[HadEnough]

How do I keep from getting discouraged and quitting? I had a good loss week 1 (5+ lbs) and I am anticipating no loss this week, even though I have been 100 percent on plan, logging everything (not leaving anything out). I use my points everyday and I have 20 weekly points leftover for this week. WI is tomorrow night. I really need to not get discouraged? How do I do that? I know that I am in for the long haul and some weeks will be better than others.....but how do I make me listen to me?

[Lovely]

Well, first of all, why are you anticipating no loss this week? You haven't gone to meeting or had your weigh-in. We just don't know what your weigh-in will be ahead of time. You could be up, down, or maintain at this point. There's just no telling!

What helps me is to have a game plan that's in no way based on the scale. For example, this week I'm adding in more vegetables. I'm also currently trying for 99 On Plan days in a row (quite a bit of the way through the challenge, too.) Those things are going to happen no matter what the scale says to me each Monday morning.

I don't base my week on the scale. It's feedback to some degree, yes, but I need to have plans that don't revolve around what the scale says. I need to have plans that revolve around being healthier... which in turn will eventually help the scale go down. The focal point, however, is the word healthier.

Make a plan for this coming week that doesn't involve the scale. So that regardless of what it says you know you're going to be doing something healthy for yourself. Be it plan a few meals ahead of time, or buy more fruit/vegetables, or add in five minutes of exercise. Those things are all going to add up to help you get healthier, but the focus won't be on the scale.

[Bellamack]

With such a big loss last week, it is to be expected a much smaller loss this week, that is pretty normal. Keep up the good work.

[HadEnough]

Originally Posted by Lovely

Well, first of all, why are you anticipating no loss this week? You haven't gone to meeting or had your weigh-in.

My assumption would be based on my home scale. I am the same this morning as I was last Monday morning.

[Xan]

I've found my very reliable home scale often disagrees with WW's probably more reliable scale. When I go to meetings, I don't weigh at home. (For me, that helps me focus on being on program rather than worrying about how many ounces I've lost in the past hour, as the leader at my first meeting put it.) I blush to admit it, but there have been at least two occasions when I thought I had lost 3 or 4 pounds (according to the home scale) and "only" lost 1.5 at WW, and I walked out in a huff. The first time this happened was 5 years ago. If I'd lost 1.5 pounds a week since then....I would have disappeared by now

Goodl luck! Stick to the plan! If you keep following the program you MUST lose eventually.

[patchymama]

Weigh loss is not a straight line But we keep at it because it is worth it.

Also, we all have things that affect our weight... water retention, stress, too much salt, etc etc. It could be anything really. But even if you don't lose this week, you can next week. For a long time I went through a stage where I would lose like 5 lbs one week and absolutely nothing the next... and then another 5 lbs, and nothing. It was an odd cycle but it was what my body was doing at the time *laughs*

You can keep at this. Your body and you are worth it.

[Tina]

I like lovely's idea of a game plan not including weight!
I like to have a loss every week and it just doesn't happen.

Give yourself a non-weight goal and then give yourself a reward for doing it.

[Hap]

I think many people have uneven losses like that. A big loss followed by 1-2 smaller. Give it a couple months than average out your weekly losses. I know it feels like the weight should come of quicker in the beginning but you've had a great loss! And how much might you have gained this week if you weren't on plan? Just maintaining can be a great victory sometimes.

[QuilterInVA]

Realistically you can't expect to lose every week and really what the scale says is on the bottom of my list of goals. The lifestyle changes you make are more important because that what makes you successful on maintenance.