Last week we talked about leg crossing. Today, I’d like to mention that upper arm padding that keeps your arms akimbo. Maybe not a lot. Maybe just a little. But if you have this problem at all, you know it, because it is uncomfortable. And every time you notice it, you sigh.
Normal weight women don’t feel as if they have something tucked under their arms at all times. So this is a little intermediate goal I have discovered for myself. I know that one morning I will awaken and I will no longer feel that bulk. I wonder how long it will take. It’s actually kind of exciting to think about. It’s as if it’s my own little secret: no one else has to know what we do to get ourselves from day to day when we’re on a calorie-restricted diet, right? This is a private contract we make with ourselves. We are both parties: if the contract is upheld, we win! But if the contract is breached, well, so are we.
I have just completed two weeks now at 1400 calories a day. I don’t use a scale so I can’t give a poundage report. And two weeks isn’t enough to make a dramatic difference in my appearance or the way my clothes fit. I am making the assumption that things are going well because I can see the caloric deficits I am running day after day.
I am making every effort to balance what I eat. The good folks at caloriecount.about.com have made it very easy to account for every thing I put into my body, and to see the nutritional analysis of it at the end of the day. It helps me stay mindful of the importance of considering all aspects of nutrition while I lose the extra pounds I don’t need.
So far, I’m feeling pretty good. I awaken with good energy. I’m sleeping well through the night. I don’t use any prepared foods, which is easier than I thought it would be. It just adds a few extra minutes to meal preparation time.
I have Test #1 beginning tomorrow: I am taking my law school daughter to Maui for a week for spring break. She knows about my diet. She also has very sound eating habits and looks like a goddess (but that’s a topic for another post, how invisible you can become when your daughters look like Venus herself). I’m hopeful I can navigate well nutritionally at the resort. Thank heavens I love papaya so much!
Meanwhile, I’m curious to know who else has the invisible clutch handbag under the arms sensation. Or what other mini-trauma do you experience in your daily life that is a direct result of carrying too much body fat? I mean the kind that elicits a deep sigh of private discomfort and a feeling of nowhere to go with it. Maybe we can all learn from each other’s pain and together find a way to banish it by shining the bright light of consciousness upon it (the way I’m doing with underarm bulk).
Best wishes to everyone following my posts, and to all of Moongoddess’s weight fighters, and to anyone else who is even thinking about trying to find a way to leave the chrysalis of fat.
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In my house we call them “jigglies”…Have almost knocked myself out a few times waving to the kids as they went off on their adventures. (Jewish Mothers stand there and wave until the car is halfway to their destination.) My husband calls them my “Bubbi” (grandmother) arms…I wonder when he will figure out that the comment is NOT the best thing to say to his best friend/soulmate!! All kidding aside…There are some great exercises for arm “jigglies” Unfortunately, they don’t disappear just from losing weight. p.s. Have fun with your daughter!!
Hi Debi — Yikes! Jigglies! I look forward to seeing what’s underneath so I know what I’m working with when it comes to exercises for this situation. Thanks for the good wishes~
SeaWriter,
The invisible clutch handbag under the arms sensation. Now that there is actually a name for it, we can fight it better. I’m now aware of it. I thought it was just wings and I held my arms close to my sides to keep from taking flight.
Maui, I haven’t been to Hawaii yet. You have a great time there with your daughter and enjoy the sun.
Moongoddess, I like thinking of wings but I’m afraid if I did that I’d lose my impetus to get rid of them
!!!
I went to Maui in December and had a great time. It was really easy to eat healthy there. What I did was take all my meals outside. I would “fill up” on the sight of the ocean, the smell of the salt air, the feel of the sun on my skin, and then I would open my menu and order. Had a great time. I hope you have one too.
Have you been to Maui before? If not, stop and get one of those Maui Revealed books for tips on the sites the tourist bureaus don’t tell you about. Don’t forget to go to the volcano for sunrise (dress warmly), and drive the road to hana…beautiful scenery on both sides of it, and most importantly…have a great time! Also, if you want to do the luau thing….spend the extra bucks and do the Old Lahania luau. They have steam tables on the beach to keep the food warm, and lots of good salad and fruit choices. Have a great time and tell us all about it.
In regard to your question, no…not the invisible clutch, but something that has just started to happen to me –boobs sliding under the arms. I’ve heard about this phenomena, of course. But it has just started happening to me in the last month.
