one month in and motivation is slowly going. . . .

Set goals that are independent of the scale.

How many pushups can you do?

How long does it take you to walk/run a mile?

The thing about this process is, you have to get out of the weight loss= success mind set. If you focus on being healthier instead, you will see improvement every day and be much more motivated! Focus on improving athletic performance and eating healthy, and the weight will fall off on its own.

It's a slow process and you're going to have to wrap your brain around that. In my experience, long term and sustained success happens when people really start looking at the much bigger picture, not just the scale. That bigger picture being your overall health now and in the long term...your nutrition, and your fitness. These things are life long endeavors...there is no finish line...you are never "done"...they are an intricate part of your everyday life forever. Once you start taking that all in, a handful of weeks is pretty irrelevant.

I would suggest putting more of your focus on you nutrition and your fitness and the process of being the best you that you can possibly be. Be more awesome today than you were yesterday, and sleep well tonight in the knowledge that you're going to rock it tomorrow. You do that most of the time (you will never be 100% on) and the results will follow. Obsessing solely on the scale is not really going to get you anywhere fast.

Very well put.

You can do this , think of it as a journey were you really want to go.

Hang in there, the 3-4wk mark is usually the hardest!! That was when it hit me what I had done to myself all of these years by eating crap & letting myself get to 300lbs! Push through, be super proud of yourself for even deciding to do this to start & even more proud of your 8lb loss. I found by the 6wk mark I got it, this no longer felt like a diet but a lifestyle change. Weighing my food, , logging daily, making better choices were easier, I didn't have to think about it as much. Before long you will reach that point too! Just stay with it, remember it takes a stronger person to push through & keep going then it ever does to give up!! xo

Congrats on your 8 lb weight loss. That is really something to celebrate. If you have reached a plateau try changing your workout routine.

Iv lost 8lb so far, but its slowed down loads, im struggling with motivation as it slows. I could really do with some motivational friends, and a bit of a pep talk from anyone that can help please, any experience to share xxx

I need to lose about 42 pounds to be a healthy weight. So a few months ago, I started eating healthily and exercising and lost 8 pounds. Then I got really stressed out about life in general and put it all back on again. I am starting afresh today but continue going, move forward, do not take a step backwards like me. In a month's time, do you want to be a few pounds lighter or heavier. Treat yourself some clothes, shoes or whatever you like just to motivate yourself

I started off drinking plenty of water, and I seemed to have stopped that, I was also eating below my 1500, but now I seem to be allowing as much as I can. The 24lb goal is to get to my lowest weight, b4 I was pregnant, my boy is 1 year now and I feel I should have lost it by now.
im 13 stone 4, and want to get to 12stone 2lb.... iv never been smaller than that and I cant see me ever getting lower, which is why its set to that.
I want to feel comfortable to run around with my son, it wont be long till he walks, and I want to feel happy to play in the park with him in spring, I worry what ppl think of me, generally I have a very low opinion of my self.
We took photos at the behining, and then saturday we took another set 1 month in, and when I looked at them I felt disgusted, im vile, it upset me.
I hate that I have to limit my food when my oh can eat loadsand not gain, food is part of life, I want to enjoy it like everyone else, but I just get fatter.

1. I don't have kids myself, but from what i can gather it takes ages to get the weight off after pregnancy, but unfortunately due to the excess of celebrities "bouncing back really quickly" real women feel under pressure to do the same. I think this is unhealthy. Having a new kid seems stressful enough without putting yourself under pressure to lose the weight as quickly as possible!

2. It is really annoying when you live with someone who can eat what they like and not get fat. However, eating crap is still bad for them even if they don't put on weight. Get the other half to eat healthily with you, too, although he'll be allowed more high calorie treats. You can eat some very tastey low calorie meals, and there is no reason to cut out everything you love! I often eat yummy salads for lunch, have noodles for tea, and have some chocolate or a sweet desert as a treat on a day when I've been "good". I just had bbq chicken wings and salad for lunch... 290 calories of yum.

Set daily goals, it hwlps to keep them more manageable

3. Daily goals are useful in some ways but can be counterproductive if you find it hard to meet them every day or want to go out for dinner etc. Also your weight fluctuates naturally day by day (by up to 1 kg I've found) so a daily weight goal isn't good. I find it more useful to average out my calorie deficit over a week, e.g. if I want a bottle of wine one day I make sure I am "good" the rest of the week so I can balance out the calories without restricting my diet too much too much.

and 4. I'm no expert, but might you be experiencing a bit of post-natal depression?

P.S. You could get a fitbit if you can afford one - new kiddy looks exhausting and you may find that your TDEE is a bit higher than you think. 8 lbs in 1 month is a lot - most people can expect to lose half that in a normal month.

If you are in this for life and accept that you wont give up, you need to accept that your motivation will fluctuate.........sometimes I am annoyingly positive and motivated, other times I drink a bottle of wine down a box of chocolates and think f%$k it! Just keep going...........

Thanksfor the push everyone, its really helpful. Im setting monthly goals, as it seems to help, january was to lose 5lb, and iv done it, february is to get into the 12 stones, im currently 13 stone 4lb.
Im 5 foot three, and my goal is 12 stone 2, but I know that wwould still be far from good. At my height and weight, and a stay at home mum, what should I be looking to weigh to be 'healthy'?

A healthy BMI is 18.5-25, although you probably want to aim for somewhere in the middle so you have “wiggle room” – I’m going for about 23. The healthy range for you would be 47-64 kg, i.e about 7 st 6 lbs to 10 st. BMI of 23 equates to about 59 kg, i.e. 9 st 4 lbs.

Your initial aim of getting below 13 st by the end of Feb is good, and realistic (IMO). You can expect 3-4 lbs loss per month, so you should reach your 12 st 2 lbs goal by June / July time

I would suggest aiming for 10 - 10.5 st as your Xmas 2014 goal. It seems intimidating (I have a similar amount of weight to lose) but it will make you healthy. Once you’ve hit that, see what your measurements are and assess whether you need to lose any more – BMIs are a useful guide but waist measurement is also important for health and you don’t want to get too skinny