I only lost .8 this week. My calories averaged 1600 something for the week, but TOM is here. Can TOM really prevent that much? Am I holding in water? I am ingnorant about these things.........I am trying not to freak out, but I can't stand only having .8 of a loss - it seems so unfair. To top it off TOM has been lasting 10 or more days this last year. I guess I am getting older and it is going haywire. I must have a scale victory or I fear that psychologically I will start dreaming of bingeing because "it isn't working anyway." I don't want to go there, but I get easily discouraged.

TOM can prevent a ton of weight loss. Don't dispair. You'll have a woosh next week. Just stick to your plan and drink tons of water! You're doing great!

I've also noticed as I've gotten closer to normal weight that it's evened out. It's shorter and while I was at a 30 day cycle, I'm now back at a 28 day cycle. So keep that in mind, and see if it changes as you go!

I usually gain about 5 pounds with TOM.

Try to keep the scale from having so much power over you (it's a tool in your weight loss...just a tool)....if you are doing everything like you need to the weight will come off Maybe stick some quotes on the wall in front of the scale to help you retain control, positive affirmations?

My weight goes up the week of TOM also.... and I'm on birth control and rarely have but about a 1 day of actual TOM. But the weight goes up anyway.

Don't give up! A .8 loss is better than no loss, or a .8 gain! Sometimes, when I've quit my diet, I look back a few months later and think, even if I'd only lost a half pound a day, I'm be 6 pounds lighter today. It all adds up.

.8 is almost 1 lb. 1-2 lbs a week is average for me. Even if you are 100% on plan and it's not TOM, you likely will have weeks where you lose 0. Anytime the scale shows any downward movement it is a good thing in my book.

Relax a little, look at this as a lifestyle change, not a diet...so that positives come from all directions not just the scale. Early on in the weight loss is a good time to plan for your mental strategy of what you will do when you hit a stall. It happens to everyone.

Likely, like you said, it is your TOM and not a stall. Keep focused on your plan, stay hydrated and the scale will move!

Oh yeah TOM is a scale killer.. but it is just TOM and will go away.. and so will the numbers it produces on the scale. Stay on plan and you will be fine!

Without a doubt TOM can tack on lots of pounds. You have just got to learn to deal with this. Eventually you will see that this is your *normal* pattern.

But I agree - .8 of a pound is nothing to sneeze about.

I also urge you for right now to focus on the BEHAVIORS. Get accustomed to tracking your calories, work on finding healthy foods to love, on pre-planning, on saying no to this and yes to that, on adding in activity, on finding coping mechanisms and strategies to get your through parties, stress, holidays, whatever. FOCUS ON THE GOOD EATING BEHAVIORS and without a doubt the scale will HAVE to follow.

ARE you indeed changing your life forever? Are you in this for the long haul? Didn't you decide that from here on in you will stop abusing yourself by overfeeding yourself? You NEED to see a drop on the scale? It isn't fair? You're an adult, right? Than you need to tell yourself that this is *silly* and that you are committed to doing this once and for all, permanently and no matter what. You've got to push yourself. Push yourself further than you've ever gone before. Work through this. If you want what you do not have, you must do what you have not done. Don't be discouraged - be encouraged. Get excited. Know that every day that you stay on plan, is another day closer to making your dreams a reality.

You have the ability to lose weight. You've got it in you. So for now, just suck it up - and do it!!! Know that it's coming. The weight loss is coming - and all the over the top, overwhelming delightful rewards are coming to - as long as you stick with it.

Honestly, I don't even go NEAR the scale when TOM is due. I'm always up and I can't deal with it at that point (gee, wonder why? LOL) So I just skip that week, week and a half, and all is well.

All the ladies here have made some very good and valid points about TOM.

But, .8 is still weight lost. If at the end of a year, you have only lost .8 pounds per week, that will still be 41.6 pounds. Would you rather be 250 at the end of this year (or higher) because you've decided to give up, or would you rather have a slower, but steady (and lasting!) loss that puts you at 208.4? I've stopped and started so many times on this journey, especially when things slowed down. If I had kept with it- I'd be maintaining my goal weight for over a year. This is a long process, but it's worth it.

Mary, you've been posting elsewhere about major improvements in your morning fasting blood sugars. While losing 0.8 pounds per week really IS an accomplishment that you shouldn't pooh-pooh...bringing your blood sugars down toward the normal range is a HUGE accomplishment. You are moving from a life in which you put poisons in your body and eventually incur damage to your internal organs...toward a life where you put beneficial stuff in your body and extend your years of vitality, health, and life.

You will lose weight AS you continue to work on your HEALTH. Focus there.

Thanks everyone - and particularly to RockinRobin and WarMaiden! I have decided that although I wanted more that I should be grateful for any loss with TOM. I am in this for the long haul and not looking for a quick fix. My ultimate goal is overall health and the weight loss is certainly part of that, but controlling the diabetes is of utmost importance to me. Thanks everyone.

Remember - .8 of a pound is like 3 sticks of butter!

A loss is a loss - I still usually hold steady or have a 1 - 2 lb gain during my TOM.

I was just thinking that!

Mary, if you are anything like me, I'd have very small weight losses the week of PMS, and then the week after TOM...WOOSH. Wow, it was great. Hold on for dear life!

TOM is never nice to me, I very rarely lose anything during that week, maybe up to a pound if i'm lucky.