When you have 100 llbs+ to lose.

jlschrandt

I have 100 pounds to lose. I have lost about half that before, but quit when I got discouraged. I don't want this to happen again. I know that means surrounding myself with a good support system.

I'm trying to identify all the obstacles so I can just avoid them. Map out my detours before hand. Any advice from those who have been there before would be appreciated.

I think one of the hardest things for me was when I hit the 40 pound mark last time. I was thrilled, but I was still fat and for the most part no one noticed. I think that is one of the hardest things for those of us who have so much to lose. It's not that we can't figure out how to lose it, it's working so freaking hard every day and not getting the verbal confirmations from others. For those who do it, I imagine they are also conquering much of the self doubt that likely brought on the weight gain to begin with. You inspire me.

I have an exercise class I've been going to for awhile. I enjoy the workout, but still feel like everyone wonders why the heck I'm there. I'm probably more worried about what I look like than anyone else, but I still have to mentally prepare myself before going to class. I keep going, but some days I can't stand the mental turmoil I have to put myself through to be there.

This time I know I'm going to have to find the confidence to do this myself. I've lost a total of 10 so far since starting in early May. I can't count on validation from others in my quest to lose weight. This is my journey. Last week, I struggled with a busy schedule at work and a mind that said, "What makes you think you can do this? Ten pounds is just a drop in the bucket. You are going to have to get tough mentally if you think you are going to lose the next 90 and you're weak and tired and too freaking busy with work and kids."

I guess I'd like to hear from others who have 100 pounds or more to lose or from those who have already done it. How do you keep yourself focused. How do your train your mind along with your body? For me, my negative thought patterns are more than half the battle.

dward59

Surround yourself, online at least with people that have been where you are, or still are. Some of us have dropped that hundred or more and still have another hundred to go to real personal goals.

There are several groups on here that will help you, where you can post successes for cheers, frustrations to at least get an I understand and here's what I did, and you in turn can help others which is where you really start to turn the corner.

Don't exist there solely though. This site has incredibly wise people mixed in and I'm sure some of those who follow who are better at keeping links handy than I will point you to some of the best by SideSteel and others.

May I also point out that losing ten pounds in NOT just a drop in the bucket. It is 10% of the way to your goal. Every journey begins... Also while you are giving yourself some credit, the fact that you have continued to go to that exercise class and are winning the mental game is huge. I would bet that if you stick with it, you will get more people who are cheering you on, than are snidely wondering what you are doing there. There really are more nice people in the world than mean. Don't let the mean ones rule your mental process.

If you would like, feel free to check out the group "Let's lose 100+" and see if it is a comfortable fit for you.

jlschrandt

Thanks for the suggestions. I will check out the "Let's lose 100+" group.

Cheliaj

I do have some advice for you that I have realized after seeing my health fail from obesity related diseases.
#1 You don't go on a diet, you change your lifestyle. This means that you embrace a total new way of eatting for the rest of your life. I decided that I was going to embrace the Mediterran diet. I love their food and it is heart healthy. I'm from southwest Georgia which is fried chicken and fried vegetables all day long and then sit the rest of the day. So I'm cutting out snack foods, processed food, fast food etc. If they don't eat it in the mediterran I'm not eatting it. I went to the library got books on the meditteran diet and I'm learning fast. I also watch alot of the food channels and the chew so I c an learn how to cook delicious food. I would never it fast food even their salad taste like junk now. This is important that you learn to eat great nutritious food and leave your old diet behind. A new lifestyle will keep you motivated and you will turn to healthy forever.

#2 You have to make your health a priority and move other stuff and people out your life. You will be surprised what drains your energy. I found trying to deal with negative people just japped my energy and made me want to eat. When I go around them, I just don't talk to them, keep it light conversation, play with my cellphone and keep it moving. I worked exercise into my day, watching tv I walk in place, I walk more around my neighborhood etc.

