I so needed this thread. I just returned from my WW meeting, where, once again, I lost 1lb. Just 1lb. Whereas there are other ladies there who are losing 4lbs every week! It's soo frustrating, but I need to remember that it's 1lb I'll never see again, and also that the slower it comes off, the more likely it is to stay off.
I feel like I've been battling to get to onederland FOREVER! I don't know why it's being so slow for me, I've been working really hard, but I've still got 2lbs to go until I'm in onederland.
Yeah, focus on little goals and ignore the big picture. For example, my goal is 120 atm, but I'm just focusing on getting to under 200, then to getting my next silver seven, then getting under 14stone, then getting out of the 'obese' category. There are so many little goals there. Don't get disheartened; as long as you don't quit, you haven't been defeated.
When I feel kind of low I go and pull out the one pair of size 32 dress pants I kept, from when I began this journey last August (2008). The last time I had tried them on, they stayed up, but just barely. They look like clown pants. I just went and tried them on again, and they won't stay up at all. They fall straight to the floor. I can *almost* get both of my legs into one pant leg. 20 more pounds and I'll be able to stand in one leg of those pants. And I wore them pretty much every day for 2 years at work--they are almost worn through at the thighs. Those pants never fail to cheer me up, no matter how down I am on myself for not being smaller yet.
Yes, honey. Plenty. I DO understand this very well...I'm an impatient person and it is HARD to make constant little sacrifices when the goal seems so far away...
It's only now that I'm starting to understand that I do not need to reach my ultimate destination to have this journey be worth it.
At fifteen pounds I knew that I had made little changes that a few slip ups might erase, but I kept on plodding.
Now, at 50 pounds down, even though I'm still so far from my goal weight, there is NO MISTAKING that lots of aspects of my life are much better.
The main thing that really helped me get through those early days was the stuff I chanted to myself-- a lot of stuff that I heard right here on 3FC... I just kept repeating it to myself when I got down, and then helped me get through... and then, the next thing you know, I was down 25 pounds and I was buying smaller pants and changing my chickie avatar and I was probably more surprised to get there than you can imagine!!!
This is going to be true for you too! Fifteen pounds is A LOT!
Just keep doing what you're doing and it will happen for you too. I promise!
I totally understand how you feel!
I have lost about 18 lbs in 3-4 months. I thought it would be coming off faster. I'm really good at sticking to my diet and I'm working out really hard at the gym. BUT everyone keeps telling me that it is coming off slower because I am doing it the healthy way, and the slower it comes off, the less likely I will be to put it back on. I do get frustrated when I look in the mirror and see that I still have so much more work to do...but I can see a difference. Just gotta keep your eye on the prize and remember it's not going to lose itself.
Ugghhh I know how you feel!
I can't tell a difference when I look in the mirror at all...
I just keep picturing what I'll look like when I'm done.. and try my hardest to use that to keep me going.
Stay strong girl!
If you're finding that the weight is coming off slowly, and your goal seems far away, do what I did and take photos of yourself every month in your underwear, front, back and side. Then compare them. The problem is that even though the scale says I'm losing weight, I'm not seeing it. But I saw it when I compared June's pictures with October's pictures. Just 22.5lbs but I really saw a difference. I recommend it.
I recommend taking pictures, too. I can only see small differences between pictures (I take them every 2 months), but when I compare beginning to now, I see a big difference.
15 pounds is a lot. Sometimes it's not enough to see, but if you go to the store and lift a 15 pound sack of potatoes, you'll see how much it is. If you carry that sack around the store for awhile, you'll start to really understand that you have got a really good start on this thing.
Please don't be discouraged. Stick with it. The pounds add up and they really do make a difference.
TOTALLY! I am just now starting to feel different and see the changes happening. And it's great. Whatever you do, don't give up - the frustration and hard work are so worth it.
The way i look at it, time is going to pass by either way. You can make yourself healthier and happier its going to take time. I spent 30 years getting fat and it sure as heck better be quicker to get it off. But you are changing your life, permanent changes and permanent weight loss is what you want. Everyone here knows how frustrating it is.
I take it one day at a time, even one hour at a time. If I can make it through that I can do it again. I make lots of little goals and celebrate many times a day when I resist a snack or drink all my water or just get up and move.
