The benefits of massage during weight loss?

Jaycey

Post-Menopausal Maniac!
As many of you already know, I visit an osteopath regularly - particularly whilst on CD, when our bodies are constantly shifting and adjusting to accommodate our rapid physical changes. (It works wonders!)

However, although my osteopath is brilliant at manipulation, she doesn't actually do massage. I wondered whether massage might be also beneficial, not only to address the physical changes, but also to help out with the loose skin issue, which plagues us all! :sigh:

So I did a bit of research to find a local masseur/masseuse in my area, found one that sounded good*, and emailed her with my situation. This is what I got back:-

"Congratulations on your weight loss J :) with your postural changes I will be addressing the muscle imbalances to allow everything to sit relaxed and comfortable, and for the loose skin, whilst I can't say your skin will 'tone up' as such, massage will do amazing things for your circulation and getting fresh/new nutrients to your skin to speed it's recovery and really flush your lymph system, all will improve its tone."

So - not a wonder cure, but sounding pretty good all the same. I'm going to take her up on it, and report back my findings to Minimims! (Would anyone be interested?)

(* When I say 'sounded good', I mean a remedial or deep-tissue masseur - no offence, but I don't think one of those little girls who tickle about in beauty salons would be quite up to a task like this! :eek:)
 
I think deep massage would be beneficial....
My friend who has lost a lot of weight also swears by pre shower body brushing... She said it really improves the circulation to the skin and helps with skin tone...
I have never skin brushed, don't even really know much about it, but she swears by it :)

x
 
I think deep massage would be beneficial....
My friend who has lost a lot of weight also swears by pre shower body brushing... She said it really improves the circulation to the skin and helps with skin tone...
I have never skin brushed, don't even really know much about it, but she swears by it :)

x
I agree with you - although I'm generally into complementary therapies, this one always sounds like a bit of a waste of time to me, but those into it always rave about it! (It's something to do with the direction you brush in, either away from or towards the heart - I can't remember.) Convince us, someone?! ;)
 
from all the mags i've read over the years i can't forget....you brush towards the heart :)

i tried it but felt a bit funny brushing up my leg - you find yourself in some funny looking positions! :D xxx
 
I always mean to body brush, but can never actually be bothered - always too eager to jump into a hot bath or shower!
 
I live in France and after having a baby (got 3!!) you get free physio to show you postnatal exercises but she also spent 20mins giving my tummy a really deep massage each week. She said the same as the above, it helps the tummy tone and skin shrink back evenly and helps break up the fat so that it is lost evenly.
Won't give you a flat tum (need exercises for that) but really helped with skin shrinkage for me. I do it after every shower now with my body lotion.
 
body brushing, is fantastic!
i did do it every day for about 2 years. before i went to uni. and your skin tone and texture and softness improves 100%.
for me when i perspired it was more of a clean and even sweat (that's just my description. )

i had no ingrowing/trapped hairs (from shaving).
I felt 10 times more cleaner after a bath or shower.
and i had more energy from the brushing in the morning before a bath or shower, so had a more productive day. and rested better at night.

actually now i write this i am gonna get my brush out and see if i can get back into it.
i am abit of a beauty buff and do love to pamper.

little tip for anyone that wants to have a home experience of salt oil scrub but not salon prices.
try sea salt and some grapeseed oil step in bath before shower or bath and rub your whole body with this (take take of the private bits though). do once a week. = nice soft skin.

or

try some runny honey and demerra brown sugar, and a little water so it can thin out a tiny bit.
and do the same as above. = georgeous soft beautiful skin.
 
Agree with Tryer, body brushing is fab. I admit I only do it if I have time, but it does get your circulation going - you can feel it - and make skin feel really soft. You brush towards the heart... it's a great waker-upper. Follow it with a bath & body butter & you are all pampered & raring to go. Jaycey, the massage sounds brilliant, something I would love to treat myself to at target.

xxx
 
Im trained in aromatherapy massage (not just the 'salon type tickle/relaxation stuff' but muscle relaxation) and really want to train in deep tissue massage - its a totally different technique and would be very good whilst dieting as it will help with muscle definition, lympatic drainage and circulation.

Be warned though...it can be quite painful!
 
Be warned though...it can be quite painful!
Surely it can't be more painful than what my osteopath puts me through - she ties me in knots on the massage table, and then crunches and cracks everything, eeek! :eek: (Seriously, I have had deep tissue massage before and have come out with bruises, so I do know! It's always been worth it though. :))
 
i swear by massage!

i visit a sports therapist pretty much every week - (as i am not drinking wine/buying clothes/going out - thought i deserved a weekly treat!)

He wants to help me lose my celulite! Its fantastic - but can be painful. He says that normally a deep tissue massage will need to be followed by exercise to enable the body to burn up the fat that the massage releases, however, because of being on a VLCD the body will use the floating fat - and i have to say even though i only lost 2.2lbs weight wise, i got rid of 6.6lbs of fat last week!

it can be expensive, but the results are well worth it!
 
i swear by massage!

i visit a sports therapist pretty much every week - (as i am not drinking wine/buying clothes/going out - thought i deserved a weekly treat!)