I feel better emotionally, and I'm headed toward getting this weight off.
OBESITY IS A DISEASE OF YOUR LIFESTYLE AND ITS A PROGRESSIVE DISEASE. The cure for obesity is changing your lifestyle.

Be Strong, Live Strong!!!!

radiocricket

I'm down 10 lbs of the 90 lbs I have to lose. Like you, I have kids and a very busy work schedule. In fact, my husband and I own a small, home business so there's no escaping work, nor the long hours of running your own company. Also like you, I started the weight loss journey once before but stopped before I made it half way and ended up putting it back on (and a little more). I am confident that this time will be different as I'm working to make lifestyle changes, as Cheliaj mentioned.

The lifestyle changes I'm making that I feel will be successful is that I'm involving my kids. No one would look at my kids and call them fat but when I look at my kids, I can see they aren't the skinny kids they could be. It's not that we fill our house with junk food either, it's the lack of exercise, huge serving sizes and all the meals we eat out that are to blame. If I am ever going to be successful in not only losing the weight but keeping it off, then many aspects of our family's eating habits have to change.

What I've done this time around is to get my kids involved. My son is 6 and my daughter will be 9 in less than a month. My daughter is the heavier between the two, she has a bit of padding on her torso. We don't make her feel badly about it but as she tries on clothes and finds so many things don't fit her, she's becoming more aware. So now I've been getting the kids more involved with healthier choices.

The changes I've made:

-I bought a kitchen scale that's easy for them to use and have taught them how to read and serve out single serving sizes. Even they were surprised to see how little a serving size of cereal appears to be.

-I bought both kids a Striiv Smart. Now they are aware of how much exercise they're getting as well as it being easy for me to monitor. It's a great pedometer for kids, especially siblings. They can compare themselves to one another, race each other, and there's a little game built in that is fueled by their steps. (I liked the Striiv Smart so much, I bought myself one even though I have the Fitbit, now I just wear them both)

- I've taught the kids about healthier choices so even when my husband wants to got to a sports bar, the kids and I can help to keep each other strong. The kids have no problem pointing out if I'm not making a good choice and vice versa. On their own, they're choosing oranges over fries as a side dish!

-I'm taking more walks with the kids. It used to be that I'd take a walk at night with the dog after the kids went to bed. It was my alone time and I could keep a faster pace. Now that we're watching steps though, I'm bringing the kids along. They can walk a bit faster now and I'm ignoring bed time. They are allowed to stay up late to go for a walk (now that school's out) so their desire for a walk doesn't give me the excuse to skip it even if I don't feel like it.

I realize that it doesn't seem like big changes but I can't believe the improvements I've seen in such a short period of time. Overall, the kids and I are eating so much less food, getting more exercise and we're not constantly hungry. It's been a great way to connect with them. When I was single, I was skinny, healthy and active but that changed after meeting Mr. Right and having kids. Having a busy work schedule is exhausting and having kids on top of that is even more exhausting. It's just too easy to grab a fast food dinner when you're tired and then fall asleep on the couch watching TV.

calfolds

I'm glad I ran across your post because my position on the issue have shifted significantly over the last few months and this gives me a good opportunity organize my ideas.

Disclaimer: I'm speaking for myself with no science to back any of this up, so take it with a grain of salt.

Over the last several months I've shifted my efforts from trying to directly lose weight to trying to change the way I think. For example, my goal is no longer a specific weight or body image but rather the creation of a healthier mindset which, in time, will lead to those old goals. I try not to care about what the scales say except in what they can tell me about wether I'm making the right food and life choices.

I've heard people say things like this before but I always discounted the sentiment as new age-y nonsense. Honestly, I probably wasn't mature enough or in the right headspace to make a major life change. In many ways it is a tougher road for me to take, but the promise is that if I succeed I won't have to worry about staying on a diet and exercise program. Instead, it will just be what I do. This is becoming particularly nice, because as I've gotten better at thinking this way, I've noticed that I no longer *constantly* think about food. It does feel like it takes more work and mindfulness to make a mental change but, happily, it also seems to take less net willpower after the initial effort.

