Ugh...last week I lost 3 lbs and now this week haven't lost anything! I'm not doing anything different this week, I'm in the middle of my cycle so maybe ovulation has something to do with it, but it's really hard after such a great week last week to have nothing this week.

It's been a rough start to the new year and the only thing positive in my life lately has been my weight loss, it's actually a miracle with how stressful life has been that I'm not binging like crazy (I'm an emotional eater). But I've been doing great sticking to it and lost about 7-10 lbs (depending on water retention ) since the begining of the year. So kudos for that, but how do you stay motivated when you're doing what you should and don't lose?

I tend to have a similar pattern - if I have a good week one week, the next week, it's a small loss (.5 lb - my scale only has .5) or nothing.

I think you have to track your losses over time and see that you are going down overall, but try to not get too hung up on just one week at a time.

I try to focus on NSV and such. I think about how, even though I haven't lost any this week - my jeans fit better, my moods are more stable, I hardly ever have heart burn anymore and I just, plain, feel GOOD about myself.

I spent the week between Christmas and New Year's eating nothing but refined, white carbs. And while they were yummy, by the end of the week, I feel like I was dragging. Like my insides were sinking (weird description, I know)

But now that I have been focusing on eating healthfully, eating my veggies, exercising, etc. I JUST FEEL GOOD. I feel more energetic. I feel strong. I tell myself that the weight will come off. It might happen slowly, but it will happen. I tell myself that going back to being unhealthy isn't an option.

And I try to focus on that. Because how you feel about what you are doing/eating is important, too.

OMG yes TOM is the WORST! I've gained TWO lbs this week while being ON PLAN. I haven't changed a thing and have still worked out almost everyday- the first day I gained half a pound- and today I am up 2 lbs, I'm hoping by next Monday it'll go back down and then some!

Hi girls, I know exactly how you're feeling! I was down 2 weeks in a row and then I went up...still not sure why, but I did. So I swore myself off the weight scale for 2 weeks because I knew if I was up twice in a row I was back to my old bad habits! I waited 2 full weeks, stayed focused and ended up being down another 2 pounds. But the wait was hard and the not knowing why the scale fluctuated upwards I found irritating. So if you can, hang in there and stay on track. The weight will come off. It just takes time...that's the toughest part. You can do it!

Not seeing any results from my efforts definitely saps the motivation right out of me.

However, I just try to remember that if I quit, I can be sure that the scale will go up and up and up.

Maybe I want to lose faster but I try to absorb the old wisdom that I didn't gain it overnight and I can't expect to lose it overnight.

So I ask myself, "Where do I want to be a year from now?" Then "How do I get there?"

Thinking long-term helps me overcome the immediate disappointment and get back on track.

I have such a long diet journey....I'll be dieting for nearly two years before I can get to goal. So for me, to stay motivated, I have to have something to work with. So when weight loss slows to a crawl or stop, I go over my records and see where I can see a pattern that might interfere with weight loss, I adjust the foods or the calories....I come up with new challenges for myself.

Lately, I have been working on a notebook where I am pasting in pictures of the clothes I would love to wear if I were at goal weight. We will be taking a transatlantic cruise when I am at goal and have stayed there one year, so I love to imagine the ball gown I would wear, the jewelry....the colours, even the perfume. It's just a fantasy thing right now, but it creates a lovely place for me to be when I feel that weight loss is elusive. I usually start wanting that fantasy more intensely than I want to remain fat and keeps my eye on the prize.

In reality, I know what it's like to lose over a hundred pounds and all that it takes to stay there or to gain it back. I have no illusions this time around. But the one thing I didn't do those times was take the time to enjoy the journey and prepare for the change of being a normal weight. This is the time to work with developing good coping skills, managing stress and finding balance.

I also try to focus more on the overall progress than the individual numbers. Those numbers are always going to fluctuate. Try to look at your averages, they show a truer picture than a single day or week.

Sending positive thoughts your way!

I know how you feel. I felt this way last week. I went up 3 lbs overnight and then dropped over 5 lbs this week. A woman's body is crazy.

I kept telling myself that this will pass. It has too!

Like Goldilocks,I have my closet separated into three sections: "too big", "too small", and "just right". When I get depressed, I try on the things that are too big and remember when they fit me, or were too small. This makes me feel much better. I also try on the things that are too small and notice if I am making any progress--usually I am, even if I haven't lost much scale weight. It seems more "real" when clothes change. This is such an important part of my motivation that when I reached the end of my "too small" section, I went to Goodwill and bought a whole mess of "too small" clothes--not ones I even particularly liked, but ones that I knew I would shrink into nicely--woven cottons and silks and rayons that don't stretch much, mostly.