[Shelle_G]

I weighed myself today and I lost 1. 5 pounds this week. I have lost 4 pounds in the last two weeks but don't feel as good about it as I probably should.
Is progress always this slow? I know I should be happy that I didn't gain or stay the same - but I feel down in the dumps instead.
I guess I just need some encouragement... Anyone?

[laura_on_a_bike]

1.5- 2 pounds a week is a very healthy rate to lose weight. and its not slow. at this rate you are lossing almost 10 pounds a month. thats how fast i lost my weight and i was extatic. just keep focussed. in no time you will have dropped quite a bit of weight and it will feel so good. all those pounds add up quick.

[funniegrrl]

We've been brainwashed by the make-a-buck weight loss "industry" that the only acceptable rate of weight loss is 10 pounds per week or whatever, so anything less than that seems slow and ineffective. As laura said, safe, healthy weight loss is more in the 1 to 2 pounds per week range. But, that's a hard fact to swallow when we're surrounded by messages that faster is better.

The keys are: First, realize that promotion of faster losses is just part of the hucksterism surrounding most weight loss books, supplements, etc. and readjust your expectations to reality, not fantasy. The second is to focus on the changes you are making in your life and all the positive effects, and not on the weight. Weight loss is a SIDE EFFECT of adopting a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Adjust your goal so that it is NOT to get to a certain weight, but to BE at a healthy weight for the rest of your life. With that long-term view, the rate at which you lose becomes less important.

These mental adjustments do take time and practice, but every time you find yourself thinking negatively about your progress, just gently nudge your mind back into a positive frame, and remind yourself that you're doing this in a healthy way for long-term results.

[NYCT1981]

It's easy to want something now now now. I am like that, but with this weight loss thing, it really is better to lose it more slowly. 1.5 or 2 pounds a week isn't even that slow, it's really great. i agree with laura - they add up quick.

[Shelle_G]

I think I feel this way because I feel like such a blimp. I know that it requires work and patience. This is not a diet - it is a lifestyle change. And I have made many positive changes in my life over the last month.

Also I think it's guilt. I haven't been exercising much and feel that if I had my loss would have been greater.

[jansan]

When I was in my twenties and thirties, I felt like a blimp too. I remember going to a TOPS meeting at about 170 thinking I was obscenely gross and wanting to get to 125, and was very surprised as well as off-put when so many of the older and heavier women there kept asking what was I doing there becuase to them I didnt look heavy and didnt need to lose any weight at all. Were they blind or something??? I am almost 60 now and thankfully more comfortable in my own skin. When I look back at photos of myself back from that time, and with more experienced eyes, I simply was not all that heavy at that size. Not skinny, but certainly in a normal range for my bones and muscles. In fact my current goal is 170. It was what I thought of myself that was causing such distress at that size. I am not telling you not to want to lose weight, just be kinder to yourself as you lose.

If you do the math, 2 pounds/week reflects a deficite of 7000 calories for the week, or 1000/day. No small sacrifice. To eat even less might even result in less loss as the body will go into famine mode and slow the metabolism more. Of course there are water fluctuations to consider too when looking at weekly weight.

Be patient. We all want it yesterday. 30 years later I still want it RIGHT NOW too, but I have to tell myself to relax. If I dont, I will get very frustrated and go off my eating plan entirely. And what good will that do?

If it were easy and straightforward to lose weight, and if it all went according to plan, there wouldnt be numerous internet forums and wl sites frequented by thousands of individuals, there would be no massive weight loss industry, no special diet foods in the grocery, there would be no ww nor jennie craig, articles on every magazine cover, numerous dieting books, and increasing obesity in our society. Its frustrating and hard in so many ways, both physically as well as emotionally. There are going to be ups and downs both on the scale and in our minds no matter how 'good', what or how little we eat, how much we exercise along the way.

Jan hw/250/s214/c206/g?170?

[laura_on_a_bike]

Originally Posted by Shelle_G

Also I think it's guilt. I haven't been exercising much and feel that if I had my loss would have been greater.

i feel you on this. if i don't excercise or slack off considerably i start to feel, not guilty, but out of control. when i am working out and counting calories even if i don't loose a pound, i feel in control of what i am doing with my body. get out and work out. it will relieve stress and boost your confidence. once you get back into a regular routine, you will wonder why you ever got out of it in th first place. good luck.