I think I need to to more mental work
 

So I'm not going to go into great detail about my weight loss specifics because I think that a lot of you probably already know a good deal of my story. Suffice it to say I'm a calorie counter (with a limit of 1700/day, and I'm still nursing my son) and have lost ~47 pounds doing that. I've very recently begun to incorporate exercise (C25K) into my life and am excited about it.

One month ago my weight was 136.0. This morning it was 135.8. Within the past month my weight has been fluctuating between 133.4 and 136. I feel as though I've reached a sort of "plateau" but I'm pretty sure it's all mental.

See, the thing is, now that I've lost a decent amount, I actually like my body. I hit the "normal" range of the BMI scale (that was a big mini goal for me), and although I'm on the high end of normal it feels good. But now that I"m actually comfortable in my own skin I'm not as diligent. I'll only eat on plan every other day, and on off days I consume far too much to lose and end up evening out to a maintenance range.

I still want to lose weight. I reallllllllly do. Just because I'm comfortable doesn't mean that I want to give up on my goals.

Arrg! I guess I'm just frustrated with myself and wanted to vent a little. Any insight is appreciated :^:

I think everyone needs a mental "break" at some point. After all, this is freaking hard work! Part of me rationalized not being extra diligent this month (it's a busy, busy month for me) with the fact that I'm now fitting into a 1X top, and could safely visit my mean old great aunt knowing I wasn't any bigger than I was when I saw her six years ago. So in my mind, that entitled me to starbucks. After all, I look pretty awesome in my vacation pics, I think.

This has happened to me a few times. But the drive comes back. Discipline takes work.

Oh, I'm in the exact same place... (well, except for the nursing bit!)

Lost the weight, feeling good, normal BMI, healthy, etc. Fluctuating in the same 5 pounds for a couple of months now. I have no particular insight, but want to let you know you're not alone!

The one thing I did recently was map out a mental road map for those last 14 or so pounds. Maybe that would help you? Mine is: get below 155 by the time school is out for the kids. Lose another 10 pounds over the summer. Lose the last couple of pounds by the end of the year. It's a very generous timeframe, but putting those little markers out there in my mind has helped me.

I love your new avatar, BTW; you are looking great!!

I agree, you look great! I love those glasses. I am not sure of the question is welcome, but if you now have a normal BMI, you like the way you look, you are still nursing, and you are just starting to incorporate fitness on a routine basis: well, why does the number-goal matter?

Haven't you really MET most of your weight-loss goals? How important are the next 10-15 pounds? Maybe you should start shifting focus from weight loss to fitness?

I'm not saying you should give up on your 120 lb goal. I think you should really go for whatever goals you want, but it is worth asking yourself is the number goal real or a bit arbitrary once you are: a healthy weight, looking good, and working out?

You are still nursing so that's got to be some of the weight. When I stopped nursing I dropped 10 lbs in a week.

Thanks for the replies!

It's funny how we rationalize things to ourselves isn't it? I've been feeling this way a lot, but it sure hasn't been serving me in my weight loss. Good job dropping down in shirt sizes!



Thank you! I like your new one too! It's nice to know I'm not alone. Generally I'm against time based goals, but the type that you set are totally attainable. Maybe I'll try something like that, it might help to shake things up a little.

Thank you! The glasses are new, I call them my "sexy specs" :lol:. Actually I'm glad you asked those questions, it gave me something to reflect on yesterday. I think in my head, logically, I know that the number doesn't really matter, but for some reason it's still important to me (part of that mental work I need to do I guess). Although I'm pretty comfortable with my body now, it still is not quite where I want it to be. I'm hoping that with incorporating fitness into my life I can get more of the shape I'd like to have. If I'm being honest, these last pounds are probably more of a vanity thing, and it's ok if it takes me a while to get there. My biggest problem is going off plan every other day; I think I've been experiencing some calorie counting "burn out".

Funny, I never really thought of it that way! I've always thought about how nursing helps me to lose, because I can eat more calories and still be at a deficit. I never thought about how maybe my body wants to hold onto some of that fat as it is biologically programmed to do so while breast feeding. Thanks for the thought!

I think I'm going to do a little soul searching and try to come up with some more behavior based goals for myself, and maybe a small time based goal or two. Thanks again for your responses, they gave me a lot to think about!

Since you have already gotten great advice and things to think about, I just wanted to wish you luck with whatever you decide. Love your new avatar- very beautiful! :)

^^^^ What she said!! :hug:

The same thing happened to me recently. I got to a normal BMI and don't hate my body and I kind of just let go a little and maintained for a couple months. I think mentally it was really good and I really thought about whether I wanted to continue or not. I decided I did want to though and to get back into things I created some mini goals and challenges for myself and those have helped motivate me.

Good luck and I'm sure whatever decision you come to will be a good one :)

Yeah, generally I'm against time based goals, too. And I don't really look at my "plan" as a time based goal. It's more a road map to help me put one foot in front of the other and connect these remaining dots, if that makes sense. In the end, so long as I don't GAIN weight, I'm happy. But, maybe that's exactly why I am stuck where I am right now. LOL

Firstly, congratulations on all your hard work so far. You are so close, there is no doubt you will get there, you've already proven to have incredible drive by losing nearly 50 lbs! Can't wait to be seeing you in the GOALS section! :)

Once I hit goal I took a mental/gym break...and lost even more weight. :shrug: I think it's because I ate much less, working out makes me feel like I need to eat the entire house about an hour after. I've lost some stamina but plan to kick it back up again. I'm going through a period of fatigue and having a hard time getting back into gear. I worked out like crazy for a year straight though..I had to take a break but now it's hard to get super motivated again whan I have no more weight to lose. I just want to maintain and improve mental health at this point.

After I got to my original goal of 135 I ended up losing more weight, and like three additional pant sizes (8 to 2/xsmall) and body fat. It all happened as I started experimenting with my workouts and by actually eating more. You will go through some recomposition as you continue to focus on fitness. And I agree that if you are still nursing that is likely playing a part. Good luck!

Thanks everyone for your responses, I really appreciate it! I've been adjusting my daily goals to include making sure I eat at least 5 servings of fruits and/or veggies and keeping up with running 3 days a week. I've decided to allow myself 2 days a week where I can go over my calorie limit (within reason, no go too crazy). We'll see what happens!