So 3 weeks ago I stepped on the scale to face the reality that not only had I gained but I was at my all time - all time high. The only time I had ever weight that much before was at the final dr. appointment before my son was born. (18 yrs ago).....

This spring, with my son graduating, lots of events going on, etc... I ran out of time to go to they gym and wasn't eating my best. So, I recommitted 3 weeks ago and have lost 5lbs. Unfortunately that 5lbs was in the first 2 weeks and nothing this week. The honeymoon is over.

How do you combat that struggle when your body begins to settle into the new routine. (for me that is 1200cals per day, and about 1hr day exercise). But this is the point where I tend to get frustrated. A few weeks start and things are looking positive. But then you get a week or two where you stick to your eating and exercise plans and the scale (and measurements) don't budge and I tend to get a WTF attitude. Then I see the coworkers eating cake, cookies, going out for lunch, etc and I will slip back into bad habits.

Im here asking for moral support and advice. I need to get thru this until the scale drops again. I cannot lose focus.

I just stick with the commitment I made to never give up. Even when the scale pretends nothing is working, I feel better, my clothes fit differently, I can see my body changing and I stick with it.

I also track by pictures monthly, and with the tape measure monthly.

You just have to commit.

This for me too! But I am not only doing this to lose weight, I want to live a LONG and healthy life, I want to take care of myself, and be fit and active! I truly do look at it as a lifestyle change and not just a diet, and that has helped tremendously.

This.

Why not try this: Make a commitment right now to stick to your plan for 60 days. That's all - just two months. When you feel jealous of your coworkers for their treats, you can say to yourself "well, I just have to resist this for now. I'm committed to 60 days on plan."

No woe-is-me thinking, no "I can never ever have _____ for the rest of my life!", no worrying about whether it's "working" or not - just a commitment to stick to your plan for 60 days, whatever happens. Just two months - they will go by in a blink (think how quickly the last two months have gone by).

After that, you can evaluate. And my guess is, at that point you'll be ready to commit for another 60 days. Because it's true, no matter how much you stick to your plan, you probably won't see weight loss every week. It would be great if our bodies worked that way, but they usually don't. So the only way to get through that frustration is to be committed to a long enough time scale that if you stick to that commitment, you will see results.

Give it a try. Try it for yourself - 60 days on plan, starting today. You won't be sorry you did it.

carter - that is actually what I am doing this time around. I gave myself a 60 day committment. Actually, it had worked out that when I recommitted again, 60 days was the start of my vacation, so what better time than to make the committment to be in bathingsuit condition in 60 days. Diet, exercise, trying to also do the Insanity 60 day challenge.

Believe me - as my coworkers are eating birthday cake, Im eating carrots and celery. As they enjoyed pizza at lunch, i went to the gym for a 20 min walk. <sigh> Im trying to stay focused.

As Carter suggested, sometimes having a timeline helps. For me, it's usually a photo shoot, holiday, vacation, or something like that.

I am in a similar situation - I recently gained a few pounds and it can be hard staying focused in order to take them off. It's only a few pounds, but I have to be able to be at the same size and weight I was when I did my wedding dress fitting very shortly! (It's a zip closure and satin... not at all forgiving! There is no corset to pull things in and no rouching to camoflauge any lumps or bumps so I've got to be back at the size I was or it will need to be altered again. )

Anyway, I see it as a short term committment for long term enjoyment. When I later look back on my wedding day, I want to see in my pictures the face of someone who was happy and felt amazing in her dress, not someone who felt uncomfortable about how she looked.

You will never regret doing your workouts or eating a healthy balanced diet, but you probably will regret going out for lunches with your co-workers and slacking off on your plan. Give it the 60 days, work your *** off, enjoy some down time on your vacation and get back on your plan ASAP! You can do it...

It happens to the best of us, but you just need to buckle down and commit. If your plan is healthy and works with your lifestyle, then it is a matter of saying 'later, I can have that, but I don't need it now', and working it in. Doing this in moderation - to where your daily eating is on plan and it is just the special occasion things (like birthday and Christmas) where you don't bother tracking - that makes it much easier. Or maybe even picking a plan like JUDDD, where up days can be anything you want within your calories and down days are the only ones you're really 'dieting', may be an excellent idea for someone who struggles with staying on plan long term.