I've been hovering at 197# for about 3 months. I think I've lost some inches, because I'm a size smaller, but I've come to a sputtering weight-loss halt. This will take some thought and some "umph" to figure out. A co-worker says "Oh, you'll have to step it up! Eat less calories or something! Exercise more!" Well, duh....right?

I think I'll find some sympathy with you that have been sparking for a while like myself. You're doing "everything" and sometimes you go into phases about what "everything" means to you. Please forgive me for this comparison, but it's like sex. You're mind has to be 100% there too. And I don't mean the motivation. I've got that. I exercise about 45 minutes every day at lunch, I'll run a 5K at lunch and go back to work sweaty and red after, often. I mix it up. I swim, weight-lift, circuit train, use the elliptical, the spin machines, work out videos-- bootcamp and Jillian's Shred. I use my two 15 minute breaks at work for workouts, if possible. I get up at 5:20 most mornings to get some extra exercise in. I've started "10 minute aerobics" at work before work starts as an incentive to everybody to be there on time. I do what I can at home. I track what I eat and don't often go outside of my calorie range. I've got the motivation. I'm doing "everything". And sometimes in my brain this feels like it should be enough! For about 3 weeks this seems like it should be enough, and I have been discouraged and a bit "put out" about it and have said to myself "THIS SHOULD BE ENOUGH, BODY! GET IT?!" And it's not enough. And I've got to figure out what enough is gonna take. I look at my graphs and I'm in a calorie deficit of an average of 900 per day. GET IT BODY?!?!

For a few weeks I've been working it out in my mind, planning and staying low, "regrouping". I've been waiting for ideas to pop up and for me to finally be okay with the next step. I figure the next step is to shave off more calories and to stay to the bottom of my calorie range. Have I been excited to do that? NO! I'll start weighing everything on my food scale. Did I have the presence of mind to kick this off before? Not last week I didn't. I was still busy being miffed about it and wondering what to do. I even went a few hundred off of my calorie range a couple of times just because I'm mad, don't know what to do exactly, and on the flip side think I might need to "shake things up". I'm still in a calorie deficit that should get me -1-2 lbs per week. Something has to start this next ball rolling.

So today? Do I have the 100% presence of mind? YES! I got on the scale and it was #198 and I'm ticked enough to kick this off.

On the bright side now, I'm excited to have gathered my "umph" and to get going. My goals are off by about 3 months, however my arms have gotten more cut. My body is in excellent shape (see last blog). It's okay if I go slower than planned since my real goal is my health. Some of my stretch marks have gone since hovering at this weight for a bit and my skin feels like it's forgotten that I was ever bigger than this. I'm into some clothes (including a swim suit) that I thought I had thrown out from 10 years ago when I was dating my husband. I was 20 pounds lighter when I was wearing them 10 years ago, so have I picked up muscle? I'm thinking I must have.

So....game on, body, it's just you and me......

However, your advice is welcome. I need all the help I can get....