I'm stuuuuck. Well, my scale is. I'm within spitting distance of my weight on January 1st. It was bound to happen sometime, right? I'm sticking to my plan and waiting it out, but it's not nearly as much fun as watching the numbers on the scale drop! I'm not calling it a plateau yet, but I'm getting progressively irritated to see the scale bounce around day after day with no downward movement when I'm doing my part. I keep thinking, tomorrow will be the day, tomorrow will be the day, but so far, nada.

No sympathy required here, I just think it's important that I acknowledge the sucky times as easily as I celebrate the milestones. It's all part of the journey, is it not? Onward and downward, my friends...

That's good that you're not getting down by the lack of progress. We just have to keep trying!

Thank you for sharing. Hang in there...I am rooting for you!

Yep yep and yep. You know what to do girl... yer a weight loss superstar! Watch and wait...

CC -- you're my hero, you know. Nary a whimper or whine, just your steely determination to keep on going. After all, what IS the alternative?

Maybe it would help if you think of this as practice for maintenance? Once we're maintaining, we don't get the reward of the scale moving -- yet we get up and do the same things everyday that we did to lose the weight. As you know all too well, it takes just as much work to stay in one place as to lose! So we have to look at other places than the scale for the payoff. Are you feeling strong and fit? Are you loving your smaller size clothes? Are you getting a chill when you look at your before pictures? Are you amazed at where you fit and what you can do? You should be!

Our bodies go through a huge shock when they drop 100+ pounds! Sometimes they need to stop and regroup before letting go off any more fat. Yep, it's all part of the journey but I know -- beyond the shadow of a doubt -- that the scale will get moving again. In the meantime, enjoy where you are because it's a lovely place to be.

Greetings!

I completely understand. Today was actually the first time I saw "no change" on the scale and didn't let it ruin the rest of my day. I have a mini-obsession with those numbers through charting and reporting, and seeing a horizontal line just does not impress me. Normally, I would have considered it a failed week, but for some reason that doesn't seem accurate today.

Onward and downward indeed...

I like the concept of "practice maintenance" and staying to plan even if the scale isn't moving. (which mine is not doing either!)

I've really thrown myself into the Points challenge here, and challenged myself to go 7 days straight (or longer) earning all 4 points each day. So far, 5 in a row, so that is some motivation for me when I'm starting to feel a little frustrated. I think I need something quantifiable, and if it's not the scale moving, at least it's seeing my nice little column of 4s grow.

I also keep trying to remind myself that I'm changing my life, not just my weight, and every day I stay on plan is another day's reinforcement of these good habits I want to have forever.

but part of me thinks it just sucks

119 lbs lost....hot diggity, you really do rock the whole weight loss scene. I agree, your body might be saying, whew! ha!

Aw, thanks, Meg! I've been telling myself that even if I never lost another pound, this body is way better than the one I had before. And I KNOW it won't come to that, so I'm not worrying yet. The idea of treating it as maintenance is something I've been thinking about. It's made me realize I'm seriously driven by the dropping numbers and I'm going to have to learn to find joy in staying the same if I'm ever going to maintain long term! It's a good lesson and probably one better learned now than being surprised at goal...

Thanks everyone for your kind posts!

The thing my plateaus have taught me is to really focus on my fitness as the main goal, rather than watching the numbers drop.

Don't get me wrong, I reallyreally wish those %$*!@!! numbers would drop. But I am enjoying how fit and strong I'm becoming in the meantime.

You'll get through this little stall. 'Practice maintenance' is a great way to look at it (that's how I think of it, when I'm not busy banging my head against the nearest wall!)

I think this is so important for all of us to see. It is definitely good for everyone to see the good, the bad and the ugly. Otherwise I think we all wonder why everyone seems to have success but us. After all, in the real world we don't see failure. No one talks about their failed weight loss attempts and you certainly can't SEE it. All we SEE is the success of people who do lose the weight. So if no one saw bumps along the road of the "losers" on this site we might wonder why life isn't so perfect for us.

Any way, good for you! Your attitude will get you far.

Well, I certainly know how you're feeling, and I LOVE your attitude.

The crazy thing about weight loss is that it DOES seem so easy, almost effortless in the beginning.

It's what we do with the bumps that matter....

Hang in there!!

You're my she-ro. You have such a positive attitude... it's contagious!

I hope your scale moves soon.

Yup! That's why I wanted to call it out. Plus it helps to have you all in my corner lest this drag on and I stop taking it so well...

Amen, sister!