Okay, girls, I'm a tiny bit frustrated. Now that I'm close to gaol, I'm not taking my weight loss very seriously anymore. I'm sure this is a common occurrence at this stage in the game, but I need to get through it!

So, I'm 5'5 and 138 pounds. I have my goal here set at 135 but I'm going to lower after I hit that goal. I look pretty good. In fact, I snapped a pic of myself the other night and I think I'll post it here when I'm done typing.

Anyway, being so close and looking pretty good takes the pressure off. Plus, being at this for awhile, you kind of fall into a routine, and I've found I cheat here or there by nibbling when I should just say no. Not enough to gain weight, I'm still losing. But enough to slow my weight loss to a ridiculously slow rate.

I need accountability, focus, encouragement from those who know what I'm talking about, and I need advice from anyone who can help me! Ugh! I wanna get focused and STAY focused! I really do want to keep losing and get down to a good low weight. I don't want to just be 'okay', ya know?

Okay, I'm going to grab that pic and post it, and I need you guys to kick me in the butt!! Please?!?




There it is. Now, help me finish what I started! Advice?

Thanks in advance, friends!


Alyssa

Alyssa-First of all, you look gorgeous!!

When I joined here in January, the 40-somethings weekly/monthly chat thread was a very, very active place. It has died down in the past few months and I've been disappointed. It has always been so encouraging to come and read that thread. The girls are always supportive and encouraging and honest....pointing out things that might be helpful or where someone might be "screwing up". Lots of suggestions, etc. We still have great ladies posting there, but it isn't as active as it used to be. I try to post daily (except on weekends usually) and I try to do "personals" as often as I can. I realize alot of the old posters have moved into maintenance, etc. or are busy with their families, but it is discouraging to come in and find no new posts fo several hours sometimes throughout the day.

Sorry....didn't mean to rant. I just wanted to say that the "chat" thread has always been helpful for me and we can use that as a meeting place for encouragement. I have also become a little careless in what I have been putting into my body lately. I am so anxious to get to my goal and I will never get there if I allow myself to keep having "just one fill in the blank". So....yea.....let's all be accountable and encouraging to one another! I'll commit to posting at least daily during the week, if not more!

Hi Alyssa! your pic is amazing and I am def. jealous! I wonder if you are like the rest of us, and you are a lot harder on yourself than everyone else is. my hubby says my butt is looking a lot better, but all I can see is my gut :-( Keep up the good work, and know that you have done a great job so far!

Barb

Wow, girl! You look fantastic!

I guess the only thing I can say is that I once lost 27 lbs and, like you, got to a place where I felt comfortable. (I didn't look nearly as good as you, though!) Anyway, it got easier and easier to let things slide, but that is a slippery slope. I had small gains at first, but I told myself, "Well, I lost it once, I can do it again." But I had another baby and then lost my mother and got depressed and put all the weight back on plus some! Let me tell you, even in a matter of a few years, it becomes harder and harder to take the weight off. So keep the momentum going and don't let the cheating and nibbling turn into a bad habit that will be hard to break. You can do it! Good luck!

Thank you for your replies and kind words, my friends!

Annie, don't feel bad about the rant. Now, you mean the chat in this section, right? So maybe I should post more in-depth stuff about struggles there?

Barb, thank you. You're so right; we are so critical of ourselves, aren't we? I am hard on myself, and it's hard to hold on to a good perspective. Thank you for that wisdom.

J.S.' Wife, thank you!! I neeeeded to hear that! Thank you for making me feel normal, and most of all, thank you for the warning! I needed that, too!

You girls rock!


Alyssa

Alyssa-Yes, I like to use that chat thread as my accountability area. You post where you feel comfortable.

Alyssa, you look fab! Kudos on your awesome losses! And Annie, your new avatar is absolutely stunning!

I'm now firmly in maintenance so I am more of a lurker than a poster. But I have noticed that certain areas of the board ebb and flow with the amount of chatter. I love the idea of the chat threads but quickly feel overwhelmed with the personals. I find that I feel alot of pressure to keep up but cannot.

Alyssa, regarding those last pesky lbs, are you eating and exercising the way you wish to for the rest of your life? Maintenance for me is just that! I actually decided to start maintenance and continued to lose more weight, about 7-8 lbs, and continued to get smaller.

Do I sometimes overdo it? You bet! I just lost about 3-4 lbs after a couple of weeks eating too much chocolate and cookies--my downfall. But 10 days of really watching myself got me back to the zone. Occasional treats are fine, but daily? Not so much...

You hit the nail on the head! Thank you for that! I vacillate back and forth between eating really well, to eating not so well. I think you're absolutely correct that I need to now make my goal eating the way I want to live out the rest of my life, rather than losing a couple more pounds, which is hard to find terribly important. Yes, a change of focus is needed! Thank you!!


Alyssa

lookin good keep at it so you can keep that awsome body!

You look FABULAS! You're an inspiration for all of us!

Maybe you don't really need to lose anymore? you look pretty good in that pic.

You do look Fabulous, and you have so much to be proud of, to stop now would deprive you of reaching the Goal that you made a commitment to yourself to reach !!!!

Don't let yourself down you are the only one you can count on!!!

Oh my gosh girl you look AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the weight is going to come off at a ridiculously small rate now because there is so much less to you. Trust me, I have been trying to lose the "last ten" for the past five years......People say "well you can be happy at where you are now" and no, i can't be....I know how I need to look at what weight makes me comfy in my own skin...plus I tend to be bottom heavy so I need to lose some more just to look less pear shaped..but this isn't about me...Just wanted to let you know that I totally understand how I feel. It is CRUCIAL for you now to really make this your lifestyle and not get too comfortable and start cheating..nibbles here, nibbles there...then its "Well I can have this, i can have that...before you know it that weight is back on and it happens QUICKLY!!!!!!!!!!!!! So journal what you eat, stay conscious of your weight.....the last few are a b**tch to get off.....but for Pete's sake, enjoy how wonderful you look now!!!! Don't just focus on losing more!!!!! If you truly want to lose more than try but dont get to a weight that you are going to live on one piece of celery and a glass of water a day to maintain? You know what I mean? The price for skinny is too great at that point, you need to be happy and enjoy life too!!