The up's and down's......

[fabulous5]

Wow what a struggle these past 4 months have been. I am only ten pounds away from my goal and I still look in the mirror disappointed, jiggly arms, loose skin on my stomach, strechmarks, on an on..... I can never seem to be happy, overweight or even all most to my goal.

Weight loss is like a roller coaster ride. You go up and then you go down....and sometimes....the track is just straight...no little or big hills....but just straight. I think when you are going straight...(like a plateau) ...the ride slows down and that is when you have this huge urge to just jump off because it’s not going fast enough for you.

The past week or so I have jumped off the roller coaster of losing weight.
Yep...I sort of jumped out when it was going slow....and now I’m trying to catch a car to jump back into so I can ride some more.

What never stops to amaze me, is how I’m consistently inconsistent when it comes to food and exercise, the only two areas of my life that I can not get a grip on.

This is what being a part of a weight loss group does for you. When you have people supporting you...helping you...encouraging you along the way....making you stay on the ride....that is when you achieve true success. We all have to do our part to make it happen but when everybody is behind you...it sure makes the ride more interesting and a lot easier.

Yes I am complaining and I only have ten more pounds to go, but I know it's going to be a longer ride on the roller coaster than ten pounds. I'm here to support and to receive support from all the ladies that are on that same roller coaster ride as me!

[MsBridget]

I totally understand where you are coming from. I am 5 pounds away from my goal, it seems so close but yet so far and at times I wonder if I'm trying to sabotage myself because I keep falling off the wagon. 5 pounds away, but I'm wondering if I'll be pleased once I get there.

As far as the loose skin and stretch marks, have you tried MSM. They have soaps, creams (lotions) and supplements. The soaps and creams are used for people that have problem skin, like acne, but I've heard that it works for stretch marks and skin elasticity. The supplements I hear work the same as well. I just found out about this earlier this week from a woman that has lost 100 pounds and doesn't have any stretch marks at all. She began taking it because she has very sensitive skin. I'm going to try it out myself because I have stretch marks on my hips and upper arms. You can purchase the soap online, but I have also found that The Vitamin ****** carries it as well

[SWEETJAS]

Awwww, I know how you feel Fabulous5. Years ago I had gotten within 10 pounds of my ideal weight (125lbs). 125 was my happiest time of my life weight, my daydream to make the days go by weight, my I CAN DO ANYTHING weight. I had longed to be that size again for 5 years and it only took me 5 months to get so close to it. I had a gym membership, a healthy diet, and nothing stopping me from getting there...except myself. For some reason I just started eating and stopped working out..I mean I just stopped . As I watched the scale creep up I would tell myself "get back to it", but I just couldn't. Fast forward another 5 years and here I am at 170lbs. I should be happy cause I started at 198, but like you I can't look at the accomplishment of losing 28lbs I just see I am still fat, I have stretch marks, cellulite, and I keep messing up.

With you being so close I think it is normal to get a little slack and feel unsatisfied. You worked so hard to get down to where you are now and just subconsciously want a dang break already...COMPLETELY NORMAL! I know when you pictured yourself so close to your goal weight, you saw your body like the chicks in the magazine (too bad we don't have people around to airbrush us too ). Unfortunately fantasy is always better than reality. Look at your stretch marks as battle wounds of a war you won! Look at your body and say I may not be "perfect" but I am a million times better than I was. It will all come together for you...you're sooooo close. Now that you got your much entitled rant off your chest, start thinking about how you're gonna celebrate when you hit that goal !

[fallenangel915]

Honey let me tell ya...you have come too far to be worried about a little loose skin and stretch marks! You look absolutely fabulous! Be proud of the fact that you have come this far, and you are this close to reaching your goal. There is no stopping you now.

[Kelliee]

Hi Fabulous 5:

It's amazing how similar in height and starting weight we are. Even our goal weights are identical so I am where you were 7 weeks into your weight loss journey (probably).

I can understand how you look in the mirror at 130 and feel a bit disappointed. But remind yourself how you felt when you looked in the mirror when you were 170-something. Pat yourself on the back and congratulate youself for having the stamina to do what you have done so far.

Losing weight has its moments of being painfully slow and makes it hard to keep our eye on the ultimate goal at hand. 8 weeks into this whole thing, I am sick of cheerios and banana for BK and salad and chicken for lunch. I'm fed up with being so hungry at times that I fantasize about Sweet chili flavored Doritos and sometimes grab the bag and just smell them just to see if I can remember what they taste like.

I will be you at 130 sometime in May/June and I too (for certain) will be having the fight of a lifetime with my body to lose that stubborn last 10 lbs. It won't come easy but know both you and I can and will do it because we want it and after everything we have done to get this far, we DESERVE it!

You do look awesome right now at 130. I'd be ecstatic if I could just get back to that right now. One thing I have learned about us "petite" girls is that we have to focus and put the exercise first. If you keep the exercise up, you can take a break from all the bland dieting and maintain until you are ready to throw your hat back into the ring.

