Impact of Losing Weight on Playing?

[JTeagarden]

I could stand to lose 30 lbs., anyone have any experience with losing a good amount of weight, and it’s effect on their playing?

I recall asking Doug Elliott about this years ago, and him saying doing so would negatively impact my playing.

[hyperbolica]

I've lost 30+, and could do so again. It has definitely made breathing a little better along with anything related to air. Stamina and the ability to hold the horn up for a long period of time has improved. It probably depends on where you are starting out.

[robcat2075]

I've never tried to lose weight but if you've decided you need to lose 30 lbs that's probably a greater overall need than preserving your trombone playing.

If you lost one pound off your right arm that would be a mass-you-don't-have-to-move advantage similar to the loss of five ounces that changing to a carbon fiber slide would give you.

This presumes that you don't lose any muscle which is difficult to not do when losing weight.

My acquaintances who have lost weight didn't have huge trouble losing 10 or 20 pounds. Keeping it off... that seems to be very difficult.

[Doug Elliott]

Losing a bunch of weight (if you need to) is obviously useful for overall health, but it can affect your chops temporarily until you adjust.

[tbdana]

I'd argue that what you're doing to lose the weight -- exercising, eating healthier foods -- helps your playing. I have no idea what it might do to chops temporarily. But energy, air, healthy systems all tend toward helping (or at least not getting in the way of ) one's playing.

[JTeagarden]

I am the fittest overweight person you'll ever meet! Resting pulse rate in the 40s, low blood pressure, can lift weights all day, but a family history of Type 2 diabetes and arthritis has my family doctor badgering me to drop some weight for the sake of long-term health.

I hope to play long enough for people to complain about my horrible pitch!

[blast]

Years ago I lost more than 56 lbs. No negative effects on playing whatsoever.

[timothy42b]

A few years back I dropped 50 pounds over about a 3 year period. If there was any effect on my playing it was undetectable. Unless there was a delay of a couple of years. My blood pressure did go down.

As we age we are going to lose muscle mass, that's pretty much inevitable. So if we maintain the same weight it seems logical we're increasing fat percentage, which has some negative health effects.