I am new to posting, but old to lurking. I lost 75 pounds in 2007 between January and October. Since then, nada. But all due to not returning to my "better eating" plan, therefore self-inflicted.

How long was your longest plateau? Was it a decision to take a break? Was it some sort of block? Procrastination? And how did you move past it into losing again?

I am not referring here to the kind of plateau in which one stays on plan, but for some reason stops showing progress.

I guess this is more about getting the head in gear.

So how about it? Am I the only one lost in Procrastination
City?

Boomer,

I lost my first 75 from April to Nov 2004. Then I stayed the same for a little while and lost 20 lbs more about 6 mo later. So 2006, I went totally OFF plan and GAINED that 20 lbs. BLEH! Showed me how easily bad eating habits could rear their ugly heads. I started back on plan and started losing slowly.

I started doing WW online in early 2007 and have been doing points every since. My losses are reflected in how serious I am in any month. I have lost 30+ lbs doing WW this past year. It's painfully slow, but that's ok. I want to have an eating plan that includes life, not one that has me isolated where I can't eat "normal" foods or where I can't celebrate bdays or holidays. I am trying the mantra "there are no bad foods, just bad amounts". I know I can make better choices than calorie dense foods. I also know there are a few foods that I can't have bulk amounts of in my house.

I plateau for months on end, then I get serious and coordinate myself, exercise and my eating so I lose weight. Stress and life usually plateau me, but the good news is that it doesn't cause me to totally lose it and gain.

I don't know if any of this helps!

Luv,
Ratkity

Welcome out of lurkdom!

Well, I'm not sure if mine qualifies by your definition, but...

I'm basically maintaining in the mid-170s, having lost 120 pounds. My life is so much better in so many ways, I wear a size 12, and I think in many ways I just don't have the motivation to go lower, even though I am definitely still overweight.

I didn't really actively make the decision to maintain until I had been at this weight for several months. But I know that in my head, I just didn't have the motivation to keep losing.

So, that might or might not be what you're talking about!

I originally lost around 36lbs but then it stopped – entirely my fault though, I gained around 10lbs back because I was comfort eating but now I am back on track again and this time I am not gaining any back! – well that is the plan!

I also hear that the nearer you are to target the harder it is to shed the pounds, like it just slows down and you could go for weeks without losing.

Mine has been since April last year pretty much. I have stayed the same since then, I've been trying-but nothing. I thought I'd lost weight since being on the diet absolutely religiously since New Years, but weighing this morning I've somehow put ON 9lb (271lb). To say I am upset is a slight understatement.

Large parts of last year for me. I lost 75 pounds in 2006 and then in 2007 around 30. I was dealing with a lot of things - namely the end of a 5 year relationship and then finding my own apartment. These were both emotionally stressful and wreaked havoc on my routine.

Would I have loved to have lost a good bit more weight last year? Definitely! However, I am most proud of the fact that I am still here and holding on. There were lots of times that I could have given up, and that in itself is pretty major. I may not have been losing, but I was maintaining. I have to remember to give myself credit for that because it is no small thing.

The other thing I have learned is that I wasn't varying my workout routine enough. I liked the elliptical and would often do an hour at a time but not much was happening. I didn't want to think about doing anything else, so I kept doing the same thing and getting diminishing results.

I don't know if mine was a self-inflicted plateau or not. In the summer of 2004 I had lost about 130 pounds and ended up in the hospital. At the time I was told to lay off the 'over doing it', and eat to maintain until I was well. I probably maintained until almost the end of that year. Then I changed jobs (to one I was unhappy in) and gained about 50 back. I maintained that up until this summer when I was unemployed (my choice) and started gaining again. I finally stopped it in December and have started losing again. Although I'm still not at the lowest plateau (and won't be for a while), so I'm not sure that the term applies.

