"The pounds are coming off SO SLOW ...discouraging."

An MFP sister who is just getting started posted these words to me, "The pounds are coming off SO SLOW that it is already discouraging."

I was going to just respond to her...in the middle of another post...BUT THIS IS TOO IMPORTANT to limit to a response that only few might read. Too many folks come to MFP or try some diet and get discouraged TOO QUICKLY. That's why, I decided to make this response into it's own blog.

Here is my response to the statement, "The pounds are coming off SO SLOW that it is already discouraging."

I have lost 80+ pounds, Sis; but I have had to go through small plateaus almost every month. Some of those plateaus may last for a few days, a week and occasionally even longer. February was horrible with only 2 pounds lost for the whole month. I checked with my doctor and my nutritionist; and together, we agreed to reduce my calorie intake per day to 1,000 calories...again. Yes, I had upped my calories to 1,200 per day. With my very sedetary life style, I could not lose weight on that high number.

More recently, I try Intermittently Fasting...eat all my calories in an 8 hour period. That also worked for while and helped me to get kick started again after a plateau. The one thing that I had to do was simple...DON'T GIVE UP...DON'T BINGE, just because things aren't happening fast enough.

Losing weight is NOT an overnight thing. There is often a fast drop in the beginning which can be misleading. All of us want to lose a bunch of weight as fast as possible; but it just doesn't happen that way, unless you have done something drastic, like gastric surgery. That surgery works quickly, but there are too many cases of people regaining the weight and being left with the complications/side effects of that surgery.

What we are doing (counting calories, making healthier food choices, increasing our activity level, thinking before just eating) can seem boring and slow and frustrating at times. It certainly wasn't something that I did happily at any time during my life. I was total binge eater, except I binged every day...all day and into the night. That's how I got to be 280+ pounds.

Last October, all I wanted to do was drop a couple of pounds to impress a surgeon. I was dumbfounded, when he said that I had to lose 70 pounds in order to 'qualify' for my much needed knee surgery. I'm sure that I was in denial of what it would take to accomplish that monsterous goal. I couldn't conceive of being on limited calories, even eating healthy food at that time. It took me most of month just to decide what I was WILLING TO DO to meet that goal.

I started by giving up DIET COKE. Yes...zero calorie coke. That may sound silly, but I washed down all my ice cream, candy bars, salty snacks and fried food with Diet Coke. That one 'food/drink' was associated with ALL my eating, especially junk food.

Then, I went to Thanksgiving dinner at my sister-in-laws home and ate a limited calorie, low fat meal...chosen from a banquet size feast. I couldn't believe it. I actually made it through Thanksgiving without pigging out.

I SURVIVED the holidays by NOT EATING normal food. I forced myself into a food plan of supplement bars and shakes. Fortunately, my wise doctor recommended that I "include regular food" into food plan. At that point, MFP and counting calories came into my life. The incredible friends (mostly female) who I call Sisters gave me the wisdom, love and encouragement to get to where I am now.

You are at the beginning. You are looking for instant results, but it just doesn't happen that way. I have passed my surgeon's goal and am now looking to a bigger goal...a new life as a normal size woman.

You are looking down what seems like a 'long road', while I am looking back to you and saying, "Come on, Sis. Just put one foot in front of the other, and the miles will fade away. Take one meal at a time, and you will be here soon enough. It will take a while, but every day puts you closer to your goal."

Don't get discouraged...get committed to your new life style...your new way of eating. Set smaller, mini goals to reach. That will make the road ahead seem shorter. Each small goal reached will be something to celebrate.

If I can do it, so can you. I promise.