Day Twenty-Five: When The Scale Moves Slowly

Frustration!! You sweat your butt off on a treadmill, exploding those last 10 minutes to burn any residual calories you possibly can. You eat nutritiously & chug water. You're working, working, working, and coming home to a scale that barely moves.

It happens to us all.

It took you years to put this weight on. It took you thousands of hours of emotional eating, choosing junk food over the good stuff, drinking beer, and sitting in front of the TV with a piece of pizza watching The Biggest Loser. It took you getting to the point where you were disgusted with yourself to finally change it. Not that you're complaining, if that's the way it had to be, then so be it. It's why you're changing your life now, so be grateful that you hit rock bottom.

If it took time for the weight to go on, then it's going to take time for it to come off. DO NOT get discouraged. Find ways to motivate yourself, concentrate on how you feel versus how quickly the scale is moving. Thinking you're going to come out of the gate losing 20 pounds your first month is unrealistic & will discourage you. That needle will come down if you don't give up on yourself. Set small goals, reward yourself without using food, look at then/now pictures, read your love letter, journal about your sleep, energy, & skin. I found that emailing myself a love letter when I felt discouraged was the best pick-me-up. It would help me sort through things & put them into perspective when the emotional frustration would get to me. Here's an excerpt from a love letter I emailed myself around day 25.

"This decision that you've made is going to take time. It takes commitment, you're worth it. So are Jet, Kimber, & Jason. You're so much happier when you've eaten healthy. You glow now that you're getting good sleep. Think about this, not the scale. It will come. Don't be so worried about how long it's taking, think about good you feel. Think about how nice it is to climb on the treadmill by yourself...no kids, no phone, no interruptions. Think about how great it feels to climb into clean sheets after a hot shower after a good workout. Think about how nice that massage is going to feel next Tuesday. Don't contaminate your system with junk food, soda, or stress. You are beautiful, & beautiful things are happening. Smile."

Do: If you're feeling frustration, do one of the many things I mention above. Be patient & don't give up. It will come.