I'm 5'10" and down to 235 from 298 over the last 8 months. I've still got progress left to make, but its starting to feel like its down hill from here. I've got a nice work out routine and because I've gotten to the point where I look forward to the exercise I think I can stick with it for a long time. I've learned how to shop for healthy groceries and have pretty much made it a habit now. I've also learned a healthy respect for restaurants and I'm developing a pretty good sense of what I should and shouldn't eat while there. Finally, I completely removed some food that I can't control (most carbs) and I don't know if I'll ever bother reintegrating them into my life. Snacks are still a little bit of a problem, but they're next on my list of problems to solve.

In short, I think a physical battle with weight is not winnable for me. At best it would be a stalemate that goes on the rest of my life. So instead, I'm trying to change the game to a mental problem that (I think) I can solve permanently. I hope that if I can get my heart right, the body will follow and there will be less room for negative thoughts to derail the progress.

jlschrandt

Thank you everyone for sharing! Your words are powering my motivation today. This is truly more than just exercising and counting calories. While we are shedding the pounds we are also shedding all the mental baggage that has kept the weight on. Please keep inspiring me (and everyone else who is reading this).

zichab

jlscrandt-people do notice a 40 pound loss, but when we weight well over 200 pounds, ( and I am assuming this is the case since you want to lose 100) they are kind of afraid to say anything because they are not quite sure what is going on. One of my dear friends came into my office after I had lost 38 pounds and closed the door (at that point, I was at 197 which is hardly svelte for someone who is 5'4" tall LOL). Then she very quietly said "Everyone is afraid to say anything to you, but you appear to be losing weight so is this on purpose or are you sick and not telling anyone?" So people had noticed for a bit, but were afraid to mention it. So please, do not allow your self feeling to be motivated by other people because you have no idea what they are really thinking.

Second, do not look at the 100 pound goal or you will give it up. I have been at this since Aug 2012 and still have not hit 100, although I am close :blushing: . Focus on 5 pounds at a time. At first, when you need motivation the most, you will have many celebratory days as weight comes off fairly quickly so those 5 pound "Woot" days are fairly regular. Once the loss begins to slow down though, you will still be making progress, 5 pounds at a time and shoot, you can do stick to it and lose 5 measly pounds right? I also found that tracking things in a WORD or Excel file helped a lot. I track my measurements, weight loss, blood pressure, BMI reductions etc in a WORD file. I did it every 2 weeks until 2 months ago when I went to once month. It helps so much when you are feeling down to look back at how far you have come and there is something about seeing it that makes it real!

Third, whenever you start the negative head talk, counter it with "Well, I did not lose any weight this week, BUT I worked out 5 days!" or "Shoot, I only lost .4 pounds this week, BUT my jeans are getting HUGE!" or " I am a bad person because I did not work out this week BUT I did not eat over my calorie goal either!" Learn to use the word BUT and follow any negative thought with a positive thought. It sounds simple, but it keeps the negativity in check.

Finally, although everyone says this, it bears repeating-this is a lifestyle change and there is no way around it. Forget the gym if you hate it and have to talk yourself into going all the time as that will eventually suck so much energy that you will give up. Find something you like to do that motivates you to be active. For some people, it is running, dancing, biking or lifting heavy stuff! I have discovered mountain hiking and I LOVE it! So, all winter long, I do indoor/outdoor (weather permitting) walking (keep my cardio endurance up) and strength exercises (especially arms, core and legs because I need them to hike :-)) right in my house for free :bigsmile: except for the mat and weights. Come April, I am in shape to conquer a mountain and have been motivated all winter to be active!! So, find something you will love to do for the rest of your life and focus on that. It is a lifestyle change and you will not keep up with something that causes you mental anguish to do. It simply takes too long to lose 100 pounds to be doing stuff you hate.

