Hi all, I'm fairly new but have been reading 3fc for a couple of weeks. I've lost around 30 lbs since the beginning of the year and have been so motivated and focused. I came down with a horrible cold last week that has prevented me from working out or focusing on my diet. I still have ate really well over the past week but faced the scale this morning convinced that all of my hard work had been lost...like suddenly I had gained 30 lbs back! To my surprise ive lost a couple more lbs. I think it's so weird that I feel like I have to be thinking about food/exercise 24/7 for it to "work." I suppose this is a good lesson that life happens and you just have to keep on going!

Welcome June

And yes, I totally agree with you. I've been plodding away for a year despite the hiccups that came my way (and there've been a few!) and I have got a tad obsessive about it at times. Having said that, I've also been living my life as normal as I'm treating it as a lifestyle change and not a diet. It's worked for me.

Well done on your results so far - keep at it!

JUNE ~ yes, keeping things in perspective helps too -- there is no way you can gain back 30 lbs in one week ... and I think you probably realize that now. Often, when we get ill, we lose rather than gain, so there's more good news.

Keep up the good work; and even when you slip-up, just keep going, becuz the good OP (on plan) days will offset the odd "off" days. It's the law of averages at work there and that is a great thing to remember ...

I felt like that last week, too. I quit smoking and I thought I would immediatelly gain. I didn't do anything differently, I continued eating healthily and I lost a kilo.
So it got me thinking about the negative "talk" that surrounds us. You will gain when you quit smoking. It is very hard. You don't know what to do with your hands and you will eat all the time. How we are setting ourselves for failure just because others have said so or have failed themselves or because we are obsessing about something. Success is attainable. We just have to find the way to succeed.

i totally agree...but there's a flip side to it to.
sometimes, after I spend some time on 3FC or reading articles on healthy eating, I will go to the bathroom and I'll be disappointed to see myself in the mirror.
It's like subconsciously, I believe I should be losing weight just because I've spent time mentally focusing on weightloss

if thinking about losing weight could actually help us lose weight, I would be as skinny as a super model by now

Couldn't have worded that better

I've learned that a few days off your new lifestyle won't make that big of an impact. Its when we don't catch ourselfs that we inevitably gain. A little break is good for our mentality and can help us want to push through to the next few pounds.

Welcome and amazing job on your loss so far

Welcome, Junebug! When I read the title to your post and then the first sentence, I was thinking, "What more does she want?" then I realized what you were really saying. Yes - it is totally amazing sometimes to realize that "just living" doesn't mess things up for us. Sometimes it's when we really do our best without realizing it. While I was losing, my 2 biggest losses came in weeks one would perhaps expect a gain. The first was when I was out of town visiting my DD for a few days, and the second was the week my nephew got married where I was included in lots of wedding festivities.

You're doing so well. Just keep it up and you'll see great results.

And I have to add a Congrats to Baker23 - I've been inspired by your progress since you joined 3fc last year. I hope you know what a great thing you accomplished.

Lin

I am so glad I'm not the only one who does this!

Thank you all so much for your words of encouragement! I'm glad to hear that I'm not alone

Yep, june you are not the only one. I'm having one of those hiccups now (and all because of a doughnut!). But you just have to go on I've learned that from my experience here, it will so go away (at least I hope sooner then later ). Just gotta keep plotting along.

Oh yes. I feel this way too. Sometimes I look at my FOUR YEARS PLUS of blogging and think, holy cow. This is crazy! I should be skinny by now! But then I realize I am better off than I was and that this isn't a little 'phase' I am going through. It's life. And it's better to find a balance between ignoring the weight and obsessing about it! I think it takes time to do that. The time will pass anyway, right??