Hey all. I'm done. I quit I've had it.

Its been four months and in all that time I've lost 3 pounds. First I was sensitive to food, then medications, then sodium, now they're telling me I have to spend what little time I have left in the day breaking up my protiens etc into six meals a day. I went on the Bars...that's done NOTHING in a month. So I GIVE UP. I'm destined to remain FAT for the rest of my life.

One time I'm told that what I eat on Monday will reflect on the scale on Tuesday now they're telling me that what I eat on Monday will reflect on the scale on Wednesday. I'm afraid to take the medication to help my neck problem because it's going to cause me to gain weight! Or even something for a headache because "Ibuprophen can cause you to retain water". PLEASE!

I've done everything they've asked me to do, I've given up my LIFE for this stupid diet and for WHAT? to be told that I'm sensitive to things I wasn't sensitive to this time last year?

The latest thing is last Friday I went to lunch with the office staff and had a SMALL piece of lasgana... 1/2 a serving to be exact. NOW here we are a week later and they're telling me THAT's affecting my weight today.

I'M DONE! I'm taking BACK my life and they can go jump in a lake.

Sorry to vent on you guys, but I'm so frustrated and disappointed and NO ONE understands that to me this is a FAILURE. I have failed to reach my goal weight so therefore it's just another failure in an apparently growing list.

Joan - I am sorry you are disappointed, truth be told I get upset if I don't see a loss every week of some sort so I would probably do the same thing. That being said, you have lost over 50lbs! That is an accomplishment, a BIG accomplishment! What ever you do, even if you truly throw in the towel, I can't see this as a failure. Our bodies massively slow down in weight loss the less we have to lose and I may not know your height but I am 5'1 and am not to weigh more than 128 lbs. You are only 25 lbs. more than that and if you are taller than me I can't see you being "fat" even at this weight.

What ever your action and attitude you decide to have about your weight loss journey please know that you are far from a failure.

Oh Joan,
How can you say that you have failed?!?! Look at yourself-YOU HAVE LOST 51 LBS. You are 18 lbs. from your goal. So you've stalled out for a while. Look at Lisa and Lea Ann. Why don't you put your account on hold and do it by yourself for a while. YOU KNOW HOW TO DO IT!!! I think that your COD is just grasping at straws because they can't figure out why you are not losing. They need to feel like they are doing their job. You've hit stalls before and worked yourself through them and then BAM you've come back here all excited because the weight just started dropping off.
So you don't average the 2 lbs. a week, SO WHAT!! The important thing is that you are 51 lbs. lighter than what you were 10 months ago. Are you really willing to give up on that???

Why don't you make an appointment to talk to the manager of your COD and tell them what you have just told us? Let them know you are not happy at all and ask them what they are going to do to fix it? If that doesn't work then call the LA customer service and tell them the same thing. You may be surprised at what happens then.

Joan, you have come too far to give up now!!!!!! You have had a lot of stressful things going on in your life lately. Relax a little and let your body catch up on everything. You can do this and if you quit you have failed nobody buy yourself and you don't deserve that!!!!!

Joan - Bummer to hear this, but I'm curious - how did you lose the first 51 lbs? Have you considered the fact that your current weight could be your perfect weight and maybe you should just talk to them about the maintenance program? I know what you mean about the COD groveling for answers; mine is doing the same thing (although I have to admit I've been far from perfect)?

If you really quit, are you prepared to maintain the lifestyle you've learned over the past 10 months? I hope so. And I hope that when you say you are taking back your life that doesn't mean you are going to take back the 51 lbs you lost!!

In a few weeks, I too will have to make a decision about adding on to my membership. I believe I am going to try the program on my own and with this board for support and accountability. Lord knows, I need to be accountable to someone because if I leave it up to me, the scale will climb right back up there. I have learned a lot about healthy eating on LAWL, but it's hard to unlearn 48 years of bad eating overnight. I'm getting there; just not at the pace I'd like.

Good luck and even if you quit going to the COD, don't quit the lifestyle; you know you can come here for support!

Joan - I'm sorry that you are so down right now. I know that you have been through a lot of turmoil lately. Please do not think that you are a failure, or that you have failed in other parts of your life. You have SUCEEDED at losing 50lbs in less than a year, and you have succeeded in knowing that there is a better partner for yourself than what you had. You have changed your life very dramatically in the past year.

I quit LAWL the last time (3 yrs ago) because of similar reasons - the COD as just making me feel unhappy. Now I am back, but my attitude has changed. I don't really care about their approval.

Ultimately I wish that you would do whatever makes you feel better. I mostly just wanted to tell you that you are a SUCCESS! No failure that I can see.

Joan - Ditto what everyone else said, but I want to add something else.

Since you aren't losing, maybe you can go onto maintenance. At least go and get your program materials that you paid for. Relax a little and accept this weight while you start stabilization and maintenance, and then, after the stress is gone, and if you still aren't happy at that weight, maybe try the weight loss phase again, but use us as your support.

You paid for the program, get the whole program - that includes maintenance. And going to maintenance now is not a failure, it's getting your money's worth and relieving you of stress.

You've been through a lot lately. Relax. Breathe. Try maintenance for awhile. Then, after you've recharged a little, try the weight loss phase again if you feel like it. This way you won't lose what you've worked so hard for.

Oh Joan. With everything else happening in your life, I can see how things just pile up. I echo what everyone else said. You've lost 51 lbs, you know how to do it. Put your self on hold, use what you've learned, and when the stress of everything else has subsided, I'll bet things start moving again. Whatever you do, please don't revert to old habits. You are not destined to be fat. Stop in now and again, rant, vent, PM me or anyone else you're comfortable with, let us support you! You haven't failed. Take some time and re-evaluate just what you have accomplished!

