Just... keep... moving

That's what I really want my scale to do right now.

I'm currently 39 days binge free (yay!) with one cheat day a week, and I am down about 12 pounds in that time. I realize that really is a good amount of weight to be down in 5 1/2 weeks, however I still get frustrated when it doesn't move as fast as I wish it would.

But then I stop and think about it and realize that it's ok.

I've done a million "diets". The last few that I've done have been pretty rapid weight loss diets. I'd lose between 2-5 pounds a week with my body in ketosis (fat burning mode). But that's not easy, nor is it sustainable. But because the weight dropped so quickly, I was able to see results much quicker than I am now. And I think that's where I'm getting hung up.

I'm doing it the right way now, eating from the four food groups, eating in moderation, and 4-5 times throughout the day. I'm limiting the amount of "white" foods I eat, and try to stay with fresh, perishable foods rather than processed foods. In fact, I hate when I have to get something out of the pantry to eat. Tonight I had a Trader Joe's apple bar, which really only has "good" ingredients, but I would have rather had something a little more fresh. Payday is Friday, so we're running a little low in the fridge and freezer right now.

Here's the thing that everyone needs to keep in mind - you're perhaps working on a "diet", but that "diet" has to become a lifestyle. You've heard the saying "you are what you eat"? Think about how cruddy you feel after eating something greasy or fatty or heavy. I'm not saying you can't eat that, I'm just saying that if you want to lose the weight and keep it off, these kinds of "treats" are just that - treats. They're not everyday foods. They're definitely not every meal foods. If I fall back into those habits and that lifestyle, I will not succeed and the scale will move in the wrong direction.

I need to keep all of that in mind when I look down at the scale and see it moving slowly. It IS moving and it IS going in the right direction. The weight didn't come on overnight, it won't come off that way, either. Good choices and lifestyle changes. That's how we'll be successful.