bambam31

Thanks for the kind words Lellow. You look fantastic and your results are very inspiring!

Unfortunately only your body decides where to use stored fat from. It may not be possible to rid yourself of all the flabbiness but exercise is an important component to achieving the best possible result.

Thanks for the kind words. Triceps and dips are great tricep exercises that can be done about anywhere. Loose skin is really a pesky problem... Unfortunately, there's really a limited amount we can do about it. Good luck!

Part 2...

When you routinely cross the 1000 calorie deficit then you are going to lose some lean muscle mass for sure.

That's why you see me harping on here so much about people restricting too many calories - in the long run it's self defeating, because the more muscle you lose the slower your metabolism will be.

So everytime you lose a pound on the scale where the ratio is tilted toward muscle loss, then every pound after that will be harder to lose.

BUILDING muscle (especially for a woman) is difficult to begin with and requires (for the most part) an overall calorie surplus - but MAINTAINING and making the muscle you currently have toned and more efficient - while losing fat - is possible if you train properly and don't push the calorie deficits too far.

Good luck! Brad

Two part answer due to length...

Part 1...

Greetings! Well, IMO it depends - the numbers will be somewhat different for everyone. You really have to experiment...

Every pound you lose on the scale will be a percentage of fat, fluids, and lean muscle tissue - it's an inevitable fact. You want to keep the ratio tilted toward losing mostly fat. To do that you have to keep a modest calorie DEFICIT around an average of 750/day (just an average - you want to cycle your calories so you have some days higher and others lower). So you have to determine the sum of your basal metobolic rate and calories burned from your daily activities, including exercise - then subtract around 750 and average that for your intake.

No plastic surgery. Exercise, rest, hydration.

Thanks for the kind words and congrats on your progress too, you look great! And yeah, I'm pretty much a weather geek!

Hey Trish, This measurement is from an accumeasure caliper. This method is probably only a ballpark figure, because it is not the best method. It is, however, a good way to track week to week progress to see a trend. GNC stores sell these. You can do a google search for body fat measurement methods to get more in depth. Just remember that in the initial part of the lapband journey the normal focus is fat loss. This requires a calorie deficit - while building muscle requires a calorie surplus. Nonetheless, you'll improve your body fat % significantly by protecting the lean muscle tissue you have while burning off body fat. Good luck with your journey! Brad

Congrats on your journey! You look awesome and should be so proud of yourself!

Congratulations! You look fantastic!