He wants to help me lose my celulite! Its fantastic - but can be painful. He says that normally a deep tissue massage will need to be followed by exercise to enable the body to burn up the fat that the massage releases, however, because of being on a VLCD the body will use the floating fat - and i have to say even though i only lost 2.2lbs weight wise, i got rid of 6.6lbs of fat last week!

it can be expensive, but the results are well worth it!
Whoah, that's amazing! I think I might copy this info to my massage lady and say, "I want that!!" and see what she says. (They do that 'wringing' thing, don't they, to break down the walls of the fat cells - feels like Chinese burns, ouchhh!! :eek:)
 
He wants to help me lose my celulite! Its fantastic - but can be painful. He says that normally a deep tissue massage will need to be followed by exercise to enable the body to burn up the fat that the massage releases, however, because of being on a VLCD the body will use the floating fat - and i have to say even though i only lost 2.2lbs weight wise, i got rid of 6.6lbs of fat last week!
Hi Izzycat, I've just been rereading your post. There's something I don't get - you say you lost 2.2lbs in weight and 6.6lbs in fat, but what's the difference? And how would you know which was which? (And wouldn't it add up to a total loss of 8.8lbs anyway?)

Please forgive me, but I'm slightly mystified by this?! :confused:
 
Dont know about izzycat, but I have scales that measure the % of water in my body, the % of fat, muscle mass etc.... so I can tell if I lose water or fat... not sure if this is the same though....

I am very interested in this kind of massage, I have lots of fat and lose skin around my stomach area mainly because I am still overweight and the fact I have had 10 children.... my fat seems to have got more pliable (if this makes sense) and I wonder if it is because the fat cells are now filling up with water. Wondering if deep tissue massage would disperse the water...
 
Izzycat, I sent your post to my masseuse for comment, and this is what I got back. (Honest answer, so please don't be offended by any of it - we're all truth-seekers here, and she's just speaking plainly about what I sent her.) Apologies for the length of it!! BTW I asked her the same questions as I asked you in my last post here, and this is what she's replying to.

"Yes, how do you decide how much the fat versus the water weighed and split it so precisely (not without being wired to a zillion machines at a top research place). Those machines you stand on or hold tell you in percentages, but they generalise a bit. What about muscle loss or other "fleshy" losses, it's not just fat or water. She could have been more dehydrated than usual. If she used 'fat calipers', they are limited in that you get one measurement and it's almost always taken out of context, and they measure distance not pounds.

I'm not sure I buy into the 'massage releases fat' or the 'exercise after massage to burn up the fat', not as absolute statements. Massage releases all manner of stuff, even emotions and can do amazing things, and perhaps fat is released as part of the whole circulation/stimulation/lymph product, but it's likely a general percentage of a whole lot of material now on the move and I would say it's more fluid, esp water. I would say drink lots of water (at a regular pace thro day) to flush the waste. To an extent fat/cellulite can be remodelled thro massage, mainly thro the kneeding/vigorous/sweeping movements.

The massage - exercise - burn the fat angle...mmmmmm. Exercise effects are complex, it won't burn just fat, it's going to have a good rummage thro your carbs for a starter and fat burn is part of ton of metabolic changes (I say this with reference to general Joe Bloggs as opposed to a prof. athlete/keen athlete, accepting a myriad of inbetweeners - for simplicity). By him saying deep tissue needs to be followed by exercise to burn fat, blah blah - I question his deep tissue, is it actually deep tissue or just strong massage he uses, does he truly know deep tissue? (me thinking aloud).

The VLCD burning floating fat - I know they are a great vehicle for dramatic weight loss, but also (please do correct me) by their nature, they eat away 'normal' body tissue too, I doubt they stick to 'floating fat', whatever that is.

Personally, on the odd occasion I have had a strong massage (not deep tissue, it's a specific technique), I have got up the next day and felt my clothes looser (like having one of those clingfilm/seaweed wrap type treatments), the only change was the massage and my reasoning is that it's due to fluid loss from the flushing effects."


Food for thought, eh?! :) (Although I might have to take issue with her over VLCDs
"eating away 'normal' body tissue too" - does anyone have a sensible scientific reply I can go back to her with on this issue, please? CDCs?) I'm still going to go ahead with the massage BTW - she's said enough to convince me that it would be very beneficial.
 
Hi jaycey

Everyone has an opinion - its something CD has highlighted to me more than anything else!!!

my CDC is Jo Scott, wife of Mike Scott or Icemoose as most people know him. Jo has some amazing scales, which give statistics of weight, fat %, fat mass etc.

my reading on 4th April was

weight - 91.8kg
fat % - 46.2%
fat mass - 42.4kg
FFM - 49.4kg (not entirely sure what this is!)
muscle mass - 46.9kg
total body water - 35.7kg
TBW % - 38.9%
bone mass - 2.5kg
BMR - 1561
visceral fat - 9
degree of obesity - 44.3%

readings on 21st April
weight - 90.8kg (2.2lbs lighter)
fat % - 43.4%
fat mass - 39.4kg (6.6lb lighter)
FFM - 51.4kg
muscle mass - 48.8kg
total body water - 37.1kg
TBW % - 40.9%
bone mass - 2.6kg
BMR - 1603
visceral fat - 8
degree of obesity - 42.8%

I know these readings arent 100% accurate, but i have printouts of all my meetings with Jo (7) and i can see that fat has gone from 50.9kg on 10/3 to 39.4kg on 21/4 - which means more to me than the actual weight figure, and gives you some indication that all the dedication and commitment is paying off, even when the 'normal' scales dont show it.

i just know that i feel fantastic after my massages, and i (and my boyfriend) thinks its helping my skin!

The ancient Egyptians and Greeks did it - so why not us??? lol,

i hope you enjoy yours - let me know how you get on

xx
 
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