There will be downs (i.e. weeks of gaining , no time to work out, exceeding your calorie goal and, as I sadly discovered, colds!!!!:laugh: ) and ups (weight loss in POUNDS :drinker:, 5 days of working out, and weeks of not exceeding your calorie goal) because like everything else, that is life! Go for it!!!!! :flowerforyou:

tedious07

I, too, have over 100 lbs to lose and these posts/replies have encouraged me today. I am only 4 lbs in but I know, from my years of experience, that 4 turns into 8 and 8 into 16 and 16 into 32....and so on. I am really trying to focus on the reasons I am doing this and not the reasons not to. I've already learned that the feeling of depriving myself that burger and fries is WAY less devestating than dealing with the nightly guilt of "another day done and another pound gained." I really want to do this! I know I can and seeing all of these posts inspires me to keep plugging along and one day, I'll be the one encouraging others with my numbers down

1two3four

Any advice from those who have been there before would be appreciated.

For those who do it, I imagine they are also conquering much of the self doubt that likely brought on the weight gain to begin with. You inspire me.

I have an exercise class I've been going to for awhile. I enjoy the workout, but still feel like everyone wonders why the heck I'm there. I'm probably more worried about what I look like than anyone else, but I still have to mentally prepare myself before going to class. I keep going, but some days I can't stand the mental turmoil I have to put myself through to be there.

This time I know I'm going to have to find the confidence to do this myself. I've lost a total of 10 so far since starting in early May. I can't count on validation from others in my quest to lose weight. This is my journey. Last week, I struggled with a busy schedule at work and a mind that said, "What makes you think you can do this? Ten pounds is just a drop in the bucket. You are going to have to get tough mentally if you think you are going to lose the next 90 and you're weak and tired and too freaking busy with work and kids."

I guess I'd like to hear from others who have 100 pounds or more to lose or from those who have already done it. How do you keep yourself focused. How do your train your mind along with your body? For me, my negative thought patterns are more than half the battle.

Good morning,

I wanted to congratulate you on your first 10 lost, your knowingness that you are the one that can make this happen and your willingness to seek advice!

For me, I had to learn how to be kind to myself. If I beat myself up every time I slipped I would never get anywhere. This is not easy. Being cheerleader of others helped me tremendously. If I'm busy supporting someone I can't beat myself up for eating too much or moving too little.

I take every day as the come sometimes every hour as it comes. My motto is always to do better than I did the last time. If I do that, I can't fail.

As for your exercise class I know how you feel. I have cerebral palsy, I am DIFFERENT. I walk different, I talk different, I look different (and I'm short and fat, it's like the lottery of freak of nature over here). The CP is a fact that I can't change and I've lived my whole life with it.) I won't lie *sometimes* people stare, they glance and they look. It's uncomfortable. The thing is, we're all human and we all look at things that are different. Bigger, smaller, oddities and all. The thing is, we don't know what people are thinking while they are looking. I catch myself staring all the time and have to keep myself in check. I am never intentionally thinking anything negative. I'll catch myself thinking, "look at that person doing something great" or as much as a lot of PWDs hate it, "That person is inspiring to me". Just keep going and try to think about the positive things people are thinking because chances are if they really are looking (and sometimes they aren't!) they're not thinking as bad of thoughts as we imagine.

I wish you all the best, you can do this!

130helen

I am new here to, and have 75 pounds to lose.

I too have done the weight loss, then gaining it back and more cycle so many times I don't want to count them all. I think every "diet" works, as long as you can stick to it. I just started a new eating plan (I prefer that to diet) and I am just learning how to do this a different way than before. I am allowing myself to eat what I want, but calorie counting to stay within my BMR index.

I learned about BMR in a book I bought last week - Veggie's Not Included. This woman lost 130 pounds, it took her 1 1/2 years (the first year she lost the 100, the second 6 months the other 30) and what she did was eat whatever she wanted, but stayed within her BMR index. For her, at her weight and height, she allowed herself to eat 1500 calories per day, averaged at 5 days at a time. So on the days she went over that, she just learned to balance it out the next day or two, and still stay within her 1500 calories a day. She ate out at fast food most days, because not only can you figure out the calorie count easily, it is portion controlled for you.

