How u got over the 1st BUMP?!

I have been on my weight loss journey since April 2011. From April to August I lost 3 pounds. Just 3 pounds. My weight was all over the place. I'd lose 5 gain 6 lose 2 gain 1 it was horrible! In August we started the new competition and I started out good but then I hit that plateau and instead of going down again I started creeping back up. From August to November I lost 5 pounds. So a total of 8 pounds in a 7 month period. It was a loss but I should have been doing better. I was carrying enough weight to drop more. I started MFP in the beginning of November and I have lost 12 pounds. I have lost more in the last 3 months then I did in that first 7. I know it sounds cheesy because everyone here says it but it's honest. Logging my food consistently (even if I missed some days) and logging my exercise helped me see what I needed to be eating. Seeing how much exercise I had to do to work off that piece of cake helped me crave cake less. Well, say no to it better anyway. It's kinda like when your a kid and you start earning your own money you appreciate how much things cost more. My calorie intake is like my bank account and if I want to over draw it I'd better be willing to do extra work to cover it or accept the consequences. When I did that I saw results. When I saw results I wanted my goal even more and the snacks got easier to resist. Everyone has different things that motivate them. For me I needed several. I have a couple different competitions going on, MFP, coworkers, my kids, my instructor. This way if one mode of motivation fails me I have others to draw on. The longer I go the more I am able to keep myself internally motivated. Hang in there. You can do this!