Question about abdomen "ripples"

I am hoping you guys may have some insight into this. After losing 100 lbs I am finally able to feel my abdomen muscles by pressing my fingers into the relatively thin layer of fat and loose skin. Keep in mind that this is an entirely new experience, but I am surprised to feel lots of ripples in the muscles and what feels like lumps and strands just above the muscles.  I don't know what the heck this stuff is. Any ideas? (BTW, I am not talking about having finally found my ***** again - this is a little north of that.) Joe

Having rippled abs and being able to see rippled abs are two different animals. Body fat to muscle ratios are the measurement that identifies what hides whats underneath.  This is why body builders go into extreme lean high protein, lo-low-low- calorie diets and semi-dehydration prior to competitions, so the body fat is reduced beyond even their normally low amounts and the fat cells are deflated from the reduced fluids. We don't have to go that extreme but what you have found is real and it you.  You contiue to expose that, doing ab work (most effective I've found is hanging knee lifts; hang like when doing dips but instead of dipping to work your arms, lock your elbows and put your knees together and bend them up as hig as you can and go back down in a controlled pace). I also find the cardio workout of walking and jogging (beyond 20 min minumum) have helped tighten the abs with the requiring breathing hard and recovery, in addition to the overall workout provided by the walkign/jogging/running (whatever is your pace). It has really been a benefit and blessing to me at age 50. Tighten and tone Joe Bear.  And get a big stick so you can beat the women back from your buff bod and get some rest occasionally.  Isn't his smaller life as a loser a thing of beauty???    

Joe, I think you're in the early stages of "studmuffindom". I'll just go ahead and move this over to the women's forum for ya. Good luck buddy! Doug

yeah, i do just what joe does and we're both over 50. so take a look at my profile and you can see that even at my age it is possible to get some kind of definition on your abs. i'm not dave from japan or anything but do what joe just said and i bet you get a four pack at least! good luck......carbonblob

Cool stuff about the abs, Joe. I've been an ab maniac since shortly after WLS.  I started out with the hopes of strengthing my core which would improve my cycling but after I started to see, and feel, the muscles, I started dreaming of "ripped abs." Well, I don't have ripped abs but I'm please to report that I have a "baby 4-pack" along with an abdominal body fat % of 4.5%. Far from body builder status like Dave, CB, Russ or the other "iron heads"  but not bad when you consider I looked like Humpty Dumpty a couple years ago. CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH.... Boner