SandraNancy Member

I hear ya, it's a BIG deal when you've been so focussed on making the number smaller rather than larger. I imagine most people who have lost weight have a secret dread that it'll come back. When I saw the weight start creeping back, it was not a good feeling. Still, now that I can see all those wonderful changes (as you're…

Nice to meet you, thanks for friending me!

Thanks so much! I think the scale's a great tool when you have weight to lose, but when you're an "average" size, it really can be misleading and discouraging. Good luck with your own banishing of the scale!

Thanks Karindiane! It has taken a long while to get here, and there are still those moments when I wish that number was lower, but then I remind myself that number is only a very small part of the big picture.

Why thank you! What a lovely thing to say.

Funny how everyone has that one spot, eh? For me, it's my waist. I'm quite certain that if I had a 26 inch waist, my life would be flawless. Ha! Not exactly that dramatic, but that's my stubborn spot. Maybe one day we'll BOTH get our dream bodies, but until then, I think we're doing pretty darn well already. I checked out…

Thank you! I'm glad I'm not the only person who has had a perfectly good "I feel slimmer" morning ruined by a scale. The only people who know my weight are me and my doctor, but the whole world will be able to see my sexy toned physique. Scale be damned. I'm going for the sexy physique! :P

Hang in there-- I know it can be SUPER frustrating sometimes, but changes are happening. You know what? My thighs are a half-inch larger than when I started the weight lifting so yes, my pants are a bit tighter. However! I now have these gorgeous lines of muscle starting to poke through, and my thighs are getting this new…

Wow, you and I could practically be body twins! Thanks for posting, I'm so thrilled to hear that this encouraged you. I'm 7 weeks in now, and I've got a whole new butt-- I'm starting to feel a bit vain, turning around to check it out every time I'm near a mirror. :P Are you doing any particular program with your weight…

Yahoo! Way to show those gents that girls can be fierce in the weight room too. If you want, I can throw your scale in the basement with mine. ;) If you can see that your body is changing, you know you're doing something right.

I've been doing the Strong Lifts 5x5 program, and I love it. It's only 5 exercises, so easy to remember. Also, I like Strong Lifts because it doesn't use machines. I have weights, plates, a bench and barbell at home, so I'm ready to go whenever I want. Of course your local gym also likely has these things. :) From what I…

It's amazing, isn't it, how you can get caught up in that silly little number? Whenever I start really obsessing about it (as nuts as this sounds) I think about my clothing sizes. I wear a size 6 pants and a size small shirt. I cannot possibly be fat if those are my sizes and I'm 5'7. Lets say it together now... measure…

Ouch! Ankle sprains are no fun. I once had a doctor tell me that they hurt worse than a nice, clean break. Isn't that messed up? Hope you recover well, and soon. I can't wait for another update, myself! I'm going to Costa Rica in 3 weeks for a Coast to Coast trip-- you basically bike, hike, kayak and white-water raft your…

Hey, might as well make it an interesting read for everyone, right? Its gotten to the point where the scale is my nemesis, so I thought it was time we broke up.

Thank you, glad it helped! Whenever I feel frustrated, I totally check the success forum as well for motivation. I'm so happy I get to be the motivator today instead of the motivatee!

Thank you so much for your kind words! That tropical pic was taken in the Phi Phi islands in Thailand. It was my "I have arrived!" shot. :P

Yes yes and YES! Scale bondage is exactly what it is. It sounds silly to say that I look better at 145 than I did at 130, but now I have curves and definition and feel like a rock star when I push out that last bench press at a new weight. Body recomp!

Good for you! I know the scale is a valuable tool for those looking to drop weight, but once you're close to or at your goal weight, I feel like the scale becomes an instrument of torture. :P

I'm the same way! I was initially really bummed about the 145 number on the scale, but when I looked at the picture of me at 140 and the picture of me at 145, I liked what I saw in the "heavier" picture. Sometimes you need a visual punch in the face to see what's in front of you! I've been following the Strong Lifts 5x5…

Beautiful story! And of course, the best is yet to come. Good for you, you look amazing!

Thank you! I can't say enough about it. I feel pretty badass being able to lift heavier things, and seeing new muscles start to emerge. If you're even considering it, I'd say DO IT! :)

You and me both, sista! I've been doing stronglifts for a little over 5 weeks now, and loving the heck out of it. However, the scale says that I haven't lost (in fact have gained), which was irritating the crap out of me. However, my butt is higher, rounder and tighter, my thighs are more muscular, my waist is smaller and…

Thanks for that, lindsey1979, that post did make me feel better. It was pretty inspiring to see her transformation. I keep trying to remind myself that the scale is only a very small part of the big picture, but it's hard not to get panicky when it goes up. I guess I'll just keep at 'er and hope for the best!

Anyone? As big a mystery to MFP as it is to me? :P

I'm actually trying to eat more calories than 1200, but I've been eating higher protein and fat, with less than 70g of carbs per day. I was surprised to find that I rarely hit the 1900 calories I'm allowed because the high protein foods really keep you full. I snack on tuna a lot. A can is about 160 calories, depending on…

In my opinion, it's great. For me, I find that this, more than anything, is what makes a change in inches. I'm in maintenance, so it's not so much about losing weight now as it is toning/getting stronger. I eat 15% carbs, 35% protein and 50% fat. Usually, I don't quite hit my protein and fat, but I get pretty close to it.…

You actually sound similar to me. I'm 5'7, started off at 160, and am maintaining around 135-140 (started weight lifting about 4 weeks ago, so trying to build muscle currently). I am the salty snacker, and the lover of dips with breads and all things carb-y, so I hear you. I tried lowering my carb intake as an experiment…

I am a new convert to heavy lifting myself. I just started about 2.5 weeks ago, and already I'm feeling/seeing results. I'm not looking to lose weight, but instead to be firmer, smaller and tighter. I figured being a size 6 and 135 lbs is great, but why not be a size 4 and 140 lbs with killer definition? Right? Right! So I…

I've been eating Paleo (oh, the dreaded Paleo!) for about 3 weeks now. I've been having 3 cheat meals a week, but since "cheats" can be as simple as having corn, I'm not going too wild. My biggest cheat has been a personal sized Hawaiian pizza-- cheese AND wheat, together in beautiful harmony. As a note, I've been…

I ran my first 5K last year, after training for about 7 weeks prior. As someone who used to HATE running, this was quite a goal to set! I looked at the results from the past few years, and saw where most women were placing. I decided I wanted to be under 30 minutes, and in the top 10 for women. Come race day, of course it…