Three years ago, I lost a lot of weight and got to 130. Maintained it all summer, going to cookouts, having drinks on the deck with neighbors, being conscious of what I ate but not afraid to have an indulgence. I kept it off but I worked out 3-4 days a week for 45 minutes (minimum). After gaining it all back due to stress and not giving myself time to go workout (on top of truly hating it)...I have learned this time around that I have to put the exercise first, even before dieting. Dieting will do nothing for me if I don't exercise.

Not sure how much you are exercising but if its not a lot and not often, give yourself 12 weeks of consistent (3 days a week) going to a gym and working out, 45 minutes of cardio so that your sweating but can still talk. Build in 3 days of weight resistance for the arms and legs toning and you will see major changes in your body. You may gain 2-3 pounds the first 2 weeks but it's just muscle so keep going. Once you do that, any dieting you do to get that 10 pounds off, will come off within a month of starting. You can do this...you've come this far because you are strong and motivated. Just find another reason to keep going and you will be my role model on how to get to that svelt 120 !! Then I want you to tell me and encourage me to do the same...okay? Hang in there...

[tmreese]

Thanks for this thread! I too understand what your saying. I dont know how some people can make exercise a habit such as showering. I just cant seem to stick to it either. There seems to be just way to many interuptions for me. But, like you said, thats where all you wonderful people come in and pick us back up and give us a ride back to the train.

[fabulous5]

I totally understand where you are coming from. I am 5 pounds away from my goal, it seems so close but yet so far and at times I wonder if I'm trying to sabotage myself because I keep falling off the wagon. 5 pounds away, but I'm wondering if I'll be pleased once I get there.

As far as the loose skin and stretch marks, have you tried MSM. They have soaps, creams (lotions) and supplements. The soaps and creams are used for people that have problem skin, like acne, but I've heard that it works for stretch marks and skin elasticity. The supplements I hear work the same as well. I just found out about this earlier this week from a woman that has lost 100 pounds and doesn't have any stretch marks at all. She began taking it because she has very sensitive skin. I'm going to try it out myself because I have stretch marks on my hips and upper arms. You can purchase the soap online, but I have also found that The Vitamin ****** carries it as well

Thats awesome thanks so much for that info, I will definitely look that up. I will try anything once. Congrats on being so close to your goal thats great. Now it's the maintaining part that is boring and not so rewarding. It feels great hitting all our milestones when we loose, but then we hit it and there's nothing more to look forward to expect all the cute clothes we can buy

SWEETJAS~ Yes it ****s to get so comfortable and not pushing ourselfs to go further. But like I said I feel off the roller coaster but I'm jumping back on. Yep that what I am going to start calling my stretch marks, battle wounds of a war I won. Thanks for that. It's funny because I am never a negative person I am the one always being positive everyone, but last night I just broke down. I cried to my husaband and let it all out. I know the way to change how you feel about yourself is to first change how you think about yourself. I need to toss out the negative thinking. Give myself some credit, see myself as a work in progress, learn to love myself and use positive self talk to lose weight. Got it, now I need to reinforce it lol!! 28 lbs is a huge success, congrats to you. Just think of the roller coaster when you mess up, it's always there and you can always jump back on.

fallenangel915~ Awesome words of support thanks you for replying!!!!

Kelliee~ Yes I will never forget how I looked at 172, that image is stuck in my head. Thats the problem lol! Congrats on your weight loss. And yes I know what you mean about the food. I'm always trying to come up with things that taste good but still healthy. But when you have 5 kids thats hard! I'm always trying to snack on there stuff. Damn temptation.

About working out I go to the gym 5 days a week. Every morning on a empty stomach to burn the most calories. I do an hour of cardio. I recently started doing classes to challenge myself. But like you said it's hard to keep it up if you hate it or in my case I get bored of it then I dread going. And thats what happened last week.

For me getting results depends on several factors, such as the time, focus, my faith and my feelings I invest in, the strength of my desire, and on how big or small is my goal is. For me and I'm sure for most of us it takes more than one thing to transform our life. But I am here to support you and anyone else, It takes time, practice and support to change lifetime habits.

Like you said "Then I want you to tell me and encourage me to do the same...okay?" I'm going to check up on you and push as you need it !

tmreese~ Your so welcome. I am going to give you a positive affirmation "You can — and you will — succeed, as long as you believe you can do it! Thats for you and me and who ever else that wants to use it. I think I will write it down on a index card and carry it with me to remind myself

I actually have given myself a new goal hoping to push me in the right direction of staying fit. I want to run a race. I'm not a runner at all but have always wanted to. I am in the process of finding one that would suit me. I'm going to start out small and then maybe work my way up. I went out and got me a handsome workout buddy.... his name is Franco. I got him on Sunday. He is going to be my drive for trying to run. Thats all Huskies like to do so I dont have a choice in the matter lol. And it changes up my workout.




