what they do, unless you are a professional body builder. But the little weights we lift won't give her that muscle bound look. 

Try taking some of your own pictures in variousangles and then see look at the results. There are always going to be pictures that make us feel fat or look bad. There are pictures of me on facebook right now taken within 5lbs of now that make me still look plain fat and dumpy, but I know I don't in reality. You are in the 150s and I KNOW there are pictures of you that look great. I've decided some pictures just lie and if we get hung up on those taken in bad angles or at the wrong time we are never going to be happy. You are doing great and I know you look fantastic after all your hard work, keep it up! <3  

It's good for women to lift heavy (lift like a man) though I wouldn't do any direct ab work. Squatting is the best ab work! Back when I was in my best shape I could squat 175, deadlift 185 and bench 100. And no one would have ever guessed by the way I looked because I didn't have extremely defined muscles. Also, both heavy and volume training create muscle - by volume training I mean it needs to be heavier than 10-20 lbs but you're doing more reps than when you're lifting for heavy weight. Bodybuilders usually do more high-volume (lower weight at higher reps) to build those "aesthetic" muscles! That's how they put on more mass. Even the women who participate in Bikini (this is the competition with the lowest standard of muscle definition) do high-volume but they are still lifting quite a bit more than the usual man or woman in the gym. 

You are too funny with the hangry :) I can relate. I get frantic when I get too hungry. I don't like to go much more than 3 hours without eating. You are improving! 55 lbs is A LOT. I know what you mean though...you think you still look fat in your eyes. But think of how much better you look than when you were 55 lbs heavier...and how much healthier and fitter you are! As far as fat cells, I've heard different theories, so I'm not going to comment on that one. For the muscle/fat thing, they are separate processes, but they also affect each other. Weightlifting with heavy enough weights builds muscle, because the muscle gets torn, and when it heals, it is bigger - from the muscle tissue healing over it. Light weights don't do much but burn calories, because they're not heavy enough to tear the muscle. That's why it's good to lift heavy! Lift so heavy that you can only manage 6-8 reps. Once you can't complete another rep, you've reached muscle "failure" and that's when you should stop. You can also go back and do another set with a lighter weight and reach muscle failure again. It's not bad for women to lift heavy. We don't bulk up like guys; we get toner and slimmer. So don't be afraid of lifting heavy weights. Keep up the great work in the gym! 

Per what I've read and my doc, you are so right on building muscle. My family doc, who is also a sports medicine specialist, says do weights that challenge me until I simply cannot do another. Wait at least a day in between if am sore at least 2 and do again. When I can get to 25 reps then up the weight and also do cardio to build my lung function and help my heart, I have asthma so lung function is important. Weights for me is to increase bone density due to osteoporosis. I'm one of her poster kids even if she is the same age as one of my daughters. LOL... still have a long way to go.  

Tulip, accept the compliments, you have come a long way. Be proud of you journey, it has been a challenge.  

Fat cells can empty as you use fat for fuel, but they are still there, just empty. The only way they go away is if you have them suctioned out. If you fill up the ones you have, your body makes more to fill, but never gets rid of the old unless they are damaged (then hello lysosomes). End of today's biology lesson on cells. Btw ... you want muscle cells. They have more mitochondria than other cells. Mitochondria burn fuel. More mitochondria = more fuel burned. This is why guys lose weight faster/easier than girls. They have a higher muscle/fat ratio, hence more mitochondria. That really is the end of the lesson. 

Gurl.... I hope you're proud of yourself. You look great to others and that is the inside shining out. When we look at ourselves in the mirror, we rarely see the stardust in our eyes, the twinkle of love, joy, care for self & other that others see when they look at us. Try to turn your eyes to your eyes. I'll warrant you will see an amazingly beautiful person. Your self care must be shining through and give yourself the love and credit you merit. 

We tend to see the negative I look in the mirror and go oh. My daughter today was like mom you lost more weight. I don't see it cause I think I brained wash my ownself.  

We are our own worst critics..  

Oh, and when I was a size 2, about 10 years ago, I thought I looked ENORMOUS!! And I think it's played a part in the re-gain, I identified with fatness.... The mind is very powerful. You know, your hubby may have a point. You may be looking at yourself with very critical eyes, while others are looking at you with admiration. Try on their eyes for a day, see what you see.  

There's a book that talks about this fat cell idea - that if we get rid of the fat cells altogether, then we can keep the weight off. It was in The Four-Hour Body by Timothy Ferris. I thought it was interesting. I followed it for a while and then stopped, but you may want to read that book. 

thanks Amy that is interesting and I also think you are right about wheat and sugar! It's a physical addiction and it triggers a need to have to eat it now. I think it's much worse than eating fat!  

Thanks sweet ce! I have never been a size 2, not even at my fittest, I was a 4 /6 but I looked and felt great. At times people told me I was too thin . . . . I am a sz 12 now. If I get to my main goal of 135 and then really tweak and tone to around 125 i will look perfect. That's with a ton of exercise. Let's see how it goes . . .  

thanks christy; wholefood, deaby, everyone who has stopped by, and new friends! 

I think you will look back at the way you are today, and say to yourself..."WOW, I looked great why did I beat myself?" Look how far you have come, and realize that you are beautiful. We are always our own worst enemies! Have a great weekend. p.s. I do like your plan because you are including all food groups.  

thanks ginsin! my main problem has been carbs! i've mostly been having veggie carbs and not even potatoes and brown rice, so it's hard!