You frequent readers all probably know I've been struggling lately... I got very stressed, stopped exercising, started having problems with stress eating and was having trouble getting myself back in gear. I was never wildly off plan, but I wasn't in the kind of tight control that I need to be in to lose.

I'm happy to report that for the past week I really got my act back together. I exercised EVERY DAY and really started hitting some new fitness milestones-- running at 5.0mph when I used to think 4.5 was fast!

I feel great, I have that slightly hungry feeling I get when I'm losing, and I've been in TIGHT control with my calories.

But weight-wise, I've been bouncing between 187-191 since July 30th, the first day I broke 190...My ticker says 186 but that was ONE day, and it was 186.8. Obviously, I was a little premature to move it. Yesterday 187, today 188.6. September and October were had months for me-- I went through a lot of life changes, decreased my exercise frequency and struggled with eating for a couple of weeks-- not wildly off plan, but not as tight as usual.

But now, I'm feeling like if the scale doesn't move for me I'm REALLY going to get discouraged... I've tweaked my plan, dropped my calories to the low end, and upped my exercise.

Can I really be destined to maintain a BMI of 28 forever???

No. I firmly believe that that is NOT your destiny. I'm just not buying it. No sir-ee. No way. Besides,we create our own destiny (mostly).

You've gone through some serious upheaval (kudos for handling it well as you have, I don't think I would have). You were not as tight as usual, and for folks like you and me (everyone?), tight, tight, tight is what's needed.

Okay. You're back at it - tight (yay you!). But haven't seen results - as of yet. AS OF YET. It's been one week. One word for you - patience. You keep on putting in that continuous, tight effort and the scale will have no choice but to move down. Patience.

You spoke of being discouraged, but I want you to read this from your post:

That sounds to me as if you are thrilled with what you've accomplished this week. Thrilled. Results would have been nice, but you seem (rightfully so) ecstatic over a wonderful, tight week.

Stick with it. Stick with it. Stick with it. Another tight week and then another. One week at a time, one day at a time. Heck one hour at a time - and those results - they're yours.

There are so many more rewards headed your way just with in your reach. Be prepared to be blown away.

Yeah, uber! I'm so glad to hear you are back on track! You sound soooo much happier.

For me, the scale tends to take a week or so to catch up with my body: my results this week usually reflect my efforts last week. My bet is that your scale will start singing your praises this coming week.

I think it is wonderful that you are taking control again. Running 5mph??? Amazing. Good for you.

for uber! I'm so glad to hear you're moving back in the direction you want to go!!

Keep at it - that determination is key. I feel your pain/frustration about scale movement, though.

Just wanted to say WTG on getting back in control!! Sounds like you're doing fantastic, and I have no doubt the scale will show your efforts very soon. It will have no choice but to!!

For me, weight loss (and gain!) is like a large, unwieldly ocean liner. Once it's steaming along in a straight path, it chugs along pretty steadily. But if I've gained a few pounds and want to reverse course, then it takes forever to slow the ship down, turn it in a big circle, and slowly, slowly get the ship going the other way. For me at least, weight gain and loss don't turn on a dime.

You're making fantastic changes inside your body from your on-plan week! It just takes a little time to turn that ship around and have it show up on the scale.

And let me give you HUGE kudos for practicing maintenance so successfully for 3 1/2 months!

yep, what she said, hang in there, Chica.

Thanks everybody!! I feel so much better when I vent here.

I think part of what is bugging me is that before I started wiggling around with my exercise and food, I spent the entire month of July and most of August being gloriously on plan-- running daily in 100+ degree weather and dropping my calories to a bare minimum low, and I was just STUCK STUCK STUCK. It seemed like it took me forever to get through the 190s, but I just can't seem to get below 187-189. I guess I'm scared that I'm going to spend another six weeks, like I did over the summer, working at maximum capacity and losing nothing. Then with all the upheaval in my life, I just couldn't maintain that level of effort.

Now I'm scared I'm going to go all out max and STILL be stuck....

you're a woman of many achievements, so in your heart you know it sometimes IS scary to enter new territory, stretch yourself, try something new. It's ok to be afraid, and it's ok to let go of the fear and enjoy the process.

Even if the scale does remain stuck, Uber -- which I doubt it will -- what have you got to lose by going full-out? I had a horrendous stall, fairly late in the game, and I seriously gutted it out, telling myself that even if that bloody scale DIDN'T move, I was still going to come out ahead, for a couple of reasons:

1) I'm still doing myself a lot of good, even if it's not reflected in measurable numerical losses on the scale. This in and of itself is plenty of reason to really hammer the good eating and exercise.

2) Sooner or later, that scale is going to move in the right direction. (It did, obviously.) I knew the amount of satisfaction I would get from just plain gutting it out was going to be immense. It was. Oh, it was. I've lost 216ish pounds, of those 216, that sudden two pound drop I got at the end of my stall were easily the most gratifying. I did it, you know? I really believed then that I had what it takes to lose all the weight I wanted to lose, and then keep it off, because I just. kept. going.

You can totally do this. Look how far you've come.

I just don't think this is the case. I know it's easy for me to sit here and say this, as you're the one doing the work, but there's just no way that you can't not lose.

I think you have to keep plugging away and plugging away, if for nothing else (& I don't think it will come to this at all), you know you've given it 150%. You will never have to wonder, "what if?".

You WILL outsmart that scale. You've got the know how and the wherewithal.

You not only CAN do this - you are GOING to do this. You're taking this baby all the way home. All. the. way. home.

Uber, is it possible that you are gaining significant muscle mass, and that's why the scale is staying still? I don't know about other people, but I tend to trust my instincts over the scale. I know my body and all my fat deposits (ha!), so I can tell when things are changing even if my scale refuses to budge. Maybe you should take some quality time to assess yourself. Do you feel leaner? Stronger? Tighter? Because it sounds like you've reached a breakthrough with your exercise (WTG! 5mph is so great!) and that might be as a result of brand-new, sexy, heavy muscles.

Exactly what Meg said - sometimes it takes a week or two of being solidly. Oh track for our bodies to re-establish their momentum for loss. I also find, like Robin, I have to be absolutely tight on my calorie deficit if I want to see definitive, dramatic scale progress. I can piddle around and lose a little weight slowly by keeping a more lax food plan, but if I want to move downward in a nice trend I must be on top of it and stay there.


Thankfully, I have been, and you have as well! I am rooting for you to see a solid loss in the coming week or two. Keep working at a deficit and it WILL happen. No doubt about it.

Your new fitness milestone is awesome, 5 mph is really impressively quick for a walk/jog!

Aww, you're doing awesome. Keep doing what you're doing. You'll push past the plateau. Do you do intervals when you run? I find that doing interval sprints of running as fast as you can for 20-30 seconds, and then walking for a minute to recover, and then speeding up again really can boost the metabolism and fat burning process. I really like intervals, and it helps with improving my cardio output very quickly.

Keep it up, because you'll eventually go down on the scale.