So, I'm about to rant ... just a warning for those of you who would like to keep your day rant free
I KNOW weight loss is hard — no matter how you go about it losing a significant amount of fat is not easy. I KNOW it, but accepting that and moving on from has become by biggest challange.(Insert the voice of my Nana saying "Anything worth having is worth working for.") I'm doing all the right things. I'm exercising, I'm eating right, I'm drinking water and I'm taking my multi-vitamin, and to be honest, that's the easy part. I started in July 2003 and all of that stuff, the exercise, the healthy eating, it's habit - almost compulsion. It's more of an effort at this point to not do it. And yet, my body is still fighting to keep every single ounce of fat - just like it's done from the very beginning. Every pound of weight lost, every drop in BMI, Body Fat Percentage, Measurements has been hard fought. There has never been a time when the weight just seemed to fall off or melt away. I've never had a week where I lost more than two pounds (I know, I hear you saying but that's healthy ... ) Most weeks the scale doesn't move, or it bounces around erractically.
My problem —*I'm tired. 50 pounds down, 80 or so to go and then comes the hard part —*maintainence No worries, I'm not about to throw in the towel, but boy do I need some patience, some words of wisdom, somebody to tell it to me like it is to snap me out of this funk.
In the meantime, I'm trying to take some dark comfort in the fact that if there's a famine, I'll probably be one of the last ones standing

there there, goddess... it's all ok. you're doing GREAT.

yeah. i know you're not seeing that right now, but you ARE. sometimes when we're plodding along, we need to shake things up a bit. the old bod gets used to a certain routine, and we have to give it a different exercise regimen or different food or different calories to make it wake up and get moving.

i've gone from hiking every single day to alternating hiking with an hour+ walk with the dog on flat ground. and it's helping. that 'what are we doing here' has shocked my body out of complacency...

it's just a thought.

but really... you're doing great. be kinder to yourself. you deserve it.

Goddess, I lost ten pounds in five weeks, and for the past two weeks or so I have only lost 1 pound. It is very discouraging, but hey, biology says that if we burn more calories than we consume the fat will go...surely it is impossible for our bodies to hold on to fat when it needs it for energy? I keep telling myself this, as I weigh myself, and add that eventually my bod will have to give it up. But it's the curse of being female, my defiant butt is screaming, "but we might get pregnant, we need this fat!" and I am screaming "no we won't, and no we don't!". *sigh* Butts these days, you can't get them to mind.

Thanks you guys! You're the best - I'm all ranted out Patience is a virtue I need to work on. In the meantime I'm going to try to chill out about the number of pounds I'm losing and I'm going to shake up my exercise program —*I think I hear the land of weight-training calling And Meg, thanks for the inspiration. Waking up everyday and feeling like it's Christmas - that rocks! Have a great day chicks!
Grace

That wasn't a rant, Grace, that was hilarious! And I'm right there with you, as I'm going through the same thing. The first fifty pounds, to be honest, weren't all that hard, but now things have ground to a halt. I'm doing up to 1 1/2 hours of cardio plus at least 1/2 hour of weights, and the scale is frozen. My arms, legs, and shoulders are like rocks, but the extra 20 pounds is still there.

I think you are so right about some women being "famine proof." I think some are just slow burners even with significant activity and muscle mass. Maybe we build fewer numbers of fat-burning enzymes in the muscle tissue, pound for pound, than faster burners do, so even increased mass doesn't have as much of an effect. That might explain why some women stay fatter even when they exercise very hard. That's my theory, anyway.

In the past I always had to run -- not jog -- at least 3 - 5 miles virtually every day on pavement to keep my weight down. That's a lot of calories burned, and the drastic motion, I believe, tends to stimulate the body to lose. But that kind of running is very damaging to joints, tendons, and ligaments over a long period of time, and I wouldn't recommend it now. You have to remember that if you have had a lot of physical trauma, especially joint trauma, in the past, you become a candidate for "trauma-induced arthritis." I'm starting to show signs of it myself, and believe me, it's not fun. So low-impact is the word.

Still, lately I'm beginning to think it will take a massive extra push to get the last pounds off, a heavier training regime. I may have to do a gym workout in the a.m. and a long walk/jog in the evening to get that to happen. Plus cutting out every unnecessary calorie-- no treats at all. It's grim, but it has to be done. Chin up, shoulders back, and "march to the front like a soldier."

Actually, when I feel a wave of self-pity coming on, I think of MEL, the lady on the journals here who uses a wheelchair and sings a lot. She's in there fighting the good fight every single day, just relentlessly cheerful. I think to myself, if she can hang in there, then I have no excuse at all not to give it 110%. She's my inspiration.

Sorry to make this so long-- hang tough, Grace!

"The first thing that goes through my mind every day is — woo hoo! I did it! I’m not fat anymore! To me now, every morning is Christmas morning; every day is the best day of my life."

I've just discovered this forum and am really enjoying working my way through the threads for tips and inspiration.

And the above quote is amazing...to have that feeling - I'm *going* to get it.

Everyday I think "I wish I wasn't fat" about 20 times...walking down the street, crossing the office, climbing down the steps into the pool at the gym.

I have been thinking that one thought for the past 7 years, and to not have to think it anymore..well, that will be worth all the effort and tears. That will mean more than being able to wear what I want.