Joan - I think everyone else said it well!
1. IF you quit now, you aren't at your goal NOW! (that doesn't mean you won't get to your goal on your own!)
2. Having lost 51 pounds... you are NOT a failure and CANNOT call yourself on - UNLESS you go back (like we ALL have) and gain it back!!! Now, that would be a failure AND a shame!!!
3. You have been through a lot lately... Stress is a weight retainer! Take Cassi's advice- get your maint. info and take a break from losing and just MAINTAIN!!! Maintain your weight, your health, and your sanity!!! And then after a while when things even out (and they will!) if you still fell like you need to lose those last few pounds... do it!!! YOU CAN! You've proven that!!!
Now - we ALL want you to prove you can maintain and not gain your weight back!!!
Quitter? - I think not!
Overwhelmed? - I think possibly.
Amazing, gorgeous, motivated, sincere, awesome? - OH YEAH BABY!!!!
Hugs,
P.S. - No matter what happens - PLEASE keep in touch with us - we care about you and WE may need YOUR wisdom because you are a SUCCESS!!!

I'm so sorry, Joan, and agree with what everyone else here is saying. Maybe maintenance would be good until things settle down a bit, and then you could go back to the weight loss phase. My first thought when I read your post is maybe the stress in your life is impacting your weight loss.

Whatever you decide, you have done an amazing job losing weight! Also, you are not a failure - you have lost 51 pounds and that is awesome!!! I'm sending you great big hugs and feel free to vent here whenever you need to, we're here for you .

Hi Joan, I have to echo what's already been said, you are definetely not a failure! What a huge accomplishment!

I'd like to offer another piece of advice, not that I'm an expert, but something I experienced and something that worked for me...

About a year & 1/2 ago I joined Curves for Women, started a new lifestyle plan (actually combined a couple of things including the Curves diet and the Dr. Phil diet). Something I learned at my classes at Curves was sometimes our bodies really need a break and a push all at the same time. You've been doing the same things on LAWL for 10 months now...body is not going give up anymore weight...what I was told, after loosing 48 pounds, as I stalled just like you are now by the certified nutritionist at Curves was to carb/calorie up depending on what program I was on. At the time I was on the no/low carb plan (had I been on the low cal plan I would have caloried up) so that's what I did. I carbed up for about 4 days, yes, I put on a couple of pounds but heck, a couple of pounds could be the soles on your shoes, and then I switched to the low cal plan and once I did that then I started loosing again. I lost 17 more pounds and then I got sick and then I got lazy and then I got...lol...the good thing was that I maintained and while now I'm in LAWL I'm doing so to drop the weight I should have kept fighting to get off back then.

If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me and I'll do my best to get you answers you deserve.

As for the LAWL plan...yep, sounds as if you're ready to go on maintenance. Remember the local are yocals and you shouldn't stop with them if you are satisfied.

Hugs!

Karen

that should have read..."don't stop w/them if you AREN'T satisfied"

Joan--we can all understand the frustration. One thing for sure--we all have to do what works for us and what works for one may or may not work for another. You are at an INCREDIBLE weight and size. Maybe this is where your body needs to be right now. I have been exactly where you are (mindset not weight!) and have taken a self induced break from the COD. I only weigh every few days at home to make sure I'm okay. I have maintained (against my will) since May and have finally realized I really am okay with it for now. I say--take a breather--you deserve it (maybe need it??) Reclaim your life. I am confident you will maintain, then maybe in a while you'll be ready to go back to the rigidity of weight loss phase. Just my opinion!

Joan, I wouldn't call you a failure at all. My last 15 pounds were the hardest to get off. It took me about 5 months to get the last 15 pounds out of 90 pounds off.

Taking medication for a neck problem isn't helping. I was in a car accident in December of last year, and I am still suffering from neck and shoulder pain. I'm taking Zanaflex, and I was taking Flexeril. Unfortunately, I have gained some of the weight that I worked so hard to loose; but no matter what I do I cannot get it off while I'm taking this medication. I can't wait for it to be over! I actually thought about just not taking it at all...

I was also taking anti-inflamatory pain medication, which also has helped with weight gain. I looked up everything that I have been taking over the last year and every one of them weight gain is a side effect.

Maybe you do need to increase some calories. When I come to a skreching halt, I wasn't able to get any advise for probably two months. Finally, one counselor added a 1/2 protien to my food intake; and I started loosing again.

At the end of your weight loss journey and if you don't have alot to loose to begin with (10-20lbs) it is almost impossible to expect 2lbs per week. Your body wants to hold on to the extra weight in fear of starving, especially when you have been dieting for so long.

Good Luck!

Karen! Nice to see you back!

Hey all, quick update. I've not completely given up yet. I had a major melt down on Thursday at the COD. I was so frustrated I wound up in tears. The bottom line is I've given them 2 weeks to figure out what's going on. If I haven't seen some kind of downward trend by then, I'm going into Maintenance for now.

I want to thank you all for your support. It means a lot to know that there are people here who know how I feel and are willing to extend that support I need so bad now. You guys are the best!

The rest of my life is falling into place nicely. My 90 days for the disso will be up in February and once its done there will be no looking back. We'll see where this other one goes. Maybe I'll let him hang around, maybe I won't. Its MY choice.

Thanks again all, you guys really know what to say when someone needs that little extra boost.

I owe each and every one of you!