Is it okay to be proud about your progress when you haven't hit goal yet?
kiela64
Posts: 1,447 Member
I've lost almost 35lbs today since the start of April. I checked the BMI chart this morning, and not only am out of class 2 obesity, I'm at the low end of class 1. Being "overweight" only is just 10.2lbs away! 
I feel happy and pleased but I feel embarrassed also. I am still large, still obese, still unhealthy. I wonder if maybe I am seeing something better than reality when I look in the mirror, because I compare myself to my biggest.
I bought some new clothes that fit (on sale) and I feel like yes, I needed basics, but getting more "fun" items like cute tops and dresses was frivolous.
Maybe I should wait for those 10.2lbs before celebrating. Getting out of obesity was my first goal, and my final goal is being in the normal range. But at the same time, wearing pants that were tight this time last year that are loose, especially in the upper thighs, I want to point it out and do a little happy dance!
But I also don't know when that's appropriate to do. No one except my SO and my parents have commented on or noticed my weight loss. I don't want to say "HEY I LOST WEIGHT COMPLIMENT ME". And pointing out things like the pants thing (I totally did that yesterday, and felt a little obnoxious) to my SO feels braggy. Especially as he's lost weight before but work stress has not been kind to his maintenance. (He says it's fine, but I also don't want to be unkind ya know?)
I haven't lost much weight before (maybe 10-15lbs and gained it all back and then some) so this is very exciting for me. I remember in April thinking something like this wasn't possible. And it seems like such a short time, and I see/feel the differences. Idk. I just feel really conflicted about whether it's okay to be happy or if that's really a dangerous thing to celebrate too soon. It could always come crashing right back down on me.
I feel happy and pleased but I feel embarrassed also. I am still large, still obese, still unhealthy. I wonder if maybe I am seeing something better than reality when I look in the mirror, because I compare myself to my biggest.
I bought some new clothes that fit (on sale) and I feel like yes, I needed basics, but getting more "fun" items like cute tops and dresses was frivolous.
Maybe I should wait for those 10.2lbs before celebrating. Getting out of obesity was my first goal, and my final goal is being in the normal range. But at the same time, wearing pants that were tight this time last year that are loose, especially in the upper thighs, I want to point it out and do a little happy dance!
But I also don't know when that's appropriate to do. No one except my SO and my parents have commented on or noticed my weight loss. I don't want to say "HEY I LOST WEIGHT COMPLIMENT ME". And pointing out things like the pants thing (I totally did that yesterday, and felt a little obnoxious) to my SO feels braggy. Especially as he's lost weight before but work stress has not been kind to his maintenance. (He says it's fine, but I also don't want to be unkind ya know?)
I haven't lost much weight before (maybe 10-15lbs and gained it all back and then some) so this is very exciting for me. I remember in April thinking something like this wasn't possible. And it seems like such a short time, and I see/feel the differences. Idk. I just feel really conflicted about whether it's okay to be happy or if that's really a dangerous thing to celebrate too soon. It could always come crashing right back down on me.
3
Replies
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Absolutely!! Know where you want to go, but never forget to celebrate how far you've come! Great work so far, keep it up. People will start to notice before long!3
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I say be proud. I'm not at my goal yet either, but I revel in each success. When I slayed the dragonpants, I danced around the house and tormented my poor SO with gleeful crowing of excited obnoxiousness.
I don't go around the office, necessarily, proclaiming to the world but that's because I tend to be more reserved. But to friends and family? Heck yeah!!
This road is hard and grueling. The rest stops of success are what fuel you forward through the long and boring road when it feels as if nothing changes.
Be proud. Enjoy your successes. Embrace that feeling of change before it becomes commonplace and you wonder where the changes went. But wait! You have the past to remember to help drive you forward into making better choices and staying consistent.
Be happy! Bottle up these feelings for later! It's a success! YOU are a SUCCESS!
Good luck to you!5 -
Celebrate for sure! You have come so far. Others may not understand unless they have been there themselves. But I get it. Once I started to buy regular sized clothes (not plus size) you would have thought I won the lottery. Be proud.2
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YES!!! You are awesome and should celebrate! You've done amazing work. Congratulations.0
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Hell, yeah.0
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Heck yeah! Be proud of your accomplishment, you’ve done great! There are no “rules” or “appropriate time” about treating yourself to some new clothes. I’m not at my goal range yet and I’ve bought a few things that fit nicely right now.0
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Absolutely. I intend to celebrate every 10 pounds.0
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Be loud, be proud. 35 pounds down is a great reason for new, fun clothes.0
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Celebrate! You already hit your first goal and you should be very happy about that.0
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Celebrate life all day every day! Celebrate all the good things in life all the time! Celebrate your weight loss now!0
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Respect yourself. Wherever you are in the process, respect yourself.1
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*kitten* yeah celebrate! You're sweet to worry about hurting your SO's feelings since he's been struggling a bit, but I'll bet he's happy and excited for you.
