I looked in the mirror at the gym today. And I looked good. But there was one thing that discouraged me. My tummy. Specifically, my love handles and dunlap. It was a slap in the face and motivation I guess. How much did it take for those things to go away for YOU personally?

Still have the love handles and just have to accept them. The good thing is they are much smaller than before.

Don't get dispirited, use that as rocket fuel to move you closer to your goal. You're a work in progress, embrace that and keep moving forward. What other option is there? Quitting?

No - quitting is NOT an option! Keep trying and it WILL show. You may not be able to completely eliminate trouble spots, sometimes it is just the shape God gave us, but even the most stubborn areas of fat will show some improvement with massive weight loss and strength training. Continue your hard work and be patient, you didn't gain it overnight and you won't lose it overnight.

Saturday I decided to take ALL my measurements, and some pictures. It definitely did NOT discourage me from my journey. But it did make me feel pretty awful, it kind of ruined my day. I will be glad I did it when I can count all the inches I have lost, and have tangible pictures to look at. I definitely feel where you are coming from. I decided to use it as fuel for motivation rather than an excuse to go eat cake (I breifly considered that lol). I plan to be able to come on 3FC in a month or so and report my success!

Getting to goal won't necessarily mean you'll have a rockin' body. You need to remember that and learn to accept yourself.

It's great that the first thing you thought was that you looked good. There are always going to be things about your body that you'll like and other things that you'll dislike. You can work on the things you like all you want but sometimes we have to work with the hand that we're given in the genetic lottery.

I'm where I want to be. Do I like everything about my body? Of course not! There is much that I like and much that I don't like but I know I've come a long way

I think at any weight you will find some kind of fault with yourself. Unfortunately, because of the society that we live in today, what we see in the mirror is sometimes skewed. With regular cardio and weight training, you should see our stomach start to flatten out naturally. But don't be discouraged if it doesn't happen fast. I've heard belly fat is the last to leave you! For me, my stomach started to flatten out more around 180. I still have flab but I am learning to embrace it and work towards being healthier and more fit! I am sure you will start to love the mirror more and more and you progress.

There is always going to be something you find less than perfect. Keep reminding yourself that you're a work in progress!

I have an entire wall of mirrors in my master bathroom. I step out of the shower every day and am confronted with 6'x10' of mirror. It's harrowing some days. I can't help but stop and inspect every little lump or bump or thing I don't like. Sometimes I even say out loud "work in progress, work in progress." What are our options, at this point? Throw up our hands and yell "I hate my body!!" give up, and look worse in a year? Or embrace what we have and work to improve? I think I'll do that!!!

Even with visible abs, my tummy is a bit saggy. I have stretch marks. I have love handles. My booty is bigger than I want it to be. I have cellulite. I try not to focus on those things and focus on the things I see that I do like! I have awesome muscle definition in my back. My legs are tightening up. I have toned arms... etc.

Hang in there. You are doing so well!