I have been working with a personal trainer and nutritionist for almost one month now. I have lost nearly 20lbs and im feeling really good. Well aside from the sore muscles and all. Around ten pounds I felt great about how my cloths were starting to fit and I felt prettier in them. Oddly now ten pounds more lost, I feel flabby and fat. I feel like I have shrunk everywhere but my tummy and I feel flabby. I still have almost 100 pounds before I reach my goal and I understand that the whole thing is a process. I just am curious if any of you have ever had something similar happen? Are there just stages I will reach along the way that will feel uncomfortable? Its odd to me that I can feel fatter when im ten pounds lighter. Its just my tummy area that feels huge all the sudden. I wish I could control where the fat goes from first. Another concern is that this is the point of weight loss where I have given up in the past. Any tips to keep going long enough to reach a huge goal like 120 pounds lost? Thanks everyone!

Hi sticking2it,

I think it has something to do with the fact that we are now focusing on our bodies so closely, that we become more aware of what they actually look like. I know that before my attempts to lose weight I am deliberately avoiding looking in mirrors, trying on clothes from my wardrobe that will be a tight fit (or not fit at all!) or other things that will confirm my size. Learning how to perceive size accurately is difficult, without the "OMG, I'm HUGE" wailing and teeth gnashing or the denial that creeps in when we've lost a few but are still overweight/obese. I've definitely experienced this rapid see-sawing of perception, and I've felt fatter (by far) after losing weight.

As well... even if we understand logically that weight loss is a long journey etc, we often are disappointed when we don't lose the weight as quickly as we want. Its so easy to look at the progress we've made it and dismiss it as not even close to the final goal. Five kilos lost (I'm Australian, so I think in kilos, not pounds ) is a significant achievement and the most important weight you'll lose in a way, as it started you on this journey.

I agree with messycrayola and I think the point is not to focus on what is wrong now, but rather that it will all even out in the end.

I'm losing my weight in the strangest places and yes it sucks that you can't pick the place where you want to lose it the most, but eventually, when you've taken off the 120 lbs, all of you will be much smaller.

I also wonder if the reason you're focusing on not losing the weight in the belly now and feeling unmotivated, flabby and fat, IS because you're reaching that weight where you normally give up?

Maybe you're trying to sabotage yourself from getting past that mark?

Maybe you need to forget your belly and what's going on now and focus on getting to a different number?

As I've lost some weight, the fat in my belly gets all loose and extra floppy. I hate it. I almost want to gain back the weight so it will firm up again!

I heard, once upon a time, that spinning has been shown effective in targeting stomach fat. I don't have the article, I think I read it a few years ago. Try hitting a spinning class.

It happens to me where I feel fatter.. usually its me PMSing and needing to see a picture of the difference to remind me I'm on the right path. It's weird I used to think the person in the photo was photoshopped. There was no way my body would be changing! Now I'm just trying to accept it and keep going forward. I still have a lot to lose! Change is good!

Did you really look at yourself before you started losing weight? Many of us are avoiding mirrors and such like the plague, and doing our best to avoid thinking about our bodies. Now that you're losing weight and exercising, you're paying more attention to your body, and you've moved out of that stage where you ignore it (if you are doing this sort of thing, anyway). So it would be natural for you to be looking at it more critically now. It's just a perception thing, though. Concentrate on your progress, not how much you have left to do. I started taking measurements a few months ago, and even though it feels like the weight is coming off my tummy the slowest, it turns out that I'm actually losing inches from there the fastest.

I think a few things are going on here:

- It's actually a GOOD thing when your stomach starts to feel flabby after weight loss. Why? Because it means you're probably losing visceral fat (the bad one that coats your organs and is most likely to cause you problems). It gives the beer belly look on guys and is why many obese men/women have hard stomachs. I had that too and it sure wasn't muscle. As you lose (especially if you're exercising) your visceral fat goes away and it leaves subcutaneous fat, which is right underneath your skin. Because it isn't as anchored down as visceral fat it's usually soft and squishy (for instance, and the moment I can easily take handfuls of the fat on my stomach and I promise you there's not just lose skin there!). The point is celebrate that your stomach is squishy because that means you're getting healthier. The subcutaneous fat does go down, I know mine is shrinking but it just takes time.