You ladies are wonderful, thank you for replying to my thread.

[HopefulHeather]

Wonderful analogy of a rollercoaster ride. I definitely related to it in every way.

However, this ride doesn't ever end. Even if you think you got off the ride, you are still on it. Every day you exercise or not and eat food. Every day you make decisions about what you are going to eat and do or not do even if you don't think about these things.

I think it is important to recognize the times you are trying harder than 'normal' but I really hope a big part of this "ride" for you has been learning what kinds of changes you need to make to your "off the ride" times that will make it so you don't have to get on the ride again. I hope that makes sense.

I honestly believe that small changes done over time make ALL of the difference in the world. If you can truly break old habits and form new better habits then you wont need to be concerned if you are on or off any rides again.

I also see now more clearly than before that it is ok to do somethings that you know will be temporary while you lose weight, that you wont do later. That is the difference between losing and maintaining. I'm working on what those differences will look like right now, so I give it some extra now. I had been focused on what I could keep up doing later because I didn't want to backslide. I hope that makes sense.


Anyway this is a journey for a lifetime. Really whether you want to be on it or not.

I understand your concerns about how you look, and I think a big part of weight loss is self-confidence. If you aren't happy how you look when your numbers on the scale show your goal, then what is the point? It sounds to me like maybe you should work on toning and stop looking at the scale so much. (Because it will go up some as you gain muscle but then I would bet down more in the end)
Try to be a little more forgiving of yourself too, you've done a fantastic job, you have a lot to be proud of, and you have some battle scars from your journey. You might never look what you think is 'perfect' in your eyes, but hopefully you can see how well you do look and how far you've come.


Ironically, I love saggy skin, it means I'm losing again. Hooray!

[weathergrl]

What a GREAT thread Fab 5!! I completely relate to everything you've said. I am in my last 10 lbs too. I think the hardest part is thinking... the ride NEVER ends, like HopefulHeather said. It's not like everything will change when I get to 135. I don't get to get off the ride and have a cheeseburger and milkshake. I have to maintain it and stick with it and adhere to all the things I've learned about food and my body and what enables it to run efficiently. That is hard!! It is boring and monotonous! BUT it is another goal reached, another mountain climbed... on to the next one!

I think you're really smart to start running races! I am going to do the same thing. I love to run but I am going to always have a 5k or 10k or something on my calendar to strive for. I'm going to race for time and try to beat my "best time" with every race. We are goal oriented people so we always need to be working towards our next goal! What have you always wanted to do? Travel? Write a book? Run a marathon? Do it!

You also have 5 children... WOW, what a tremendous accomplishment! You must be exhausted girl! Working out 5 days a week while having 5 children?? How do you do it?? I'm sure as a mother, you are always giving, always taking care of everyone and everything, meeting everyone's needs and sometimes it is hard to think about yourself and figure out what YOUR needs are and how they can be met.

Congratulations on ALL your successes! There are many more to come in this lifetime so look forward to those!! Thanks for the post!

[ethansmommy23]

fab- that is the reason i'm still here... i kinda feel like an idiot sometimes hanging around, reading posts, posting every so often but for some reason just being a part of this keeps me motivated... i feel like i'm an example for some ppl and it's like if i gain or i fail i'm not only letting myself down but i become another one of the statistics who lost weight on phen just to gain it back.. my husband is oblivious to weight either way and my family r mostly over weight and don't care so this is my support system and for me it's crucial to staying on track.. exercise is a regular habit for me like taking a shower as tmreese said. i know i have to get up in the mornings get b-fast for myself and my kids and then head to the gym bc it's part of my routine 5-6 days a week.. it takes 21 days i believe to form a habit so try a couple weeks of consistently working out at the same time everyday and see how much easier it is to continue... good luck and remember we're all in this race together!

[fabulous5]

HopefulHeather~ Your right the ride never ends... darn it! And yes I had temporary changes and still do. Like with my coffee. Love love love my coffee, but the first three months I stopped and now I have it occasionally
I do toning and weight lifting classes about three times a week, it will come with time I know. I just get bored lol. Maintaining will be the hardest part for me. Congrats to you on your weight loss your doing great!!

Weathergirl~ Thanks. Thats great that you love to run.. I'm new to it but think I will enjoy it much more out side. Thats why I got my dog Franco. I love how your going to race for time and try to beat your "best time" with every race. Let me know when you are going to do a race, I would love to chat!

Yes 5 kids. They are in basketball, gymnastics, ballet, hip hop, soccer...lol They all are active in something. Keeps me busy needless to say. But They are all in school except my son that is 16 months. After the kids get on the bus I pack up my son and take him to the gym for a 1 1/2. I make it work, I have to lol.

Congrats to you on your weight loss and only having ten more to go.

ethansmommy23~ I think your absolutely right about staying on this site afterwords. It's definitely motivating and you are a great example for everyone!! You are doing a great job, thanks for replying.