Just wonderig if the first week is indeed the hardest! If that's the case, then this isn't going to be so bad! Today marks one week for me, and I don't feel all that deprived, in fact I am ANAL about this weight loss thing, LOL! Oh, and I am totally obsessed with my scale!
Just wonderig if the first week was the hardest for you all!

BTW...is it okay if I share pics on this site? I would like to show you ladies my children! I have a photobucket account that I use on another forum.

I think each stage is hard in it's own way. The early weeks are hard because you are giving up foods that have probably become staples. They are easy because you are so gung ho about the process. The middle stage (where you probably stay the longest) is hardest in my opinion. (I have successfully lost this weight before .) There are plateaus and times when the monotony of weight loss sets in and the early excitement wears off. This is where though, hopefully, what you are doing becomes a true lifestyle. And it is exciting especially if you are taking measurements and pictures to see the changes in yourself. Maintenance has it's own obstacles too. For me the first time I lost weight I definitely had a "diet" mindset, and it was hard to maintain that once I lost the weight. It was also hard to go without the "reward" of seeing a loss on the scale. I would just say don't get too comfortable and realize that it's going to be a process, which I'm sure you do. Congrats on the success of the first week!

I've read that if you do something new for a certain length of time, I think it was 21 days, then it becomes a habit. This is certainly what has happened with me. I love food, I love eating it, cooking it, smelling it, all of it. When I decided to change my lifestyle and go healthier it was rough for me in the beginning. No more regular nights out at my favourite mexican restaurant, no more fast food and to make matters worse I work for a KFC franchise and one of our restaurants is situated 100 yards away from my office and we get a 50% discount!!!

The first week was tough but as time went on and I started eating healthier things I found it more difficult to decide to eat unhealthier food. About a month into my new lifestyle I found that I was thinking of healthy foods without realising, when I was planning my shopping list, ordering at a restaurant or just daydreaming about what to have for lunch.

If you want it, the longer you do it, the more it will become a habit. It's hard at first but when you start seeing results, you will want it more. At least that's what I did.

I don't think any of this has been truly hard, per se, but the beginning is definitely the most challenging, as you're attempting to find your balance and set your limits. Sort of like having to get used to a routine. But like Lynne said, and I agree, it's become such a habit for me now (what I eat and how much) that I could probably get away with not even counting calories anymore. But that's become a habit as well. And I like doing it, so I have no intention of stopping, whether I need to continue on with it or not. Because I realize in order to keep this weight from coming back on, I'll have to watch my calories for the rest of my life.

I think happydaisy hit it straight on...it's the middle process and all the plateaus that are going to slow you down. Some of it becomes habit, and really easy, but there are still those days when I'm *so* hungry for no reason and other days where you go over your range and want to beat yourself up about it. When you are losing it can help, but I find like many ladies on here that is when I have to be the most careful because I will think "oh, my weight is down I can have a little treat today" which is stupid thinking but there it is.

Anyways, I don't think it gets easier so much...it gets a lot more habitual as you start breaking certain habits and creating new ones. Unfortunately if you let yourself get too habitual it's easy to fall back. Just try to keep things fresh, visit here, and keep the thought of being healthy always somewhere in your mind. Glad to hear it is starting so well for you though, and of course we are all here anytime you need support.

I'm gonna jump in with an opposing opinion. If you are like me, the first weeks were awesome! I love to plan and scheme! I fiddled with fitday. I measured and ate and conjectured and ate and counted my pulse and ate, figured out how many miles I had to walk to work off my ice cream and I ate ...

The hard part came when I realised that not only did I have to calculate and tabulate everything .... I had to make some changes! Did I mentioned that although I weighed myself on three different scales at least three times a day I didn't lose anything?

Then came the next easiest part for me, figuring out how I could eat the BIGGEST food with the least calories. From then it was a game. I'd put food in fitday before I ate it and change things before I cooked it. Left some leftovers on my plate and then went back to fitday to remove them! All in the game, all fun!

Now I'm gonna veer off and agree. The hardest parts are when you are doing all the right things and weightloss is not. And there's an awesome thread around these days called something like plateaus. I'll find it and post the link.

I STILL do

I kind of agree with SusanB. The first week was the easiest for me. I was so excited and pumped, and sure I was going to succeed.

The second week got a little harder. I didn't have the same feeling of despair that I had when I started. Without that nagging little voice always there, always cheering me on, I started to slip. The third week was the worst. So bad in fact, I failed altogether. I think the difference this time, is that I might have failed for a while but I'm pulling myself right back up, whereas before I'd blame it on something, say I'd try again in a few months, and go back to the status quo.

Altari ... I don't want you to say that you failed altogether. Chances are you merely screwed up a very short period of time, in the grand scheme of things. And you will never lose the knowledge you gained doing that.
All in all ... you're really ahead of the game, right?