Rockydog --
The deal is, you just have to keep it in perspective...instead of looking at your ultimate weight loss goal far down the road, it's better to set mileposts and concentrate on getting to each one. In other words, set interim goals.
You might want to go through my previous posts and see what I've written about losing weight slowly - rather than saying "I need to lose 30-50-100 pounds!" instead aim to lose in increments of 10% of your total body weight at a time. Oh, what the heck, I'll post it again...
"LOSE WEIGHT SLOWLY
(excerpted from Fat of the Land by Michael Fumento)
"Wayne Callaway, MD, notes that marketing studies conducted by one weight-loss organization found that, when dieting, most women expect to lose between 2-3 lbs per week and most men expect between 3-5 lbs per week. If the expectation is unmet, dieters will discontinue the program by the 3rd week...'Rapid water loss is the $33-billion diet gimmick' says Callaway. 'It looks good on your bathroom scale and it raises your hopes. But the initial water-weight loss is completely meaningless in terms of your ultimate goal. You are not losing fat; you are not getting leaner. It's only a trick, a gimmick, the temporary side effect of not eating enough carbohydrates to supply your brain...'
"Remember that virtually any diet can cause you to lose weight; the real problem is keeping it off. With that in mind, choose a regimen that emphasizes not speed, but PERMANENCY. While one often hears that no more than 2 lbs a week should be lost, it appears even this is too much for most people who are not extremely obese (Obviously, the fatter you are, the less of an overall percentage of your fat 2 lbs is. So with some people, two or even 3 lbs might be OK)."
"George Blackburn, MD, chief of surgical nutrition at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, is considered one of the nation's foremost authorities on weight loss. He suggests you begin by aiming to lose no more than 10% of body weight at the rate of NO MORE THAN A POUND A WEEK. Only after maintaining that loss for 6 months...should you attempt to take off another 10%..."
"The main reason to aim for slow weight loss is because you are seeking to permanently change your eating habits. The calorie deficit you create should be close to what will be your permanent calorie level and certainly no lower than 1,200 to 1,300 calories. The further you go below this, the more likely you are to suffer from hunger -- and nothing defeats a weight-loss regimen more quickly than hunger...Consider severe energy restriction [on very low-calorie diets of less than 1,200 a day] as a jackhammer while lesser restriction is more like a hammer and chisel. You can break up rock more quickly with the jackhammer but more to your liking with the delicate instruments."
Whew! Also, if you want to make sure that you are exercising within your ideal fat-burning rate, I highly recommend investing in a heart-rate monitor -- you don't need to get the ones with all the bells and whistles, just a basic one. It's not always easy to percive your exersion level!
MrsJim
265/155/145
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If you just scroll down the screen a bit, you'll find a whole section of the message board devoted to Weight Watchers!
