Comments on: Slow progress toward big goals

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 03:21:55 +0000

In reply to Beth West. @Beth- Thanks, good advice! I'm not really looking at the scale over the holidays... congrats on your weight loss!

By: Beth West

Beth West — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 14:36:44 +0000

In reply to Laura.

What helped me keep going when the numbers on the scale weren’t falling was the commitment to be strong and fit regardless of my weight. Of course I wanted to lose weight, but by golly if I couldn’t lose weight, I was going to be the fittest chubby gal around. And the weight loss took awhile, but where I had always given up in despair when the weight didn’t come off before, my commitment to fitness kept me going this time. It took a long time for the scale to move but I kept moving! Over the course of a year I lost over 30 pounds. And I love looking better. But I also love being stronger and more energetic by far.

Caution: If you’re going to start strength-training, keep waist measurements, because as you develop your muscles, this can add some weight or you might just stop losing weight, but if your waist-line is slimming to where you want to be, then you know you’re not adding fat, just lean muscle. Good luck with it and happy holidays!

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:29:37 +0000

In reply to Nadia Hassan. @Nadia- oh, I know. The first 3 weeks you lose a ton of weight because it's fluid -- like your weight can drop 3 lbs in a day. But then it stopped, and the next pounds came off at the pedestrian 0.5-1lb rate. Which is fine over the long term, but my point was that you don't see it in the short term. Losing half a pound a week does not look like anything for several weeks due to weight fluctuations. So the question is how you stay motivated in the short term until it becomes the long term.

By: Nadia Hassan

Nadia Hassan — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 02:10:53 +0000

Laura, I don’t know if it applies during postpartum weight loss, but losing more than a pound/week is tough if you’re female and less than obese. Like between calories and working out, if you could lose 500 Kcal in a day, then you’d lose one pound every week. Losing more than a thousand calories a day is something a lot of doctors/fitness people do not recommend.

By: Twin Mom

Twin Mom — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:01:12 +0000

In reply to Laura. I share that thought. Sleep- and REGULAR sleep- is so helpful. Good luck! It sounds like you're doing well.

By: Laura

Laura — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:00:35 +0000

In reply to Twin Mom. @Twin mom - I agree on the idea of deciding, sometimes, that things are not important. I have had boxes in my office for the past 6 months now. It has taken a backseat to work, kids and other things. I'm finally getting to it now because Ruth is sleeping more. It is amazing how much more energy one has when you get enough sleep!

By: Twin Mom

Twin Mom — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:51:11 +0000

I find it helpful to either set up automatic systems (transfer to savings or 401k) or decide something is “not important”. Weight is currently in the second category for me, because I’m working on potty training twins and getting them to sleep at night. For whatever reason, they were both up till midnight last night. That means sleep (not getting sick from exhaustion) is more important than exercise. (I have no childcare and picking up my house and putting laundry away from the potty training is more important than exercise.)

Most of us find the bandwidth in life to do what is important to us- we just value different things.