And did I mention she didn't do any exercise? This is my kind of "diet"!

Of course, if you have health issues, this might not be for you. But whatever "diet" you are on, if you figure your BMR and stay within that average for 5 days, you will lose 1 pound every 5 days.

Congratulations on starting. I am sharing this because I am tired of the diets that are so restrictive - it is hard for me to stay on them for very long anymore. And this eating plan sounds like a no brainer. So far I have been on it for 4 days and lost a pound, didn't do any exercise and ate out at fast food every day. What I found was that I have to preplan what I am going to order and stay within my calories. That's it.

Good luck to both of us!

michab108

I'm in the same boat. In past years, I've been down anywhere from 50-60lb from my current weight. I seem to put it back on to the same weight and then start over. I've been lucky in that my close friends have always noticed my weight loss and commented positively on it.

I've struggled with diets and workout schedules, but I'm definitely seeing that it is absolutely about a lifestyle and mindset change more than it is about dieting and working out. Those are tools that are implemented to assist with the lifestyle and mindset changes. It's not easy, when you've spent your life overweight, to change how your mind perceives yourself, your body and your choices. I know I'm always looking for instant gratification and that is not the case with a change like this. My brain gets into a self-destructive pattern that says I'm not worth the effort. I should just stay overweight because it's too hard to lose the weight, and what does it matter anyway, because my personality is more important anyway. But, the reality is, my body won't support this weight much longer. Before long, my health will start to show the stress this weight is putting on it. My sister is between 300 and 500lbs, never giving the same number twice in conversation and 5'2",at 32 years old has a heart condition and is both pre-diabetic and has constant stress fractures in her feet from the minimal amount she is able to walk. Perhaps seeing those words out there will help me with my own motivation....

caitconquersweight

See my ticker? That's for the first half of my 100-pound goal. I get completely overwhelmed when I think about losing that much. I mean that's a serious accomplishment and takes serious work. I've found that much smaller goals help me stay focused. I'm not thinking about my ultimate goal (around 150-160) whatsoever. It never enters my mind unless I'm talking about it like I do now. For now my first goal is 200. I haven't been that since middle school. 50 pounds is a big goal, but now that I'm almost halfway there it doesn't seem so scary.

Make your goals smaller. Celebrate the small victories. Take it one day or week at a time.

Awesomers

I have lost 39 pounds and have 100 to go. I lurk the forums, look through the awe-inspiring success stories, think about how I want to be one of those someday, and keep pushing through. My resolve isn't always so high. I make mistakes. That's probably one of my biggest motivators - I've gone so far in 9 months that giving up would be silly. Just keep pushing through and remember that you won't lost it all in a day or even a month. You can do this!

jlschrandt

Breaking it up into smaller goals. I like that!

jlschrandt

Wow, look at some of those ticklers! You all have been busy, working hard. I did good today! It's a plus for me. A friend who is also going through the same thing came over. We went for a walk. It helps to have someone to talk about all this with. It helps to hear all your advice and see all your results. This time, I'll keep going until I reach the ultimate goal and along the way I'm just hoping I can transform my whole self: body, mind, soul.

Ftw37

I stay focused by thinking in small week by week goals. Also I only weigh myself once a week, to prevent daily obsessing. Trends show up when you look at your data week by week.

JG762

I haven’t lost 100lbs but I’ll tell you what works for me, its small steps and small goals. I set personal goals and work hard to attain them. Once in a while a friend will challenge me to a weight loss “contest” for the month and it really helps to be able to chat with someone who is striving to attain your same goal. I find myself cheering them on and trying to offer encouragement which in turn helps me. Have faith in yourself and just do it for you and don’t worry if anyone else notices how much you might have lost. I find that some of my friends will always mention my loss and others act as though they don’t notice any difference.
Bottom line is make up your mind and change your mind set for success and above all KMF! (Keep Moving Forward)

Fsunami

Keep it simple & break it down into smaller goals that work for you. If you needed to save $10000 for a house, thinking of the task would be overwhelming, so you'd break it down into a more manageable thing. Same thin here.

