This stall is finally broken

Hey all of you wonderful Maysters, I had been stuck at 220 pounds for three consecutive weeks. I know that I have not been working as hard as I could have, but that was a downer that I had not expected. It kind of threw me for a loop, but the funny thing is that I'm glad of it now. It certainly taught me to just keep plugging away no matter what the scale says. Back in August, I decided to set a goal for myself of losing 10 pounds per month from that point on. I have just 2 more pounds to go and I will have all of my weight for December off. Somehow it happens, we get comportable, and it becomes easier to lose that deep-down focus. Needless to say, so that is why I came back here to see what I needed to fix. For me it was getting some new foods included in my diet and then getting back to basics. Another issue that is always in the back of my mind is that fact that my wife has always been smaller than me. She had always prided herself on staying at the "100 pounds less than her husband weight" * (see below) for so long that this had kind of become her trophy. Now, she is realizing that I am heading in her direction and there is some chance that I may even fall below her weight before the end of the month. She plans to start a weight loss program after the first of the year so she can get back on track. Part of me wants to just keep plugging along and the other part of me wants to just slow it down until she gets on back on board with her losing. My belief is that she has the personality that will not allow her to ever weigh more than I do. This may seem silly to some, but it is somewhat of a mental dilemma for me. I've just been working like the turtle. I think that rabbit is about to come alive in January. Hmmmmm....... Thoughts??? John *Okay...the real story behind this is that we have 5 children. Christine and I both gained 20 pounds with each pregnancy. Yes...of course I had to eat for two...too. The reality was that for some reason very quickly she lost half or more of her 20 pounds at about the 9 month mark. I never lost it, and it kept going up from there.

Oh, how I hate stalling. You're doing great and looking good. Nice job, John!!

April, Yeah, stalling is such a negative side to it. Thanks for the encouragment and you keep up the great work too. John

I hate the stalling phase.....it sucks! It makes me think that I am as low as I will ever go and I get depressed. Then all of a sudden, I reluctantly get on the scale and see a nice weight drop. Don't get discouraged John, you are doing better then most of us because you men lose faster then women because we have to deal with water retention, menstral cycles, PMS and cellulite so be glad you are a man. Hugs, Esther

Hi there Esther, Yeah, I'm a man, but if you look at my weight losses on a line graph, I look like I have monthly cycles too. Once a month I have a good loss and the other three weeks I do just okay. I'm doing great. I just wasn't quite as prepared for this last stall as I thought I would be. I have my projected date of reaching my goal and now I'm just going to plug away at it and just enjoy the process of getting down there. Twenty years ago I lost 130 pounds on Weigh****chers and it took me about 2 years. So, what am I whining about??? Thanks for the support and so good to hear from you. Keep up the good work yourself. John

Congratulations on busting that stall! That's wonderful! As for your dilemma, I'm facing something similar here. Brittany, my almost 11-year-old, is, sadly, following in my footsteps. She was comfortable having the biggest mom in the room because, at dance, she's usually one of the largest kids. At 5'3" she already towers over most of her fellow 5th graders and, with parents like us, she'll never be a beanpole. So, in the last few weeks, though she's been happy over my weight loss, she realized Mommy is getting a little too close to *her* weight. She was horrified when I got into an 11/13 Juniors jacket at Walmart. That's the size she wears! So, I started at this gym here in town owned by an old high school friend. She's willing to work with Brittany to get her weight down. I'm more than willing to pay it BUT Britt still wants to do Baton, Girl Scouts, flute, after school chorus, etc. No way am I paying a gym membership for her to never go. So, we've been talking about the importance of correct food choices and how very important exercise is. She knows I never want her to HAVE to have RNY. If we can get her healthy and under control now, things will be fine. At this point, we've all worked our tails off (Literally!) and we just can't let those around us derail us. Sure, I'm freaked out that my surgeon's final goal (in 12 pounds!) is not far from my baby girl's weight. But, at the same time, I didn't come this far to stop and feel guilty because someone else wants to eat Doritos and drink soda all the time. In the end, we have to do what's good for us. I'm sure Christine will do just fine because you're going to support her. I wish I had had a supportive spouse during my journey. Tell Christine we're all rooting for her!!!! * Cyndi *

I can soooo relate!!! And it is with my 9 year old. I do not want her to head down the path I did. And I never want this surgery for her!!!!! I have found a program that is being started here (the perk of the health fairs I have been speaking at lately) that I am checking into for her! Donna

Thank you Cyndi, You have always been a good supporter here on the May board. It is Thursday night and Christine still has not asked what I lost this past Monday. I'm just going to keep it under wraps for now. If she asks, I'll tell, but I'm just going to do my plugging along thing right now. She is quite supportive and it was her good health insurance that saved my life. I had just conceeded to the fact that I would be dead in 10-15 years. Now I have my eye on the 70's or even 80's...who knows...maybe even 90... Then I will really get to know what saggy means. Thanks again for all of your support and keep up the great job you have been doing. John

John, I was sooooo happy to be lighter than my husband again. But it was this weekend when I got all the oooohs and aaaaaahs that he finally said HE needs to do something!!! Though without much effort he has lost quite a bit since my surgery. I think it is due to eating at home most of the time now since it is hardly cost effective for me to go out and eat. I do not care how much he weighs of course.....jsut wnat him to be healthy and able to keep up with the new me!!!! Donna

Donna, That is exactly it. Christine is at that point, but from a strategic point, she does not want to start in December. At least for me, it doesn't matter what time of year it is, I don't get so dragged down by the sweets of the season. She will get going after the first of the year, but when she finds out I'm a bit smaller, I'm wondering if it will put too much pressure on her. On the other hand, she may know the truth, but she may not say a thing until sometime in January. We shall see???? Keep up your good work. John