- Losing disproportionately. Again, totally normal. I actually had what I so lovingly refered to as my "imaginary pregnancy period". If you seem my progress pictures here, at 185lbs I had actually lost a lot from everywhere in my body but from the side my stomach stuck out a lot still!!!! I even got asked fairly often around that weight if I was pregnant, ugh! Thankfully, with the last almost 10lbs lost it's flattened out a lot but we just can't pick and chose where our bodies lose and sometimes it comes everywhere BUT the place we want it to lose the most. The good news is, is that with patience (and with even just a few more pounds lost), it'll eventually come off everywhere.

- As you lose you're just so much more conscious of your body. You might be weighing daily, taking your measurements, looking in the mirror more, paying attention to how your clothes fit etc. It's natural to notice small imperfections that you might not have noticed before. It's OK. We all have them. What you need to do now is ACCEPT those imperfections but also notice your perfections. Notice what is good about your appearance and learn to dress to your strengths.

Perfectly normal. You lose in different spots before things redistribute. If you're losing your butt and around your ribcage, your stomach will feel bigger. Last fall, I was at 265, and my gut was just getting on board before I panicked and regained. You're close to the magic range where you start feeling thinner. Hang in there.

I agree with everyone else - this is just part of the process of losing. I started about where you did and I'm about where you are now. Last night I looked down at my belly and thought "Holy crap - my belly is HUGE!" Now, really - it was certainly larger 55 pounds ago but I never really gave it much thought.

I think part of it is that as we lose weight certain parts of our bodies are more noticeable because maybe they aren't shrinking as fast as other parts so they look larger by comparison.

And honestly, sometimes I just think it's our heads messing with us. There are times that I get on the scale - sure that it's going to show a 20 pound gain because I feel SO huge compared to the day before - only to be shocked when it shows a pound or two loss. No accounting for how our minds mess with us during this process.

Can I first just say I love 3FC because I learn so much? My stomach did feel so much flabbier as I lost weight... It's a relief knowing I didn't lose muscle which wouldn't make much sense anyway as I've never worked out. Thanks for the insightful posts, guys!

I'd like to add though that I can relate when I suddenly have off days, or I feel skinny in the morning and then I go shopping for skirts. And then I feel fat. So I guess there are two sides to this issue: self-perception of your body & weight loss, and the fact that flab can be fab... Depending on the context

I think everything that has been said so far is true. But it's also mental. Some days I feel fatter than I did nearly a 100lbs ago. I think I just had less of an awareness of my body then. There's something about being on this journey that makes you hyper-aware of your body, where you're losing, where you're not losing, what's flabbier, what's thinner etc, and it can be a negative thing if you let it discourage you.

Well done on your loss so far. You're doing amazingly. Regarding tips to keep from giving up:
1. Keep plugging away, one day at a time. Try not to look too much about the big picture. I know 120 lbs loss can seem impossible. But if you look at it in 5 or 10-lb intervals, that's pretty doable, no?
2.) Also remember this isn't a race. There's no prize for reaching goal in the shortest amount of time. Don't get discouraged by what might seem like disappointing victories. Even not re-gaining is a victory in itself.
3.) Set yourself small, easily achievable goals regarding staying on plan. If in the past you've had issues with staying on-plan for the long haul. Break it down. Promise yourself to continue on-plan for another month or another couple of weeks. It's just 2 weeks/a month. Tell yourself, you'll re-evaluate at that point to see whether or not you want to continue. That way your mind is not immediately freaked out by the idea that you're making permanent huge changes so suddenly, giving it time to gradually gets used to your new lifestyle.