I swear I could have written that post, uber! Ditto!

I had my first real "I don't believe in myself, this isn't actually going to happen, I might as well just give up" mope this month. But, yeah, I lost 8lbs this month. What if I had listened to the sourpuss in my head and agreed!? I can more confidently tell it to HUSH next time.

Sticking with it for me, wasn't just when it was "fun" and the NSVs were rolling in, but when it wasn't fun and I felt horrible too. There will be times on this journey that we feel that way. It's how we deal with those times that determines whether we will succeed. Losing weight is easy, until it's hard.

I'm glad I stuck with it!

Originally Posted by Angihas2:
... after all, it's not inked across my forehead in sharpie.

Precisely. I had four people individually tell me things along the lines of "You're wasting away" yesterday, despite the fact I've lost only 2.4 pounds this entire month!! So I know it's showing on my body, and others can see it, even though I can't. LOL! All I see is the scale.

Uber, I'm so tempted to buy a scale like that. Unfortunately, my only option right now is the hand held device at the gym. He said I could use it any time, but he's not there in the morning when I am!

Originally Posted by BeachBreeze2010:
Losing weight is easy, until it's hard.

Oh my gosh. This is absolutely going to be my new motto!!!!

This is absolutely true for me! Absolutely!

Honestly, for the first six months or so, I was really smug. I just ripped along dropping ten pounds per month-- I never cheated, I never even got tempted-- I just kept shopping and getting smaller pants.

When people used to post about plateaus I was secretly thinking that they were probably just not trying as hard as I was, or underestimating their calories, or what have you.

Then, all of a sudden. BAM. My rate of weight loss just dropped off-- and I wasn't doing anything different (except for getting fitter and fitter, and exercising more...)

So, I started obsessing and tweaking and feeling like a failure, and comparing myself (unfavorably) to other 3FCers who didn't seem to have the same problem.

But the funny thing is that my habits have become so ingrained that instead of quitting, I just kept doing them, and I finally realized that my emotional investment, and how I was "feeling" about my plan really wasn't affecting the plan that much.... my body was just kind of doing it's own thing.

So, yeah. Weight loss is easy, until it's hard, and when the going get tough, the tough stay on plan. Period.

Originally Posted by ubergirl:
When people used to post about plateaus I was secretly thinking that they were probably just not trying as hard as I was, or underestimating their calories, or what have you.

I think this is what often happens! I have to frequently bite my tongue (or strap down my fingers from typing) when I get comments about exercising more, or really being conscious of measuring my calories because surely I'm under estimating my caloric intake. Quite the OPPOSITE. But until you live it...you don't get it. Some of us just don't lose easily. There's got to be some reasonable explanation or some health benefit to it, but I have yet to find it.

However, Uber, don't you think that just makes us more likely to maintain a loss? The fact that we worked THIS hard for it combined with the fact that we will be fully entrenched in healthy habits makes it more certian we WILL succeed at maintenance. :carrot: That's the silver lining I've painted anyway.

Plus...I don't know about you, but my body maintains rather well!

Originally Posted by :
ubergirl originally posted So, yeah. Weight loss is easy, until it's hard, and when the going get tough, the tough stay on plan. Period.

Love this! My new motto!

Originally Posted by ubergirl:
OH MY GOSH CC, not to hijack my own thread, but YOU ARE ABOUT TO HIT ONEDERLAND???? HOW AMAZING IS THAT???

Now, back to the regularly scheduled program.

Why yes, I am! :D:D:D:D

CLCSC145, That is awesome and very exciting!

Awesome for you!!!! and sticking with it!

Thank you for the reminder!

Originally Posted by Eliana:

However, Uber, don't you think that just makes us more likely to maintain a loss? The fact that we worked THIS hard for it combined with the fact that we will be fully entrenched in healthy habits makes it more certian we WILL succeed at maintenance. :carrot: That's the silver lining I've painted anyway.

Plus...I don't know about you, but my body maintains rather well!

Well, no... honestly. I think lucky people like us, who have the "thrifty gene" probably will/would have to work super hard to maintain a normal BMI. I think it's probably important that we be realistic about our goal weights, taking into consideration our body types to make sure that we don't try to maintain something unsustainable....

I know that that was the story of my young life-- my body gravitated toward a BMI of 24 and I wanted the body type of somebody with a BMI of 21-- so I constantly fought against my natural body type, trying to get "thinner"... which eventually led to me getting fatter, and fatter, and FATTER.

Sigh.

On the other hand-- I'm strong as an ox. Not wispy in LEAST. I'm sure my forebears could shuck corn and hoe oats with the best of 'em. :D:D

I am always happy to see these posts. My turn is coming, of that I'm sure. Everyone gets a turn, from what I can tell. And I will need these kinds of things to go back and read and remember to just keep on pushing through it. Sometimes it sems like I will never get to goal. And I've only started the journey. My plan from the beginning has bee to stay on my plan NO MATTER WHAT. And it looks like that works.

Thank you for reminding us all!

Barb