At about three months out....I had a three week stall. I was pulling my hair out (and it was coming out, believe me...lol) trying everything to kick my weight loss into gear again. Barely eating 1000 calories (I typically eat 1200), exercising like a maniac, being stupid and listening to bad advice in desperation.... starvation, cutting my healthy carbs, all sorts of stupid...I did it...and got no where. STUCK. For three freaking weeks. Finally gave up, said, feck this...and went back to my regular healthy carb based 1200 calorie Mayo Clinic Diet. Figured I'd either eventually lose weight, or just maintain my loss, call it a day... and feel sane again. Started losing again slow and steady. Did I mention slow? LOL...but steady...and I felt terrific.

I'm at the end of my weight loss phase these days...which is evidence that even the most flawed dieters can be successful if they don't give up! You can be an absolute screw up....and as long as you wake up each day and make an effort....and move your habits just an inch or two in the right direction every day...you'll get there. You really will. Be patient with yourself. Love yourself. Let little screw ups go and move on...they're not world ending. Focus on permanent habits. Try for good change EVERY day. Let the little **** go. It's not worth torturing yourself and throwing in the towel over. We don't have to be perfect.

I have gotten extremely comfortable with my forever diet...no more crazed desperation, no more rushing shite, no more frantic yaya.... just lots of really good healthy food, lots of exercise I enjoy....and 75 or so naughty calories a day. A livable, healthy, balance. (for me)

So...this week, I thought I really blew it...

Cause I had a McD's ice cream cone after the fireworks with the fam, I ate half a veggie burger at Burger King on Tuesday with my bestie after my tattoo (with the bun and some of my bestie's fries!), ate a ton of awesome treats at our pool party...though it was all pretty dang healthy:) And....ok, I'll be honest...was kinda relaxed about my food journal. Hubby and kiddo were around and it was vacation...so I relaxed a little.

So, I'm thinkin...well crap...it's not gonna be pretty this week. Stepped on the scale and lo and behold....I lost a little over two pounds...in one week...which this far out is freaking incredible!!! ( I started thinking about the walking I did at the air show and fireworks, and all the pool party prep and swimming, lawn mowing, gardening, pulling weeds for party...and yep...I worked that two pounds off my butt pretty easily given the extra hours of exercise)

That said? Isn't it nuts how you can work so hard and get no where...and relax a little and make awesome progress sometime? Sometimes it feels like we're at the mercy of a sick joke. LOLOLOLOL!

I will never understand how the weight loss Gods work.

They are a cruel, twisted, unpredictable race of beings.

Hoping everyone's having a terrific summer:)

Edited July 6, 20188 yr by Creekimp13

@Creekimp13 there are a lot of studies and evidence that suggest having "cheat" days or otherwise actually cause beneficial results of those looking to lose weight. I stick within my sugar and fat limits, but I don't stress about much else. I know I can eat a slice of pizza, crust and all without any issues, outside from feeling like crap from the food, so having the option is good, and knowing I'll decide not to eat it because of how it makes me feel gives me the control. I see a lot of the perception of the loss of choice or control really freaks at lot of people out and they go WAY overboard. I eat my halo top ice creams. I eat fried foods here or there. But it's all within what treats me right, what doesn't make me feel crappy, etc... all without being FORCED. That freedom makes everything so much more tolerable. The stress we place on ourselves, even if we don't realize it, can cause some crazy weight/eating related issues.

My Mayo Clinic Diet has the 75 calorie per day cheat built in. My doctor knows about it, and approves. I can use them daily, or I can bank them for a special occasion. If I know I'm going to dinner for my anniversary or whatever and know I'll want to be a little dumb...I'll save all my mad calories all week...and have plenty of wiggle room:)

What a great post!

I am at goal, and am feeling pretty bloody fine, I can tell you. I think the last 12-15 or so pounds would have been hard, but the terror of gallstones kicked in at just the right time and I lost that in about 3 weeks, no effort (but quite a bit of pain)! I just bought a whole stack of great underpants because I noted that mine were really only staying up because my trousers were stopping them falling to the ground!

I would like to lose a couple more pounds just to I have ‘wiggle room’ - a bit on and a bit off but still in the healthy BMI range that was my goal. I miss the daily weight loss of being at goal - I have a sense that, without my partner watching my weight too, I could just eat less and less and try to keep the loss on a roll - it is so rewarding.

But, I am enjoying occasional treat days - nothing crazy because I can’t fit it in. Nothing like chocolate of ice cream because I got bad dumping and I have decided just not to test the boundaries of ‘how much simple sugars CAN I eat’. But yesterday - local ‘Matariki’ Māori new year. Ate my breakfast at home at 5.30, served poached egg hollandaise and ham and egg croissant at the dawn event. Ate them both! Then went our for tapas dinner, had a lovely salad but also a fritter and an empanada. Felt FULL and over the calories estimate, but no problem. And lost a pound overnight - after losing none at all in the nearly 4 weeks since surgery!!

I do like being at goal, the slight relaxation I feel around the rules.....

This is a great post. Thank you for sharing.