Hi, Dr. She — Oh, no — low slung has moved to side slung!!! Does it seem like enough of a problem to become your clarion call for turning the ship around? I find all these little things add up for me and I’m so tired of making adjustments for them.
We’ve been to Maui before but never to this particular resort. Maybe this time we’ll take the road to Hana, as you suggested. Frankly, it has always sort of frightened me before, so I say I’m going to go but I never do. I really would love to go up there, though. Did you drive yourself? Was it scary?
Honestly, the waterfalls are worth the windy road to hana. There is a great ice cream place at the beginning (in the town strip) where you can have sandwiches and a picnic lunch made for you and buy a cd for the trip. Pop the cd in the player and it talks you throughout the trip, pop the lunch in the trunk (they sell cooler bags) and have a great time. You’ll see beautiful ocean vistas, beautiful waterfalls, some you can walk to, black sand beaches, blow holes, Lindbergh’s grave, and so much more.
Clarion call is a good term for that prompting, isn’t it? As you know, I finished my degree in September 2009 and said that 2010 would be the year I would see if I could lose weight. There are medical/thyroid/steroid/hormone issues. I would give it a good try for a year, and if I truly couldn’t lose it, then I would consider surgical options. And whatever I lose during my experiment wouldn’t have to be removed later. Since October, I’ve lost 12 pounds…not a lot, but for me it’s the first time since 2005 that the weight has been going down and not up. So, I’m hopeful about this year.
Also, if you don’t mind a long story. My degree was on hold for almost 4 years because of health and other issues. One day, while I was off on surgical leave (just having a super cerivical hysterectomy the week before), a gentleman opened a door for me. It was my former dean. We talked, and 366 days later, I had acquired my doctorate.
In the same type of serendipity, last week another gentleman opened a door for me. He was selling preopening deals on a gym that will start in my neighborhood in April. I said maybe but I need a trainer because of all my medical issues. He gave me 5 free training sessions. I said I need a pool because of my back and neck and knee. He said, this place will have a pool, a hot tub, and a dry sauna. I said, I want aqua aerobic classes. He said it will have aqua aerobic classes. I said, I work late and need classes at late hours. He said, it will be open until 11pm and classes go until 10pm. I said, I’m paying off student loans and need a deal. He said $55 per month. I said, I don’t want a contract because I may not be successfully able to do this. He said no contract, it’s monthly. After all that, I giggled, and signed up. It was the first night home early (before 9pm) all week. I love serendipity. So assuming all goes well, it sounds as if I may be do a lot of breast strokes in April and May. Maybe that will get the girls pointed in the right direction again.
And I’m waiting to see what happens the next time a guy opens the dorr for me …:-)
And to think, I like to open my own doors! You might have something there Dr.She. Enjoy your gym.
anir
Thanks for telling your story. I’m a fan of serendipity, too. Let us know about that third door opening. Sounds kind of magical, doesn’t it: the third door opening. As if it could be the title of a book or a movie.
Yep! I got them too. The whatever you want to call them under the upper arms. Found them a few months back. Don’t know where they came from!?! They were just there one day! I swear!
I don’t have my picture taken often but one day I asked my son to take a picture of one of my cats sitting on my legs. Well, he took a full picture of me, not just the cat on my legs. Waky! Waky! Look at all that flab! Can’t call those lovehandles. I know I don’t love them and since I am alone, there is no one else to say they do! Time to shape up! A picture really is worth a thousand words, and this one conjured up some about myself that I would rather not mention here!
Time to shape up!
anir
Welcome to our club, Anir. it’s the Club of Miraculous Body Weirdness I Had Nothing to Do With Because It Happened All By Itself.
I myself am a charter member and have the body to prove it
We can laugh our way down a few sizes. I’m convinced of it. Humor really helps us form a bond that will help us all toward our weight loss goals. Otherwise it’s just too hard, depressing and lonely to try to do this on our own.
Seawriter: I went on the calorie count website and it looks pretty good…thinking I might switch from Spark People for a while just to get a different perspective… I like all of their reports etc.
Latebloomer: I would like to wear anything sleeveless….we have a boat which we are on all summer and I am always covered up…..and I never swim off the boat no matter how hot because I feel too exposed, so even if we have a lot of guests on the boat and they all swim, I am always hot and sweaty on the deck…. I just want the freedom to do the things everyone else takes for granted and seems comfortable with….I probably need to lose 30 lbs to feel that way.