The only validation you really need comes from inside. If you lost another 40 and no one noticed, would that devalue what you have done in any way? hell, no.

Take it one day at a time (truly) & try to make the best choices you can in THAT day.

As far as balancing it with the demands of life? They will always be there. Learn to make yourself the priority, or you will wish you had farther down the road.

Just be happy with what YOU are DOING. By being here, you are part of the solution, not the problem


You got this

Luckee_me

What worked for me is never thinking in the long term. I get up everyday and say "I'm going to have the best day I can" Some days I rock, some days not so much. Also I never thought about giving up this time, although I'm not sure why?! Mindset does play a big roll. Just remember as long as you don't give up you are still trying.
Good luck to you.

callas444

There is excellent information throughout this thread that I won't repeat, but I thought I'd throw a few things in here. You asked about potential stumbling blocks for your journey, so I thought I'd mention mine. My calorie budget is very reasonable (1520 currently) so I do not find that I am hungry. Getting downright starving hungry is a big problem for me, so I make sure to prevent it at all costs. I do it with strategic snacking of high protein food and a little carbs. Mostly I'm okay, but I swear, my TOM makes me feel like I am going to starve to DEATH. I know I am not starving. I am just fine. But I MUST EAT! This drives me bonkers. I find that my willpower is much less during the week prior and through my TOM so I need to be super careful what is in my house at that time. I have heard this is pretty common, so I wanted to mention it.

I have an open diary so feel free to look for meal and snack ideas if you want. Or send a friend request. Best of luck on your journey.

BookAngel_a

This is a great thread! I started on MFP 66 days ago and I have 100 pounds to lose too. This thread has been very encouraging. I have been discouraged sometimes that I've "only" lost 8 pounds in 66 days but my MFP friends have been very helpful and they are the reason I haven't given up. Coming to MFP every day has helped me so much!
Anyone is welcome to add me as a friend.

dakotababy

It is nice to hear others say they notice, but I am not doing this to get confirmation of others, it makes your success rely on other people, which is a very dangerous situation to be in. You need to be 100% independent in this - with or without others.

JG762

It is nice to hear others say they notice, but I am not doing this to get confirmation of others, it makes your success rely on other people, which is a very dangerous situation to be in. You need to be 100% independent in this - with or without others.

This^^^ This^^^ and so much of This^^^!!!!!!!!

Fsunami

It is nice to hear others say they notice, but I am not doing this to get confirmation of others, it makes your success rely on other people, which is a very dangerous situation to be in. You need to be 100% independent in this - with or without others.

WE HAVE A WINNER! perfectly put

st0rmagedd0n

I can't speak for having more than one hundred pounds to lose. I can't speak for looking down years of working towards a weight loss goal or never remembering not being overweight.

But I can speak for all those other girls in your exercise class.

I can say that when I see someone there, someone whose got a long way to go, someone who sees that, knows that, and shows up anyway, them not belonging is the last thing on my mind.

I can say, without a doubt, that you showing up, you keeping at it, coming in and working hard, logging and exercising and fighting to be the person you want to be, no matter what, means that your not belonging there is a non-issue.

You belong. You belong with all of us.

Because where some people have it hard, you have it harder. Where some people work hard, you work harder, and when I drag my butt to gym class and see you there already, looking awkward and uncomfortable and here anyway, despite all of that, I respect the hell out of you.

Seriously. Keep at it.

We've got your back.

Quieau

On short lunch and don't have time to read every word that precedes my post, but you're getting some great advice! Sorry if mine is redundant.

I have lost 94 so far and have a ways to go ... but here's what I've learned.

