[teawithsunshine]

This is sooooo weird for me to post

I've been feeling crappy/frustrated/discouraged for the past couple of days since I weighed myself on Monday and found out I didn't lose more than 1 lb in three weeks, even though I tried my dangest in counting calories and exercise.

Then I had the best workout today... sweated a bunch out on the elliptical for an hour and then did over an hour of total body weight lifting... I was thrilled to find out I'm advancing to heavier weights as I did my dumbbells & freemotion weight machines exercises, plus the stability ball.

I dunno-- I've been feeling over the moon today in feeling so buff even though I haven't lost much recently in terms of pounds. I know my body will be a sore wreck tomorrow but for the moment, I'm loving it!

Anyone get that same feeling when they don't lose much or nothing on the scale??

~ tea

[Meg]

Oh yeah, I get a major endorphin rush every time I work out.

Tea, think of it as a preview to the Wonderful World of Maintenance. Where you work out just as hard as when you were losing and count and log all your calories -- and the scale doesn't move.

BUT -- think about what a huge victory it is when the scale doesn't move!! You've lost an enormous amount of weight -- a whole person -- and the scale isn't moving! Do you realize what a fantastic success that is, all by itself?

You've been around here long enough to know that most losers regain part or all of their lost weight. You're NOT regaining weight and that alone, my dear, is a reason to celebrate. Every day that the scale stays the same is reason to pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself on a job well done.

Weight loss is inevitably going to be slow for you from here on out. Now is the time to transition to maintenance and your focus should change from numbers on the scale to something more motivating, like fitness. You've discovered the joys of having a body that works -- use it, have fun with it, push the limits, discover what you can do! Always keep an eye on the scale, of course, but as a reality check, not as a goal. Instead, think measurements, body composition, clothes sizes, and fitness.

Come on and join us in the Maintainers forum! Like I said, this is the time to transition into maintenance mode and we'd love to have you join us.

[Devsmama]

Yes, sure do. Exercise does it for me. Even if I don't see any scale movement, I love the way I feel during and after working out. I feel stronger, more athletic, and (this may be weird) but sexier. You begin to see your body as a machine and it can do things that it wasn't able to before. I like the way the sweat feels, maybe I'm strange..lol..I don't know, but I get what you're saying.

[Fat Pants]

Definitely! I feel that way every time I meet a new goal with running. It doesn't take much for me to look back at where I was fitness-wise at the beginning of the year and see how far I've come. It's a great feeling!!

[Lori Bell]

Oh yea....I'm not nearly as dedicated as you in the exercise arena, but I have had a few weeks with very little or no loss over the last 14 months...and as long as it is not a gain...I feel AWESOME. I did gain like a pound 2 different times and that kind of sucked for awhile until I realize, (from reading here) that if I was eating on plan, there was no way I gained 2 pounds of fat, in the old days that might have been all it took to give up.

I'm at the point that every ounce that leaves my body now is just icing on the cake!

[LittleMoonRabbit]

I have learned that stalled weight loss can actually be seen as a blessing... I know the last time I stalled (3 weeks)... I went through a process. The first week I obsessed and got mad, the second week I said "oh heck, I don't care anymore", and the 3rd week... I started to really appreciate the weight I had lost up to that point. It was like my eyes were opened and for the first time, I gave myself a much deserved pat on the back.

I think sometimes we measure our success in ways that don't really matter. The number on the scale... it's just a number. But... the fact that you can now lift heavier, and you are feeling more toned... numbers can't describe that!

Enjoy it. You are an inspiration to many! You have done amazingly well!

[time2lose]

Enjoy it. You are an inspiration to many! You have done amazingly well!

Me! You are an inspiration to me! You give me a glimpse of what my future can be and, from my viewpoint, it looks great.

[Tomato]

I had to learn to live for a while (for quite a long while, actually) without any weight loss. My plantar fasciitis is a long term pain in the rectum and in fact I gained a few pounds when I stopped exercising. It was as much from the not exercising but from a bit of depression and a bout of eat-what-you-can-and-as-much-as-you-can. Fortunately I quit doing that before any major damage had time to ocur. I am back to exercising but because I really had to triim down cardio I am very slowly shaving off the weight I had regained. I am almost done.
But, I am back to feeling awesome and sexy and what not and I am at the gym 6x a week. It does take some fiddling with one's psyche but it can be done.

Hang in there - my personal approach is that it healthy not check the scale every day but it is a very personal thing.