All about percentages
 

This is mostly just a gripe, whine. When you lose over 20 pounds going from 150 to 125, it looks like a massive loss. You go down clothing sizes, ect. But when you go from 250 to 225, there is barely any difference. Clothing size isn't that much different, and it's not really enough difference for others to notice. You're just still "big."

I know it just takes time and the visual part will come, it's just frustrating in the mean time.

Well, the silver lining in that is the each pound lost will show more than the pound before. From where I started (this time), I had to lose 90 pounds before people started noticing. I've lost 25 pounds since May, and I'd swear that it shows more than losing the first 100 pounds did. I know it is hard, but the best thing to do is to focus on making this WOE your way of life and think of it as eating for your health. If we just focus on eating right, the scale will reward us for our efforts... eventually. I'm still big -- but I know I'm moving in the right direction. Chin-up and keep plugging away at it :).

The Paper Towel Theory really helps when I get discouraged about not seeing a difference even though I'm losing. It was written pertaining to the Body For Life Challenge, but it really applies to any weight loss program.

Paper Towel Theory by Bob White

Let's assume you go out and buy two rolls of paper towels, each with only 84 paper towels on it (one for each day of the challenge). You put one aside, and keep it for future reference (your before/ picture).

The other one represents you (I'll call your paper towel you "Ed"). The core represents the lean Ed. The towels represent the fat that is covering the lean Ed. For sake of argument, let's say that Ed wants to lose 21 pounds of fat, so (84/21) each sheet represents a quarter-pound of fat lost. Let's also assume that Ed loses his fat equally during each day of the challenge.

Each day during the first week, you tear a sheet off of Ed, representing the fat he has lost for the day. Next, you put Ed next to the full roll ("Big Al") for comparison. No noticeable difference!!! Even at the end of the week! This can't be working for me!

But, being a good Ed, you continue to follow Body-for-LIFE. At the end of weeks two and three, you continue to compare Ed to Big Al, and still notice very little difference. That stinkin' Bill Phillips MUST be a liar!

But Ed is determined! He works hard! Three more weeks go by, the sheets peeling off day after day, before Ed gets up the courage to stand next to Big Al again. Holy Myoplex! Ed is skinny! OK, not skinny, but less huge!!!

By the end of the 12-week Body-for-LIFE program, Ed is down to his lean dream, or somewhere near it. Ed is happy. We are happy. Big Al - well he's not so happy.

The lesson to be learned is that fat, like paper towels, comes off in sheets. When you are heavy, you are big around. And when you are big around,that fat is spread over a MUCH larger area - just like that outside towel sheet. The closer you get to the lean you, the more each lost pound of fat shows, because it is spread over a smaller area.

While the outside sheet may only cover 1 layer of the roll, the inside sheet may go around 4 times. That last sheet looks like it gives you 4 times the results of the first sheet, but in reality, the results are the same - your perception is just different! And you'll never see the inside, if you aren't patient while the outside is coming off! - Bob White