Like everyone has already said, all those .8 lbs add up! Maybe it doesn't matter to someone who isn't trying to lose weight because either they don't have to or don't want to, but that's their problem. Try not to let other peoples remarks get you down. Remember, you're doing this for yourself not for others.

And remember, even if you never lose a whole pound during one week, fractions can get you all the way to goal. I think that's what finally clicked in my mind. When you have 250 lbs to lose, you can't lose enough in one week or even one month to feel like you're making any headway. Even a 6 lb loss in a week seemed like such a "drop in the bucket," that I couldn't envision losing all of the weight I need to. So, I stopped envisioning the "end" and just focused on each tiny little drop. Even now, whenever I get discouraged, it's usually because I stopped looking at the "drops" and started thinking about the "big picture," and how far I still have to go. I actually had to make a little sticker chart, so that every single, stinkin' little pound is a reason to celebrate. If it starts getting too hard to lose one lb in a week, I'll make a chart of half or even quarter pound increments, because if I don't have something to celebrate most weeks, I know I'll get discouraged and give up, and that isn't an option I'm willing to consider.

If throwing a blippin' parade after each .2 lbs is what I need to do to stay motivated, hey I'm gonna do it. Every ounce lighter I become matters to me, it matters a lot.

Yep, I know about overwhelming. I think it's the single largest threat to weight loss and maintenance. The second it becomes overwhelming, an opportunity for failure opens up. I still painfully remember being within 5 lbs of my "goal weight" of 150 lbs. I was in high school, and had lost 70 lbs over the course of three years (starting at 225 lbs in 8th grade). I was losing about 1 lb a month and getting so crazy frustrated, and my doctor lowered my goal weight to 145. Jeez, I could barely imagine getting to 150. Instead of telling the doctor to go jump (I think he was actually trying to remotivate me, how completely oblivious he was), I jumped ship and regained the 70 lbs, plus another 20 just for good measure by freshman year.

That unfortunately is the diet trap. When you lose weight, regaining generally means "and then some," so I realize that going back doesn't mean going back to 394, and back to sleep apnea, showering on a stool, waking up every 45 minutes to change positions due to pain. Instead, it would probably mean "going on" to 400+ and to other problems and pains I don't even want to imagine.