From what I have read recently, most women only get HALF their rda for potassium, Which is 4700 miligrams! I am checking fitday to keep up on mine.

For me it's fear of letting people down. I have a few dear ones who love my new good health and are very happy for me. I even have a few folks who say they've lost weight because they saw that I could. I would hate to disappoint any of them.

Wow alot of great answers. Thanks

I can't speak for every person or every situation, but some of the time, charlie horses and other types of muscle cramps could be due to dehydration. I used to get HORRIBLE charlie horses in my calves and other muscle cramps, but when I started drinking more water, they've since disappeared. And I've found, that on very rare occasions when I still get charlie horses, it's because I haven't drank enough water that day.

Just a thought I wanted to toss out there

I think what has been hard for me is what I "see" in the mirror. Some days I look in the mirror and think "Wow! I look great, I've lost so much!" and then a few days later I look and think "Arg! I don't look like I've lost anything!" This is after losing over 50lbs! I know in my head that I'm a lot smaller than I was (the clothing sizes prove that), but sometimes I have a hard time seeing it. I think it's mainly due to the fact that I see my body everyday and I'm not shocked by the loss like people who haven't seen me in 3 months are. Looking at pictures help.

I just want to add that I do not have low self-esteem and I don't think I need to be super-skinny. I'm not planning on changing my goal. It's just interesting to me that sometimes I have a hard time seeing the progress I've made. It can be frustrating.

I think one of my biggest pitfalls (especially in the beginning) was I felt powerless over my weight. I felt like I had no control. I started trying to take the weight off. With each lb. lost, I began to feel like maybe I CAN do this. But, I sure didn't feel that way to start with.

My other downfall has been totally switching my plan 6 months after reaching my maintenance goal. I switched from Atkins to Calorie counting. I have to really think sometimes. EX. I'll see a big steak and immediately think, wow, I can eat all that it has no carbs. Then I have to rethink and get a grip. It's loaded with calories and NO I can't eat all that. It's like my mind plays tricks on me sometimes. I'm sure this is why so many wise people on here say "pick a plan you can stick to for life". Very Good advice.

One thing that helped me a lot was to take a multivitamin everyday. That way I knew I was getting my daily allowance of all the essential electrolytes and such that my body needed. I don't think it's possible to eat so many bananas that one's potassium is enormously high.

wow its nice to hear everyones comments on this. Thanks.

I can totally identify with this one, zenor! I do the same thing.