Ok i have lost alot of weight 195 lbs i sill have a ways to go and have done well but i have that excess skin "GAG ME PLEASE" any ways i started zumba the beginning of january we had to go to 2 different buildings because our zumba building wasnt finished yet lets just say there was just one mirror for the the instructor and i was fine with that cause i didnt have to look at myself thinking i was doing good which i was until today when we started at the new building and mirrors across the front now everybody see's you and i had to watch myself ! Boy did my selfesteem go way back down when i seen myself compared to those other girls and everything was just a jiggling and i thought i'd never get it stopped lol but anyways i walked out of there feeling depressed and upset but i continued telling myself im going to have to get over it 1st off ive come along ways and sister your not giving up 2nd off i love zumba and this isnt going to take over 3rd im going to work harder so i can get to my #1 goal ! im first instinct is to feel sorry for myself and cry and revert back to that 441 lb body but im not going to because its not worth it and im a much happier person now i know i will have more bumps in the road but im not going to let them stop me im going to drive over them! But has anyone went through this ?

Hang in there you have done amazing. I am sure that you would rather see yourself jiggling then at 441 pounds doing zumba- yes?

I am proud of you, you r amazing, for many reasons. Keep up the journey and best wishes.

Mimi

I HATE mirrors. I have learned to ignore them, and I can tell you honestly that I just don't see anything more than I have to see when I put on make-up or do my my hair. This weekend, I got brave enough to look at myself, thinking I've lost enough that I would be able to see some kind of "shape" to my body - not just a blob. I was wrong - I'm still a blob, and it really brought me down. It will be a while before I'm brave enough to do that again! So, if the mirrors bother you, then I encourage you to learn to ignore them and keep going!

You are truly an inspiration to me! I had 166 lbs to lose when I started this journey - which seems to be a lot more than most people on these boards. When I see people being successful with the bigger numbers - it really helps keep me motivated and focused to know I'm not alone. It's so easy to get down on myself for being fatter than most - so when I see your success it helps to keep me focused. You are doing great, so just keep going! If you don't do it for yourself, think of the others (me!) you helping and motivating!

You are doing great! I know what you mean about the jiggling and clapping sounds everything makes when you jump around. I keep telling myself if that is all that is left from that miserable life that I was living so be it!! On the other hand I take all steps to make it less noticeable. I bought compression workout pants (from old navy) in one size down from normal. I wear a regular sports bra and then one of those workout shirts with the bra built in and a t-shirt over the whole thing. HaHa! It definitely keeps everything in and I feel more comfortable. Whatever works!

Ok i have lost alot of weight 195 lbs i sill have a ways to go and have done well but i have that excess skin "GAG ME PLEASE" any ways i started zumba the beginning of january we had to go to 2 different buildings because our zumba building wasnt finished yet lets just say there was just one mirror for the the instructor and i was fine with that cause i didnt have to look at myself thinking i was doing good which i was until today when we started at the new building and mirrors across the front now everybody see's you and i had to watch myself ! Boy did my selfesteem go way back down when i seen myself compared to those other girls and everything was just a jiggling and i thought i'd never get it stopped lol but anyways i walked out of there feeling depressed and upset but i continued telling myself im going to have to get over it 1st off ive come along ways and sister your not giving up 2nd off i love zumba and this isnt going to take over 3rd im going to work harder so i can get to my #1 goal ! im first instinct is to feel sorry for myself and cry and revert back to that 441 lb body but im not going to because its not worth it and im a much happier person now i know i will have more bumps in the road but im not going to let them stop me im going to drive over them! But has anyone went through this ?

I have got exactly the same problems as u have with skin. Even now i would rather have skin and be my size now than when i weighed 400lbs. I cover up a lot, do your zumba in leggings.. tight ones! .. they help a lot, same with the arms, its a price we pay for being fitter and healthier, loose skin is your badge of honour ....i might hate it but i am proud of it

I have been watching myself shrink for the last few months and feeling pretty proud of myself for losing this much weight. Till this past weekend. Both my mom and my sister and were here visiting me and they are tiny! Height and weight wise! My mom decided she wanted us all in a photo together so thinking how great ive been looking in pictures lately I said oh sure why not. Well seeing me in those photos next to them...oh man did I feel like CRAP!!! I know i still have a long way to go...I just keep telling myself that I will get there. after all I didnt put on all this weight over night and I am sure not going to take it off over night.

I know exactly what you mean. I started at 253 so didnt have as much total weight to lose but I was all gut so now that I have lost 84 pounds I have one heck of an ugly apron. I can hide it fairly well in clothes but when I am in some of my classes at the Y it sure is hard to hide. I go to a Kick and Punch boot camp class and the little tiny teacher always starts off with JUMPING JACKS. Oh how I despise jumping jacks. I feel like everything is just bouncing up and down (boobs, gut, etc) But I must say I am with the rest of the responders on here. I am so happy to have the energy and the lung capacity to do these classes I will overlook the bounciness. I get nothing but great compliments at the gym so I really dont think ppl really notice it as much as i think.

No amount of exercize in the world will get rid of all that skin and flab so I told my husband that for my birthday I want a nice fat gift certificate for a plastic surgeon. He said Whoa girl that sure is step up from a pedicure gift certificate. lol. I will definitely be getting me a tummy tuck but until then I will just keep on putting on the tight undies and letting it bounce.

I have thought about excess skin, but its not a priority I rather be small and fit and worry about the skin later. Plastic surgey is a thought if you have a lot of skin other than that you have done well with your weight loss embrace and enjoy it When I lost 80 lbs I had excess skin but it was not bad because i worked out daily and hour and a half and it really helped. Once banded I plan to do the same, doing about 30-40 minutes a day now pre-band trying to increase by 10 min each week. Goodluck keep up the good work u have done GREAT!!!

I love it, you got spunk girl. that spunk it going to get you anywhere you want to go!

Zumba is a real workout, I give you big points for doing it. I heard you can burn up to 1000 calories doing it!??

Oh man, zumba doesn't look pretty in the mirror, does it?! I do it in a gym, and luckily for my self-esteem, we all have our "challenges"... Some ladies may jiggle more than others, some of us go left when everyone else goes right, some of us just can't move well. We even have one lady in the class who has had a stroke and can hardly do anything! So I ignore my jiggly bits in the mirror and am just happy that I'm doing zumba in a nice, supportive environment.

First off congrats on your weight loss! I had to loose 200 pounds and that left me with a lot of jiggling. i really got into running and my low point was when my I pod died durning my run and I could hear this slapping sound when I realized it was my apron slapping I was so embarrassed. I felt so powerful during my run and then that brought me down I went home and cried. So my husband decided that I have come to far and worked to hard to have that feeling taken from me that he rewarded me with a tummy tuck and I'm soooo glad I did it! If plastic surgery isn't for you they sell some wonderful compression garments on line or in any athletic store. But what ever you do don't stop doing what you love and makes you feel good rumba is such a fun way to loose weight.