flabby skin theory

[samariah]

i was thinking today about how a lot of people who go raw get flabby before the weight comes off. do you think it has to do with water pressure? isn't it true that you lose excess water weight before actual fat? i mean, a raw diet is very purifying and im sure it cleanses out all the extra things that cause a build up of pressure like sodium and stuff. so if you are getting softer and flabbier first ( i am a bit) maybe its because you are letting go of water weight and the water pressure in you isn't quite as strong bc your cleaning out your system. this could explain why some people have "hard" fat. more pressure? i guess its good because it means that you likely aren't going to stay flabby, just that your body is getting rid of extra water first, then its gonna go to the fat.

this is all just a theory i pulled out of my head lol but honestly what do you think? ive lost weight on other diets where all i ate was processed junk (canned soups, etc) and wasn't quite as soft as i am now as i was losing.

[StarFire]

Ya know samariah... I have no clue - but I do know that when I started going thru that - OMG... http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/scaredbluesmiley.gif talk about horrified panic!!
I kept it hidden from my dh I was so mortified... but then it just started changing again... whew... what a relief.... :D ...

I'll be watching this post to see what the theorys are... it will be interesting to know what's really going on in there!! ;)

[justinesmith]

My personal trainer told me once that it was a good thing to get flabby first, it means that the fat is breaking up and dispersing. I don't know if that is correct or not but I thought I'd share. I am also Flabby McQueen right now but I am happy to see my body changing.... that means something is happening at least! :D

[CaliRaw]

I was thinking that it was breaking up too. My theory is that with cleaner eating, the body no longer has a need to store toxins in the fat. Also, perhaps due to eating live food, out metabolic enzymes are better able to do their jobs and metabolize this broken down fat or the metabolic enzymes are the ones doing the breaking down of the fat. I dunno. :)

[Dj 247]

This is the second time I have lost a big amount of weight. The first time I lost weight with a lot of exercise and a few diet changes. No flabby skin. This time I lost most of my weight through diet changes (eating raw) and only a little exercise, and I have flabby skin. So I am thinking exercise has a lot to do with it.

[CaliRaw]

samariah, are you talking about truly flabby skin or the squishy fat? They're different in my opinion. From your post, it sounded like you were referring to squishy fat, but you said 'flabby skin'. I responded meaning squishy fat. My skin isn't flabby, but my fat has gotten squishy, if that makes sense.

[barose]

I started getting flabby when I first went raw. I couldn't work out because detox phase had me dizzy most of the time. Once I stated working out again (running, Yoga, weights, bike) I was still getting smaller but staying firm.

[Cherri Garcia]

Are my LEAST favorite part! I just thought I'd throw my 2 cents in here...

I have always had horrible arms, and I'd have to say that they were pretty bad about 2 months ago when I started raw. I have done very little exercise, but have lost about 25 lbs. The good news is, they were definitely "flabbier" looking last month compared to now. I was pretty worried... but they seem to be looking better and better as time goes on. I heard somewhere that "dry skin brushing" helps w/ skin appearance, which I do every night before showering, but who knows... :)

[Blazin'Jane]

Ditto Cheri-I've never liked my arms, but was very insulted by the way they not only got flabby, but wrinkly when I lost 35+ lbs. earlier tihs year on RAW. I attributed the wrinkly to old age (66), but I've always excercised and am quite fit, so was taken aback when one of my sons-in-law commented that he thought I'd lost some muscle tone. Another son-in-law-who is a personal trainer said that it was a hard call, and he didn't know what to make of it.
The good news is that 8 wks. or so after those conversations, my upper arms are starting to tighten up some. Maybe I've just gotten used to looking at them ---I don't know, but I think they look less wrinkly and less flabby.
Good post! I've been interested in the phenomenon.

[iamacranberry]

When a person loses weight quickly, the body will likely dissolve the excess fat at a faster rate than it eliminates the newly unneeded skin cells. Thus they remain and appear flabby.

[Courtney]

Ditto Cheri-I've never liked my arms, but was very insulted by the way they not only got flabby, but wrinkly when I lost 35+ lbs. earlier tihs year on RAW. I attributed the wrinkly to old age (66), but I've always excercised and am quite fit, so was taken aback when one of my sons-in-law commented that he thought I'd lost some muscle tone. Another son-in-law-who is a personal trainer said that it was a hard call, and he didn't know what to make of it.
The good news is that 8 wks. or so after those conversations, my upper arms are starting to tighten up some. Maybe I've just gotten used to looking at them ---I don't know, but I think they look less wrinkly and less flabby.
Good post! I've been interested in the phenomenon.

Hey. Do y'all do weight lifting exercises for the arms? I use a 10 pound barbell, and it does the trick. Just be persistent. You have to convert the fat to muscle. You'll have sculpted arms in no time.

Courtney