So bugged by misinformation about how we can "undo" the weight gain damage

Maybe I'm bugged because I "can't" fix the damage? Maybe I'm bugged because I cannot believe people believe the things they type/write? I don't know but man it bugs me to hear:

"Use this cream to not get stretch marks."
"Use this cream/method to make stretch marks disappear."
"Lose slowly to not get loose skin."
"Eat right to not get stretch marks or loose skin."
"Do arm strength training to get rid of bat wings (loose skin on the arms)."

Etc. DRIVES ME BATTY!!!

I just want to ask these people this one simple question, "If you think it is that simple to not get stretch marks or to get rid of stretch marks or to not get loose skin, don't you think there would be NO ONE with stretch marks and loose skin?"

It insults my intelligence to hear such spouted things. It makes me mad because it gives people false hope. It also is belittling to hear these remedies.

Of course, for many people, it will seem like these tricks did work. "Look, I used a cream and I didn't get stretch marks!" Prove to me it was the cream. Did you only use it on half your belly?

"I started doing strength training and the skin on my underarms slowly tightened up as muscle filled the skin." First, anyone, ANYONE should know that muscle is smaller than fat. See here?

So, normal strength training will actually make your arms become smaller and therefore you will actually have MORE loose skin, not less, especially on the non-shoulder region.

Two, PROVE it was strength training and not just time that finally shrank up the skin? Did you exercise one arm and not the other? No? Then how can you be sure?

ARGH!!!!

The one that reallllly gets me, "You will have less loose skin if you lose more slowly." No... you will have less loose skin because your weight loss and your ability to shrink up skin is more in sync time wise. We can lose weight much faster than our skin can bounce back (if it ever does).

Now, if seeing the loose skin will gross you out or derail your weight loss efforts, then, by all means, take it slowly. It just means you'll get thinner more slowly, but whatever works for you, but DON'T tell me it's the reason you don't have loose skin!

I guess I'm just in a mood today. Seriously!

Caught by surprise

I didn't set the alarm for this morning. I always wake up early in the brighter parts of the year, so I thought there would be no way I would sleep past 7:30 which is when the alarm is set to go off. Well, I was wrong. I had a hard time sleeping during the middle of the night, so my sleep pattern and quality got thrown off. So, I slept a bit longer than planned. I awoke naturally at 7:45 am.

Since now we were in a hurry, I did everything in a hurry. I got up, peed, hopped on the scale, noticed a nice drop, got dressed (showered last night), woke my youngest son up for school, got breakfasts ready, packed my son's lunch and my snacks, get my son to school just in time and then started my commute in to work.

I got everything done on time, but with no thinking time. It wasn't until I stopped to pump some gas in the car that I realized, "Wait... what did the scale say this morning?" I pulled up my app and saw the new weigh in. Yep... it was what I just realized - I've lost a full 20 pounds  since May 18th. Wowzers! I've never, ever lost like that. I'm not starving myself. It feels good, but the weight (so far) is just melting away. 

20 pounds is not a small amount! of potatoes (water mostly)

20 pounds of fat looks like this (I didn't lose just fat - but water and muscle too - that is inevitable). A combo of that much "stuff" was removed from my body in the last 29 days.

And first clothing items are biting the dust sort of. I had to pin my prairie skirt today. It was loose-ish when I got it on clearance 6 weeks ago. Now it slips down the hips. I had to pin it. The t-shirt I'm wearing hangs on me. I had to tuck the clothes hanger strings around my bra strap so the shirt didn't slip off my shoulder. Again, this was loose-ish when I got it with this skirt 6 weeks ago. Soon, I'll be able to closet shop, but I will probably need to buy a couple of used/clearanced items to get my by too as I don't have much in the sizes below this either as I ballooned up over the fall/winter, not summer. I have now WAY too small summer clothes, some summer clothes that will maybe fit in like August, but then these that are getting too big. I'll have to see what I can do about that as I pass through these temporary sizes. Pins and simple tacking with the sewing machine might have to do.

Weight loss reboot: 5/18/15:
Weight loss so far: 20.1 pounds