I know this feeling very well... I seem to lose and gain the same 5lbs over and over again... It kinda stresses me out :grumble: Sometimes it feels like I'm running in circles!

At least you are running! :flowerforyou:

Ok here goes my vent. I seem to be able to do a steady weight loss until I hit a drop from one 10 pound section to the next (i.e. right now it is going from the 240's to the 230's). When I get close it just stalls..up .5 down .4 up .6 down .5. This goes on for a few weeks and is very frustrating. It is like my body wants to hold on to what is familiar and stay there and oh no we can't go down into the next one that is a scary number.

I know if I keep at it things will eventually go down it is just when I am in that place I just want to chuck the scale out the window.

Thank you for letting us vent in a safe place :happy:

Hi Wolfmother61 and welcome to our little haven in the midst...

I think you hit a frustration many of us share. I know I have it, but I've also looked at it honestly and for me my fluctuations really are no different there then they are in the middle of the range. What is different is my desire to see that lower decade number! I'm right there too. I'm flirting with the next number range down and those little 1/10's of a pound fluctuations are maddening!

What helped me see that the fluctuations are really ongoing is using yet another online tool called the Hackers Diet Online. I have decided that if I MUST be a daily weigher, I need a tool like this to help me understand the trending. On the other hand, now I'm obsessed with plugging those numbers in daily and watching that downtrending line. When I'm away from the scale for a week I get a nasty flat line that disrupts my trend. :sad:

Anyway, that is much more than you probably want to hear. We understand and empathize!

Ah Mark. I see, I feel, I know....

What triggered the end of your last "good run" before backsliding? When you used WW's successfully?

You've paid attention, yes, I used WW after scaring the crap out of myself and almost dying. I lost 152 lbs then turned around and gained 110 of it back. Which excuse do you want for backsliding?

-In 2007 my life went to crap very quickly. My office was closing and I was told I had to relocate to Denver or find another job.

-My father in law went through and died of brain cancer which was tough on the whole family.

-I had a very personal surgery that was very good for weight loss, then very bad for the next two years. When I couldn't get out of bed while healing I lost an additional 20 lbs. Once I was mobile enough to make it to the kitchen I didn't have to stop and think about what I should eat and I was bored enough I ate darn near everything.

-Because the surgery wouldn't heal, I couldn't exercise hard without breaking it open and getting infections and landing back in the hospital. (For two years I had infections every six weeks. I could set a timer by the things.

-The wife was upset because for the first time since our marriage I weighed less than she did.

What behaviours changed when stopped going?

When I was losing weight I felt good about myself. I wanted to and did exercise, eat healthy, laughed and all was positive. As I slowed down, I got upset with myself again, felt it was a personal failing on my part, and fell back to eating for comfort. It had worked for 40 years, one year of change wasn't enough to keep me from going back to my medication of choice -- the double cheese burger.

What sorts of rationalizations did you use?
-It isn't worth losing weight if my wife is going to be upset.
-They made me move, I don't have the places to exercise like I did.
-I'm in temporary quarters and the kids are pissed, let's get Pizza (or Long John Silvers, or Burger King or....)
-Once we are in a house and settled I can take this weight back off without a problem.
-I'm allergic to rotting tree leaves, I can't exercise without an asthma attack, I just will wait on exercise, besides I need to get eating back in line first. Hmm, now where is that gallon of ice cream?
-Damn, these pants are shrinking in that new washer. I'll just get one pair of a larger size. That'll get me through.

What I am trying to figure out is if I am really plateaued, or if I am starting to give up but haven't told myself yet...

Mark, nobody can make you give up but you, just as nobody forced you to realize that you weren't happy with the size you were. I've said this before. Being Fat is Hard! Losing weight is Hard! You have to pick your hard.

You may not want to hear this, but I CELEBRATE the fact that you have been essentially maintaining. When I started slacking off, I didn't maintain, I gained an average of 7 lbs per month! Because you are maintaining it means you have not yet quit, and you just have to find a way to get back in the groove.

Yes, fresh fruits are wretched this time of year. Treat yourself to some frozen fruit. Make smoothies out of frozen mango, or pineapple and strawberries. Freeze chunks of banana before they go black, then mix them with a food processor until they are the consistency of soft serve ice cream. Add berries for a change up, or some cocoa powder to get a chocolate experience.

Increase your protein intake. That will help you feel fuller longer, but make it lean protein. Take your love for asian foods and look online for new ways to meet those tastes with maybe fewer calories.

Talk to that love of yours. I'll bet she will support you. I'll bet that even though she works hard all week, that she would be happy to have a treat every other weekend instead of every weekend. Does she dance? Take lessons together. Be ready to sweat if you do this though! Find treats that don't revolve around food, at least not always. Look for things you love to do and that make you happy. Happy people lose weight easier, or people losing weight are happy so it is easier, or something. I just know that once you do start losing again, you will find that happy spot. (THL - Totally Honest Logging - is critical for making this happen. we can lie to ourselves and our brain will believe, but the body knows that mind over matter is only true in fairy tales. Physics dictates that excess energy be stored if not used.)

Did you ever check out Mikes reference to the Hackers Diet Online? It may not work for you if you are still only weighing at that doctors office once a month, but it may be time when you get your head back in the game to buy a scale for home. If you do that, the Hackers Diet will help show you what you are REALLY doing calorie wise based on daily weight changes. It will show trending and average calories over or under. I hate it at times, but it doesn't let me lie to myself. :sad:

My friend, feel free to PM me if these have opened other questions, or post here again. Short of TMI answers, I'll tell you anything I can about any of the above.

Edit to add: Good Grief. Sorry about the Novella length post. Feel like the announcer should come on and say,"For your free copy of today's message, send a SASE to..."