FWIW Nobody outside my husband and one other person has commented directly on my loss (40 pounds, from obese to normal BMI) but I've started getting other compliments such as 'You look very nice today!' I think people are just hesitant to say anything directly for fear of it being taken the wrong way (and judging from some of the threads I see here, rightfully so).2 -
Most definitely!
Celebrate every step of the way and be proud of what you are accomplishing!
Congratulations!0 -
It is definitely ok to be happy about a 35 lb weight loss. I am over heat unashamedly happy about a 4 pound weight loss 😉Unless money is of no consequence, I would wait to re-do my wardrobe until I hit goal weight or closer to it. In the mean time you still have to wear clothes... I try to buy items that will still fit if I lose 10 lbs. Stretchy tops, casual dresses that you can toss a belt around when it is too big, workout gear and shoes are all items that fit for a bit longer when losing weight. Hope that helps!0
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YESSS! Be proud and celebrate every day. This can be a long tough journey, sometimes mentally exhausting, so enjoy the victories. It’ll keep you going. Congrats!!0
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Yes, for sure! I was proud of all of the NSV's and every inch and pound that I lost when I was losing weight. It was great to see my hard work was paying off!
Congrats on your progress!3 -
I understand 100% of what you mean. I've still got a good amount of weight to go, and even from there it'll be a body recomposition journey to get where I ultimately want to be. It feels like I don't really have anything to be proud of when there's still so far to go.
But you gotta keep reminding yourself of how far you've come. 35lbs is not a small amount at all. You've worked hard to get to this point. And if you can lose 35lbs, you can lose any amount of weight. You've already proven that you can do it, now it's just a matter of time (and sticking to it!) before you're at your goal weight.
Good luck!2 -
Don't hint to people just yet to say something.....when you least expect it.....they will start studying you and then say.....you look different....have you lost weight?
Just wait and keep at it...they will notice 1 -
Of course you should celebrate! You’ve earned it. I went from Fat to Chubby and I’m thrilled. No one has noticed, but me. We are our worst critics so we should be our biggest cheerleaders too. I’m on my way from Chubby to Normal. But it will take months so I too am celebrating every three pounds or so.2
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I understand 100% of what you mean. I've still got a good amount of weight to go, and even from there it'll be a body recomposition journey to get where I ultimately want to be. It feels like I don't really have anything to be proud of when there's still so far to go.
But you gotta keep reminding yourself of how far you've come. 35lbs is not a small amount at all. You've worked hard to get to this point. And if you can lose 35lbs, you can lose any amount of weight. You've already proven that you can do it, now it's just a matter of time (and sticking to it!) before you're at your goal weight.
Good luck!
❤️ thank you! I hope that’s right, it honestly feels like it could go away at any moment, I could be back where I was.1 -
I remember when my brother (who is obese) lost 9kgs, my parents were excited and told me about it. I said, 'I hope you gave him lots of encouragement!' they said, 'aw... nah, we'll wait til he loses more first'. And he didn't. Obviously, it's up to him to lose the weight, regardless of what anyone says or doesn't say. But it made me so sad that they could be so stingy with the support!
Fast forward to recently: I told my dad I lost 4kgs so far. I started this as overweight. Now, I'm in the healthy weight range. It was obvious to all and sundry I'd gained too much weight. My dad's response: 'hmmm...' not even a, 'good on you,' nothing. Which was a bit of a kick in the guts, because I know my parents would be happy if I lost weight. But, I knew they had this weird thing about waiting until people have lost more. I do think it was rude and not a very nice way to treat people, but I'm still ultra proud of what I've accomplished so far, and no one can take that from me. And I just remind myself that I'm not doing this so that people will say certain things, or whatever. That is out of my control. But I know I'm working hard, and yes, I'm proud of my results! I was proud on day one of starting this, I'm proud now, and I'll be extremely proud when I hit goal! Mostly though, I'm just grinding quietly, not talking about it too much, and enjoying the success for my own sake, and that works really well for me. Quite often, the people around us will let us down with their reactions, anyway.
That said, my partner is always encouraging and tells me when he can notice more weightloss. My son also really likes to see the scale go down, and really cheers me on. Which is nice. But, for the most part, I choose to be my biggest cheerleader.2 -
Every step towards an end goal is a crushed goal. Every pound lost is a completed goal. Be proud as hell!!!
This is also why I set myself, and recommend to others, to set multiple goals. Both weight and activity related. If last month you couldn't do a single sit-up and this month you can do 3, that's progress and worth cheering about. Even if the scale isn't budging, being better than you were yesterday is awesome.3 -
You should be proud of the work you are doing and how far you have come.
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❤️❤️❤️💗 thank you for all of the encouragement. ☺️ I felt happy today and I made up a comparison photo from each month. It was nice to see how I’ve changed. It’s not dramatic enough to share I don’t think, but I’m still pleased. Also the style change is nice haha 😛 thank you ❤️❤️2
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Hell yes, celebrate every pound you lose! 35 lbs is AWESOME! Who cares if you're still overweight? You have every right to celebrate, because you are 35 lbs less overweight than you used to be! Keep on keeping on, you're doing great!2
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