The REAL TRUTH of the Effects of Weight Loss

Hey fitness friends! I'M BACK!!! It's been almost 3 weeks since my last post but I'm finally writing again! Sorry for the delay but I've been one busy woman! You know that last post I wrote, Do More? Well, that's just what I've been doing! Doing more to shape my future into one where I can do even more of what I love, which is inspiring, encouraging, and motivating others! :) The plan to become a certified personal trainer has been in full effect! Just yesterday I got First Aid, CPR and AED certified! That's a requirement of the personal trainer certification and also just something that I had been wanting to do for a while now. Knowing that you can save someone's life if the situation calls for it is an awesome feeling! I've also been contacting local personal trainers in my area and talking with other fitness professionals, getting a clearer idea of just what I'm getting into. I've got a lot to learn but I feel like I'm definitely on the right track. This is my calling and going after it! Oh, and your girl has also been on the radio!!! :) A big thank you to Carol Dunlap of Optimum Body Sculpting for having me on her Fit 4 Life Blog Talk Radio station last week! On the show I talked about my journey to weight loss success, going from 229lbs to 135. Check it out! (Blog Talk Radio reads 227lbs, but I actually started out, as I stated in the interview, at 229lbs.)

Listen to internet radio with Fit4Life Radio on Blog Talk Radio

Sometimes in cases of massive weight
loss, people have folds of extra skin
left over from their heavier days.

So...  I've been a busy chick! :) But I'm back and ready to talk about the real truth of the effects of weight loss. Now you may be asking yourself, "The 'real truth'... what's that all about?" Well, I want to talk about the part of losing weight that no one ever likes to talk about, it's not all "pretty" and a lot of us who have lost large amounts of weight know exactly what I'm talking about. When you watch those weight loss shows or see the after pictures of people who have lost 50 or more pounds, you're really only seeing part of story. The other part is what you don't see, what's underneath the clothes. Let me keep it 100% real with you guys. I started out 229lbs, as of today I weight 129lbs, so we're talking a total weight lost of 100 pounds. Now with all of that weight gone from my frame, do you think I have stretch marks? You betcha! Extra skin? Yes. That's just a reality of losing so much weight. No one talks about the physical effects left on your body that no special diet or no amount of exercise can get rid of. A lot of those "after" pictures you see forget to mention the tummy tuck and skin removal surgeries the people in them have had in order for them to look great in that bikini or have those flat abs. Now don't get me wrong, not everyone you see who has lost a large amount of weight has had or needs surgery. Everyone's body is different and reacts in different ways. Now thankfully I am young and I exercise using weights, bands and other strengthening equipment to tone my body as well as shrink it, so the aftermath of my battle of the bulge isn't bad, but this is a war, and more than likely you're gonna' have some battle scars!

Rapid growth or weight gain can outpace collagen
production in the skin, causing areas to overstretch.
This can lead to striations called stretch marks.

You've heard me say it before and I'm sure you'll hear me say it again, NO ONE IS PERFECT. And what is "perfect" anyway? Fact is, "perfect" just doesn't exist. Would I rather have my fat back instead of stretch marks & extra skin? NO WAY! I may not be "perfect" but I'M HEALTHY. I'd rather have my stretch marks & extra skin than possibly developing Type 2 Diabetes or dying of a heart attack. I understand that it can be frustrating to work so hard to lose the weight and be left with physical scars, but losing weight is so much more than what you see on the outside. The effects my weight loss has had on me on the INSIDE, far outweigh anything I see on the outside! The old me would have never been confident enough to write a blog! "Who wants to hear what I have to say?" would be my thought. But when I think about how many people I've helped through this blog, not to mention my site, and Facebook page... all things I would have never had the confidence to start before, I know that my minor "imperfections" are definitely worth it!

I don't fault anyone who decides that the effects left on their body from their weight loss are extreme enough in their eyes to look towards surgery. That's a personal decision that you have every right to make. (In some cases it's actually necessary.) I just want you to know that regardless of your particular situation or what you decide, whether to live with it or opt for surgery, know that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. YOU ARE NOT A MINORITY. The truth is, YOU'RE THE MAJORITY.