Stupendous news!!! (also need help, esp. Glinda!)

This is an update to a post on BHB:

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**update***

So I took all your advice in this thread and in forum mail and emails and lost 6 pounds since I posted.

I went to Phyllis at Bridal Elegance tonight (Gownfind) and she asked me what my bra size was to get me a long-line bra. I told her, she put it on, and it was too big!

She went and got the next size down and it fit perfectly. Helped me put on the underskirt and the dress and I held my breath as she prepared to zip me.

Zipper went right up, no hesitation.

No creases in the dress, it smooths out and doesn't bunch even after I bend over, and it feels totally comfortable!!

She's taking an inch or two off the bottom so I can wear my shoes, and bustling the back. They're also steaming the dress so I can save the money I was going to spend taking it to the cleaner!

Now that I don't need any alteration for the top and it looks wonderful, I can concentrate on my chest, arms, and back muscle toning!

I want to thank all of you, especially FINEY for your help. Couldn't have done it without you, and because of your help, I felt like a princess last night. I can't wait to see what I'll look like in a month!

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I still need advice though. I need to know what the most effective exercises were for your upper body (especially you Glinda, I know you did a great job with that!)

I have problems with my shoulder joints so certain movements (especially circle pattern) cause me pain.

I'm looking to increase the muscle tone in my chest and back. I know what to do for my bicep/triceps already, and I'm upping myself to 10 pound weights instead of the 5 I've been using.

I figure if I gain muscle mass in that area, I can stand to lose another few pounds so that I don't need to get the bodice altered but I can still continue losing a little weight.

It fits great, but I just get that skin-hangover thing right behind my arms. I can also put the dress on from the bottom instead of over my head now. I couldn't do that 2 months ago!

Any advice would be appreciated!! Thanks!!

Hey Greenfreak! I'm trying to get the backs of my arms toned too, but since I can't broaden my back I have to be careful. Chair dips are really good for that, and you can do that since you want to build up your upper body. For chest, I did chest presses with a body bar. I think I used a 12 lb bar. I did sets of 1 count up and down, and also two counts up and down. You can also do isometric holds at the top and middle. Push ups are also good and the further out you hold your hands the more you work your chest. If you have access to things like a body wedge you can switch it up and make it more difficult. Another thing you can do is a pyramid, which is 1 pushup, and then 1 shoulder press, 2 pushups and then 2 shoulder presses, 3 and so on. You can go 1,2,3,4,5,4,3,2,1 and that is a good workout for your upper body. Thinking back, of course I was working my upper body doing all these things, but I guess since I wasn't measuring myself during the months, I didn't realize how well it worked.