[ali31]

Hello Everyone,

My name is Ali. I have been on IP for almost 4 months and have lost 30 pounds. I started at 260 and now am at 230. I probably would have lost more weight the first month on plan except My first month was the hardest for me and I kept on having little cheats that added up. By month 2 I got more serious and focused and feel that I am doing much better.

While I don’t post here ever, I do check in here daily for my motivation which helps me a lot. So thank you everyone here who post and are so supportive. There are a lot of lurkers (like me ) who really value all of your opinions.

One of my frustrations in my weight loss journey has been inch loss or lack thereof in the belly area.
I have lost about 5 inches off my chest approx 1 inch off my thighs and a little bit off my arms. But my waist which is where I carry most of my weight (50 " waistline) has barely budged! Only 1 inch And because my chest has gotten smaller I am soo much more aware of my belly fat and its really starting to depress me. Has anyone else had this problem where the belly fat is not budging?

Hope everyone has a great Wednesday and Happy Canada Day to any fellow IP Canadians.

[Grateful4Health]

ali31 - I did lose inches on my waist but proportionately my belly always has been (and still is) a sticker outer.
I did wonder at 230 if I would ever feel better about it, and found myself also hitting bouts of depression about it.
What I can tell you, is that it was the last body issue to get worked out, and I’m just now settling with it.
Physically, I feel a ton better, and not so puffy in my waist. And, if I’m going to indulge in body negativity, that’s the area that I don’t like. But I can tell you, having a 36 inch waste feels much better than the 50 inch one I had also, even if it feels proportionately bigger than I think is “right”. When I looked at my “before” pictures I honestly couldn’t remember having a tummy that big.

Be patient, for sure, it will shrink. Trust how and where your body wants to lose. It will redistribute itself. And once you get to maintenance and are able to build more ab muscle you will start to feel better.

After the first 8 weeks of P1 I did yoga in classes that had a mirror. That really helped me stay in touch with my body and how it was changing. Not even so much how it looked, though that helped, but also watching myself get further into poses I couldn’t do before because the weight was in the way. That helped me see that I was doing something really important that was beyond “looks”. Sometimes it was confronting but it helps knowing it’s going to be better every week. Occasionally I wouldn’t go for a few weeks and would find myself a little down (if I don’t exercise I tend to feel more down) and then I would go to yoga, and the endorphins would pick me back up, and also I would see in that mirror how much my body had changed (it’s sometimes too gradual in the day to day mirror at home to notice) and also suddenly I could get further into a pose because my stomach was smaller, and that was awesome to watch happen.

[ali31]

thank you so much for the words of encouragement Im trying to remind myself to take it one day at a time and one healthy choice at a time. Some days it works and some days I think about how much I have to lose and start feeling overwhelmed. But I am determined to keep going. I have my weigh in tomorrow, really hoping for a whoosh! the past 2 weeks ive only lost 3 pounds. Thanks again for your support. Have a great day

[Grateful4Health]

Ali this is great. If you ever feel like it please say hello on the Daily Chat. That’s the main place everyone checks, they don’t always check the individual threads, and if you post your question there you’ll likely get a lot more response. Also people will just like to say hello and welcome you

[Grateful4Health]

Also, I have to say 3 lbs in 2 weeks is actually awesome. Just remember next year this will all be done and it won’t seem so overwhelming.
I just re-read your original post and I also wondered how your BMs are - I had a lot of trouble in the area and my tummy would bloat out if things weren’t moving along.
I think if you feel to post your original post on the daily chat, Maintainers, or 2014 Starters, you might get quite a bit of other thoughts and help. I think there could be a few other things but I’m not sure personally what they would be. Good luck in every way!

[oneuh2]

I just checked my IP weigh in log - on Sept 11, 62 days into my IP program, I had lost 24.4 lbs and my waist was down from 41 inches at start to 39.5 - loss of 1.5 inches. Chest reduction was about the same number of inches. However hips were down from 51 to 47.... A nice 4 inch drop over the same 60 days.

As of a week ago my waist is down to 31 inches, but it has moved slowly over time. My one year anniversary on IP is July 9th. Hips dropped to 38.5 - more than 10 inches in a year. Bust is a somewhat deflated 36 that began at 45.5 inches.

So in the end I am generally down 10 inches in bust, hips and waist, with a fairly well proportioned result, but the losses were fastest on the hips and slowest on the waist.

I would say worry more about continuing the downward trend in pounds and inches, and less about exactly which area is going down. I don't think you can control that - spot reduction seldom really works.

[ali31]

hi ladies! thank you so much for your feedback. im happy to announce that I finally had my whoosh at my weigh in on Thursday. down 4 pounds I am at 226 now. after obsessing for the past two weeks about lack on inch loss it was nice to see myself in the 220's. It was just what I need. I will start to post in the daily chat. While lurking the posts has helped tremoundously with motivation I think posting regularly with help with accountability.
@oneuh2-i loooove your quote!!! "you are far too smart to be the only thing standing in your way". as soon as I read that I smiled to myself and thought" I am too smart to be standing in my own way".
@ Amber-thank you for saying that "next year this will all be done". it really helps to remind ourselves that the struggles in phase 1 are just temporary
if only we could lose weight/inches in our sleep, hehe
Hope you ladies had a great weekend