I'm on one -- I've maintainted a 135 pound weight loss for over a year and a half -- I'm comfortable in my new body, but not overly happy it's not the weight I made my goal for. I just was pretty happy with my weight loss at the time I stopped losing and pretty tired of counting every calorie and working out like a fiend every day, so I just took a break. I didn't think it would last this long, but I know once I get back on the program, it'll come off without a problem. I'm aiming to get to my goal this year. I just feel unfinished. I want to be able to post my "Goal!" picture and story here. I also want to try to be in a health magazine for my weight loss story. I was already scouted for one before, but I didn't feel comfortable enough because I wasn't at my goal weight.

Wow! Thanks for all your replies.

Ratkity- It sure does help. I see that in this process you have lost well over 100 lbs. Congratulations.

If I could be sure that I`d get myself together eventually and do the same, I`d have a lot less angst.

Heather- I thought of you when first posting, and hoped you`d respond. I think I am a bit too comfortable right now. I`ve gone from 300 lbs. even, to 225. At age 61 I haven`t been this size for over 20 years. That said I`m still a bit shy of just overweight at 6 feet tall. So I`m really not ready to coast forever.

Moosegirl- It is heartening to hear that people on 3FC are just keeping on and succeeding.

Homersmummy- I`m not qualified to give advice on your stall like some of the other Chicks, but I do know you can`t give up.

Not The Cheat- I just happened to see your pics yesterday, and was sooo impressed. I don`t know why I tend to think my path SHOULD be straight and smooth. You are inspiring.

Anne- I just made that term up to describe my own failure to stay in the groove. It sounds like you had some challanging circumstances. This is the reason I am so baffled at my own behavior. My life and health has been pretty smooth.

Harpo Chico Groucho- Bingo! I have about 50 more lbs to go, and feel unfinished too. Somehow at 300, I could swim a mile and hike around, so I keep up the exercise, and tend to think of it as separate from my eating, since I do it for mental health and enjoyment regardless of my weight.

Unfinished! That's the perfect word for how I'm feeling. I've lost 6 lbs in the last 6 months, for all practical purposes a plateau. I say that I've been on plan, but in all honesty, I'm eating just enough more to really maintain instead of lose weight. I'm pretty comfortable where I'm at. I'm not particularly willing to cut my calories any lower or increase my exercise time.

However, this is not where I truly want to be. Despite what my ticker says, I'd like to get to a normal BMI, which would require a loss of another 20 lbs or so.

I don't know the answer as far as how to get past this point, but I'm interested in reading what everyone else says.

Like Nancy, I think I need to vary my workout. But again, I'm comfortable where I'm at and haven't seemed to be able to make myself change.

I think I'm in much the same place tammy described. I think that changing my exercise and finding things I like to do for their OWN sake would really help. Toward that end, I'm hoping to be able to ride my bike to work much more this year. I live 2 miles from the office and now have a bike and lock. It's very doable. Then maybe I can start to think about biking more. Last year we biked some trails, but not regularly. I really like being outside.

I'm also going to try rock climbing. We have a wall at my gym, but I've never been. Time to try!

I do know that for whatever reason, I am okay "coasting" for now. And if I stay this weight the rest of my life, I still know I've done something pretty amazing. But if I do decide to become even more active, I may be even more pleased with the results.

Either way, I've reclaimed my life!

Heather- I hope the use of the word "coast" was not insulting. I was referring to myself only when I used it. Yikes! I admire you so much. I want to be you.

Boomer

Oh, not at all! It does describe the feeling I have. I keep doing the things to maintain the weight I am, but do not seem to be willing to change it up enough to lose more! Feels like coasting in a way!

And you don't really want to be me. You'd be grading papers all the time!

But seriously, you've made an amazing accomplishment and I bet are feeling better than you have in those 20 years. You're moving better too, right? Fitting in smaller clothes? More active? There are so many ways to positively view our accomplishments. I think sometimes we feel we have to get to a certain weight because of external reasons. But I think those of us with so much to lose really do have to think about whether these numbers really make sense for us... if that makes any sense!

Yes to all the above and having people not recognize me! It is nice to do all my walking and so forth pain free.

All that being said, I`m not at peace with where I am, though it is very possible that it will happen independently of any particular number.