How to shape body after weight loss (on a deadline)?

[Pippin04]

I have been using a combination of 'My Fitness Pal' and a few basic home exercise gadgets to reach my ideal weight by a deadline of this August. I have the Flex and the Aria and all these things combined have helped me reach my goal. (I just have 4lbs to go before Aug.) Although I will reach my weight goal in time, I would be grateful for any advice on exercises I can do at home to shape up, as although I have lost the weight my shape is still not right. I have a basic exercise bike which seems to be successful in looking after any problem areas below the waist (I can see my legs and hips reducing, as I cycle at least 10km per day), but I need help with my arms which need to be tighter since i have lost the weight. Unfortunately I only have one of these pro arm weights and I think it is probably too heavy for toning up. It is 2.5 kg. It isn't that this is too heavy for me, it's just that I don't want to build muscle, I just want to get rid of the loose skin before August. Does anyone think this is possible and if so what weight should I use and how often each day etc? I have been watching You Tube videos on toning specific parts of the arm but how many sets/reps and which weight/weights etc would be realistic to reach my goal by Aug? Thanks in advance. 

[WaltTN]

A lot of people don't want to "bulk up".  Even with heavier weights, you probably won't bulk up that much.  If you need to, find some lighter weights and do more reps.  If you don't want to use weights, get the bands.  Unless you are doing a LOT of weights, you shouldn't bulk up that much anyway.

[Heybales]

You would be hard pressed to actually gain muscle.

You may make what you got firmer and stronger, but you would have to eat in surplus and have a progressive overload routine to actually gain muscle.

Even then, a woman would be lucky with 1 lb every 6-8 weeks. Plus the fat you'd gain back too since eating in surplus.

Lift your weight, 3 sets of 12-15 reps. Hopefully it's hard by the end, or else there is no need for stronger if your current muscles can take it. Get rid of the pink weights, do what makes you look stronger.

Not each day, never lift day after day. Need rest to recover and repair, or else you don't get stronger. That's a fact no matter what.

But that's not going to take care of flabby arms where there is still fat. Sounds like you probably lost some decent muscle mass during your diet, ending up skinny fat in some areas.

And ya, you sure don't want to gain muscle like a woman.

http://www.muscleandfitness.com/news-and-features/athletes-and-celebrities/17-time-world-champion-po...

Meet Amanda Harris (AKA Barbie Barbell). At 21, 5’4” and 125lbs, she is a 17 time World Champion Powerlifter. Amanda has broken 468 state, national, and world records over the last 12 years with 95 competitions, and won all 95 meets. 

... 
My biggest and best lifts have been 420lbs. in the squat, 265lbs. with my bench-press and 365lbs. with the deadlift. Little girls are not supposed to be able to do things like that. 
... 
I was diagnosed with acute scoliosis at the age of eight. 
... 

http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/BarbieBarbell/

[slysam]

I don't know that it is realistic to have a deadline like this. Part of the issue is skin elasticity and renewal. That is in part genetic, in part how fast you lost the weight and in part age (skin loses eleasticity with age). On that front, what can you do? You might have improved, gradual results if you use a moisterizer, wear a good sunscreen (sun damage speeds the loss of elasticity, though this is more prevention), maybe use a serum or moisterizer with vitamins C, E, and A. According to a lot of skin gurus C helps with renaewal and elasticity, A can help with renewal but large doses do increase sun sensitivity (it is often prescribed by derms. to slow aging in facial skin--i.e. Retina A), I am not sure what E does but E oil is a good moisterizer and I believe anti--oxidant. Of course eat your fruits and vegies so you get the vitamins and minerals that help. Drink plenty of fluids. Though honestly, these would probably make little, slow difference.  I am pretty vain about my skin, which is one reason I have chosen to lose very slowly so my skin has time to recover. There is a lot of dodgy advice in the area of skincare, so use a critical mind when looking. I figure the things that are healthy anyway are worth trying (though the high dose of topical vitamin A thing is effective to some extent but probably not that healthy. It can cause redness and peeling while adapting especially if you don't use a strong sunscreen or you use too much, I am not sure whether it is a good idea for large areas like the arms, but Sally Hansons had/has a hand lotion containing a fairly small dose of non-prescription retinals and I think Burt's B's has a "carrot" lotion with vitamin A (maybe not the right form for skin, but probably harmless).