My advice is to put most of the conventional weight loss advice aside, and start tagging along the bodybuilders community. There are some exceedingly kind and generous souls who haven't been where we are with the very high weight and lack of fitness, but some of them have. I realized early on at MFP that almost everything I had been taught about weight loss was coming from people who profit from my failures, which are inevitable when you're doing things that make your body think it's starving and being punished. Instead, go for the long range and think about healing and building your body rather than simply reducing its size at any cost. Don't punish it with starvation, excessive exercise or self-hatred or judgement. Instead, love it into your plan.

1) Count calories, but don't overly restrict them. Lower is NOT better nor faster! You need to NEVER eat below your BMR (there are BMR calculators out there). This keeps your metabolism chugging, keeps you ON PLAN and gives you endurance.
2) Mix/alternate cardio and strength training. Read a book called "New Rules of Lifting for Women"
3) Don't eliminate ANY food group or macro. Try a balanced 40% carbs, 30% fat, 30% protein for a great reduction plan. Make it a priority to get your MINIMUMS as well as staying within maximums.
4) Drink water! Water comes in tea and coffee and lemonade too. If you drink something besides water, count it as BOTH water AND food, recording calories as well as fluid intake.
5) Don't junk up your diet with junk food, but allow yourself that occasional treat as long as you can keep it together. If you eat all your calories of junk food every day, your body will STILL think it's starving and will slow your metabolism. But eating strictly veggies is really no better. You need to find your balance. Some say 75-80% good healthy clean food, 20-25% "junk" is optimal. I find that this is too much for me to lose. Experiment and find what works best for you. Also look for sugar and other dangers on your labels. My yogurt for several months had more sugar in it than my ice cream! I eat the real deal, though---if I were to eat fake sugar, fake mayo, fake butter then I wouldn't be satisfied, and I'm not willing to put synthetic poisons into my system just to lose weight. I can assure you that I have lost all mine so far eating real bacon, real butter, real sour cream and real sugar. Animal fats are now believed to be super-good for you and carbs are essential to healthy body function.
6) Give yourself TIME to heal! As long as you're on the right road, don't sweat the timetable.
7) The scale measures your TOTAL weight, not just fat loss/gain. Scale readings can be affected by muscle gain, water gain (sugar and exercise both contribute) and by constipation! Use the scale for informing yourself on trends but don't hang your sense of success or failure on that single number. There are so many other ways you are succeeding!
8) Don't compare yourself to others. That can get very dangerous in terms of setting expectations too high.

Most importantly, be KIND TO THAT BODY! It's trying its best to keep up with your life decisions, give it room to heal and nurture it with good nutrition or else it will have no choice but to fail your expectations in the end.

You're in the right place!

LoneWolf_70

I lost 105, left MFP 9 months ago due to health and emotional family issues. Ended up putting on 30ish again. Im back down to 94 lost, the second time around is hard and it is SO embarrasing to put weight back on. Im with ya there, but just keep fighting.

blondageh

FR sent. Great advice on this thread. Even though I have lost 100lbs, I see so much of it I need to take myself.

jlschrandt

Wow, more great advice. All of you! Thank you. I've had a manic Monday and have found myself with just a few minutes. Thanks so much for taking the time to share.

sparklenglitter

It is nice to hear others say they notice, but I am not doing this to get confirmation of others, it makes your success rely on other people, which is a very dangerous situation to be in. You need to be 100% independent in this - with or without others.

WE HAVE A WINNER! perfectly put
[/quote

Yes well put! Tomorrow is day 15 for me and my first weigh in ...I am not obsessing over the pounds as the lifestyle change and the way my clothes are feeling are rewards in it self!! I too am a shorty, 5' 4", at 237 two weeks ago, my goal, 155. I just today actually started feeling comfortable talking about my weight loss to others at work, and am fortunate to have a healthy support system at home and work as well.
I can use all the help I can get to help to motivate me to fet up and move more.

Anyone who would like to add me, please feel free, we can do this together and I know I need friends in the same situation.