Oh boy, so I made a bad day worse.

I've been losing pretty slowly. I went to Vegas for 4 days, came back and gained 1 lb. 3 days later, I took off 2.5 and was quite happy with that. Today, another 3 days later the 2.5 is back again!

It must be water weight or something...I don't get it. It's very frustrating for me. I want this plan to work for me so badly..and it seems like a real struggle. I've been working out harder than I ever have - pretty much every day for 45min hard cardio on average.

I guess I just need to be patient and it will happen. I just see the time goals that I set for myself slipping away. They also reinforced this at my COD with the counsellor said..."you know you aren't going to make goal at this rate"...thanks again!

Anyways, I ended up eating probably 1/2 cup of mini m &m's, some cake batter and spoonfuls of vanilla frosting while making easter cupcakes for my class. I will get back on track tomorrow. Any words of wisdom would be appreciated.

Sarah

Start right back OP, right this very minute!! Don't wait until later or even tomorrow morning. Naturally thin people have treats every so often, but what they do NOT do is eat everything in their sight for the next 2 weeks when they indulge a bit. They listen to their bodies....eat when they are hungry (most of the time).......and don't obsess about every little morsel they put into their mounths. Cassi, one of our olbies that hasn't been around very much, used to remind of this often. Just keep your chin up, and work hard at becomming a healthier you everyday!!! You can do this!!!
XOXO

Thanks Nicole,

I appreciate your motivating words. I think when we diet, we tend to "obsess", which isnt really normal. I will keep my chin up and get back on track right now!! I just drank a big glass of water Hopefully I will see a loss on Thursday *fingers crossed*.

Sarah

My goodness your COD sure had a wee bit of a mean streak that day didn't she. WE All give in to our old habits once in a while , we're only human after all . Nothing wrong with that. So don't beat yourself up just get back on plan and
I use a little chart on my fridge and everyday I stay on plan and get my exercise in I mark an "x" on it when I hit 7 days in a row without cheating at all I buy something fun for myself . Nothing expensive just something small ,like Sunday it was a bag of spring scented potpourri . I put half in my car and half in my laundry room. So everytime I go somewhere or sort dirty socks I get a pleasant little spirit lift (spring is my favorite season) and subtle reminder that good things come from being on plan. Last week it was a pair of bright green shoelaces and a leprechaun hat that I wore out walking all week . Helped me speed my walk a bit also. Point is be good to yourself and acknowledge the small things just like we do when our little ones make a little step towards hitting a major goal (like a hug for going potty).
GIVE YOURSELF A HUG AND A REWARD FOR EVERY LITTLE STEP IN YOUR JOURNEY. It gets easier every single day though it doesn't seem like it sometimes just stick with it . Here's your first hug now go buy some purple shoelaces and bunny ears and go for a walk .
Have a great day and keep your chin up .
Lois

I is a mistake to only look at this program as a tool for weight loss. In fact we are all in a process of relearning our eating habits. Weight loss is easy compared to changing entire processes and habits.
When it is all said and done we need to have learned not to eat the way we used to. Our old habits lead to our weight issues and we can never go back.
That said every small hold up is not a failure it is just a step in the process. In affect you need to be only choosing options that will also work for you in the long run not just during WL. For me I reevaluated my eating and now look at my diet as plant based with lean protein and whole grain starches as much as possible. Fast food, soda and processed foods are not healthy so not part of my diet. This does not mean I do not sometimes make other choices but those are items outside of my usual diet and not a regular thing I indulge in.
When my WL is done I will not be changing my basic diet just adding more foods to my options.

Tuesday, wise words! Same to Nicole... all great advice!

Sarah, You are doing just fine.

I took longer than the "prescribed rate" to lose my weight, and now it just doesn't matter. A year from now if you are at your goal weight, will it really be a big issue that it took you 5 more weeks to get there? I stressed myself out over not making my "goal" and it seems so silly to me now. Just do your best, know that life will always be sending you things that make it hard to lose weight, and how you deal with them and get back to eating healthy is the key to success. This requires you to forgive yourself and get past black and white thinking about dieting... always try to make better choices, even if sometimes you will make ones that would make a counselor lecture you.. hey they sometimes eat junk too, since I don't know about your counselors, but we had some kind of chunky ones where I went.

Anyway, in the end losing quickly is just not that important. Learning how to live as a healthier person is.

Oh and exercising often makes the scale move a little slower, but the physical transformation that you make for the pounds that you do lose is much greater. So if you just want to see the scale move, exercise is bad, but if you want to look totally great and feel great and be able to maintain your weight eating more calories, there is nothing better than exercise. I did not lose as much weight as I had hoped to lose, but I got about 2 sizes smaller than I thought I would... which is just wonderful and I feel great, so it is definitely not all about the scale. Very few people will ever see what you weigh! Everyone will see your size, so check the measurments, they really are a better guide to how well you are doing, especially if you have recently started exercising.

Thanks for all your kind words. Barbara you are so right about the timing not mattering, as long as you get there. I just wish I didn't have to listen to some of these counsellors.

here is a good motivating quote I found on someones signature recently. I think I'll tape it to my fridge:

“The thing about it is, the time needed to lose the weight would pass whether I made the effort or not, so for me, the choice was: did I want to spend that time losing or gaining weight? The choice was obvious.”

Thanks again,

Sarah