I second the comments on strength training. While waiting for your skin to tighten, it helps if there is something to fill it out a little. Also, challenging strength work causes the muscles used to swell a little and retain a little water. This could fill it out a little--temporarily. I feel I look "more toned" after a workout and to a lesser extent the day after. It is also a small difference. Though building a little muscle is a longer lived solution (as long as you maintain it). I have known ladies of a "certain age" who lost a lot of weight, had loose skin and to some extent improved on it with a good strength training program to fill their skin out a little. I don't know your age or gender, just mentioning as women in general are slower to build muscle and for everyone that also becomes more challengign with age. But it can be done to some extent.

[Pippin04]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. Very grateful and all taken on board. I probably should have included a few more details. I'm female. The deadline is my wedding and I'm not wearing sleeves, so will just have to go for the best result I can achieve in the time I have left. Having said that I'm quite determined so I'll see how I go. I've dropped just under 2 stone since the new year and am now comfortably back in a size 10, which feels right for me. I'm 5' 6" and 50 (although I feel about 10 years younger!) My arms don't look really terrible or anything, it's just that I think they are not good enough yet. My target weight is 91/2 stone and I just have 4 lbs to go.

To be honest I have been quite lucky and it has only been in latter years that I have had to watch my weight at all. I did a lot of riding in past years and had gym membership then, I never really had to think about it, but after you have had a family and the years have progressed, it sometimes takes a while to realise that your body doesn't bounce back and stay in shape like it use to! Suddenly you wonder what happened and have to catch yourself before it gets away from you! 🙂 

[Becca_in_Denver]

I must be the only woman in the world who bulks up.  Oh wait, have you ever watched the CrossFit Games?  Every one of those women bulks up.  Have you ever watched the Olympics?  Most of those women are bulked up.  And don't tell me they are on steroids at the Olympics.  If you say that, you are completely ignorant of the current testing environment in the Olympics.

Women can bulk up.  We are all human and we all have a mix of hormones.

Running and walking will help stop bulking up.  It has to do with the types of muscle fibers you develop from running versus doing most other activities.

One really effective trick I've found is to use long, slow resistance work.  I'll stretch one arm straight out in front of me, at shoulder level.  I'll think about stretching it really long and stretching through my fingers.  Then I'll hold my arm there for 2 minutes, stretching through my fingers and maintaining the same height the entire time.  Then I switch hands and repeat.  I usually go through the following rotation:

1.  Palm down, arm straight forward at shoulder height

2.  Palm turned straight up, arm straight out to the side at shoulder height

3.  Put my arm behind my head (similar to how you would stretch out a tricep) and then try to gently pull my hand up using only my tricep

4.  Arm straight up, wrist at a 90 degree angle, palm facing straight down

5.  Arms in ballet "prepatory position" (arms rounded, hands at hip level, fingers almost touching) - working on keeping a really rounded arm and stretching through the fingers towards the other hand

Once I could do these for 2 minutes, I tried to hold each position for 3 minutes.  Because you are working on an exercise bike, you may be able to do these moves while you cycle with your lower leg.  I do many of these moves while I train on an elliptical at the gym.  At the gym, it looks goofy but I don't really care.

[Heybales]

You must have a very different definition of bulked up then.

All those women you reference, you seen pictures of them walking in to the event to start?

They gotta flex to show their muscle definition, and it ain't bulked by a long shot.

Here's the winner - this is bulky?

http://www.popsugar.com.au/fitness/2014-CrossFit-Games-Winner-Camille-Leblanc-Bazinet-Interview-3542...

Perhaps you haven't seen the pictures of the juiced lifters - that's bulked up that was being compared to.

Even Olympic lifters are no where near bulky - unless you mean the fact many, like many, carry extra fat - but's that's not bulky. Here's a non-fat one to assist in finding the bulk.

Is the power lifter in reply above appearing bulky? Where can you even see the muscle definition on her in that picture?

You may indeed be the rare cat who bulks with the right mix of extra hormones to make it possible, along with exactly the right combo of reps & sets to match your predominate muscle fiber type.

Or could it be your muscles swell with storing extra glycogen for the workouts, which of course has water attached and takes up a bit of space?

But make your work so low intensity and easy and it will indeed burn mainly fat, therefore no need to increase those stores.

But let's not think a study of 1 person, yourself, has any implications on what appears to be the vast majority.

Sorry, just gotta call out bogus when I see it.