I am fairly new here about 4 weeks and let me tell you this week has been a struggle. It was both my sisters and my husbands birthdays this week. I must tell you that Ice Cream of anything is my major downfall. I have been trying to get into the mindset that a little will be enough. This week though I have really fallen off the wagon. I know that when I go to the scale tomorrow I will have gained weight and that is very discouraging to me. Why can I not find a program and stick to it for more than 3 weeks. I can't even blame the weight not coming off as an excuse. I have lost every week so far. Why oh why do I do this to myself. Why do I have so little will power. Help with some words of encouragement please!!!!

Trish

Well, I can tell you that it is not important to lose weight every week. It isn't even important if you gain every once in a while. It is only important that you are losing more often then you are maintaining or gaining. If you lose 1 pound for 3 weeks, and gain 1 the fourth for every week in the next year, you will have lost about 39 pounds by this time next year. Do that for 2 years or 2 pounds, and you have 78!

One thing I can suggest is something that I do when I know that I am going to faced with some "extra" calories: I make sure to get some "extra" exercise. Not only does it take the edge off of the indulgence, but I just feel so much better about myself.

So don't let this little bump bother you any, you're doing great! 17 pounds in a month is wonderful. In fact, you could only lose 3 pounds this month, and still be averaging 10 pounds a month.

I've been at this now for almost a year and believe me, I've been discouraged more than once. You just have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get right back at it again. You said you've lost for 3 weeks which means you CAN do this. Start over again tomorrow and do exactly the same things that you have been doing for next three weeks - that means you'll have 6 weeks of lifestyle changes and healthy habits under your belt and all of the benefits that go along with that. When you look at it in that light one minor upset or discouragement isn't going to make any real difference at all. HTH

~Dee

It happens to EVERYONE! I just started WW two weeks ago after trying every diet out there. WW has to be the most easy one to stick to that I have found so far, and still only after two weeks of being on it I fell off this week a little. Ya just got to say to yourself "OK, I messed up today, but tomorrow I am back on track." We are all going to mess up once in a while...but it is only a lapse...not a collapse as my instructor says.

Isn't it amazing how we can do 100 things right and 1 thing wrong and just focus on and feel bad about the 1 thing? Definitely cut yourself some slack - so you ate some ice cream, so what? So you ate a bit more at your families' parties, so what? It isn't the first time and it probably won't be the last. From my perspective the important thing is to do a post incident exam and see what you could have done differently and think about ways to improve for the next time. This is a learning experience and you aren't going to be perfect from the start. You need to figure out what works and doesn't work for you.

Hi Trish
Sometimes will power in one hand and ice cream in another is tough! Of course the ice cream-darn it-may win. Then again if your will power pulls out ahead once and a while it's not all bad! Don't be so hard on yourself. I like the wise words from Mrs. Sneed "only a lapse...not a collapse". Words to live by I say...do not give up

It is hard when we don't eat like we want to beat ourselves up about it. Try to figure out what happened so you won't feel so out of control again. It's a learning experience! For example, if I have chosen to eat something and am going to be in front of of certain food for a long time it's easier for me to say no -- until it's almost gone. Then having a little is easy. Otherwise, eating a little is worse than eating none.

Other times, I decide to eat before I go to an event so as not to let Hunger call the shots (Desire still butts her head in sometimes, but at least I'm not double-teamed!)

Also, think about what you would have eaten BEFORE this and let yourself thrill in the difference.

You can view this as a negative or a positive experience!

You don't have to be perfect, my dear. There will always be times when we make a food or exercise choice that is not on our plans. Expectations of perfection are far more damaging that going off plan now and then. So exercise today. And eat on plan today. And know that the overall TREND is what is important, both trends of choices and trend of scale/aerobic & muscle strength/clothes size (however you are measuring success).

You are doing really well!

Thank you for all of your words of encouragement. I just weighed myself this morning and I did post a weight gain just like I knew I would. But I just have to get back on the horse and deal with it. Thank you for helping through what may have been a worse meltdown if I had not been able to come here to vent. That is why this place is so great. To be able to come here to vent and show some frustration is great. I have a very supportive husband, but he never puts on any pressure. He "loves me just the way I am", which is good, but....So to be able to come here to vent is a great tool in trying to make a new and improved life. Anyway just wanted to say Thank You to all of your words of encouragement.

Trish

Life happens. There will always be birthdays and holidays...we just need to learn to work them into our plans. Either plan to be off plan during that time and deal with damage control later--or preplan what we will allow ourselves to indulge in and stay on track the rest of the time.

I tend to take things one meal/one day at a time. Otherwise I end up on sugar binges that last a month instead of just one or two days of indulgence.

Congrats on the weight loss so far. I wouldn't worry too much about the damage because chances are part of it is water from the sugar you most likely have been avoiding to this point.

Good Luck