I really feel like crap. I have been in this stall for a long time, and I want to loose those last 25 pounds!! I am trying, really, I do 100 crunches every morning and night, 25 leg lifts with both legs, and 100 with each leg seperate. While I have noticed, and even my husband commented, that my belly "pooch" from having 2 c-sections and a hysterectomy, is smaller than it has been since high school, and he could actually feel my stomach muscles the other night , I still feel like a failure!! I was told by a nurse while she was checking my body fat that I should only get down to 165 for my frame, then my body fat would be in the good range. I only miss the good range by 3 percentage points, but I want to be smaller. I feel flabby in the thighs, but when I see a picture of myself, even in shorts, I look good to me, just not in the mirror!! What is going on?? Does anyone else think that I may have the "winter blues" and just need to get out? I have been going to the tanner a couple of days a week, but I am tired all of the time, and feel depressed too!! Any suggestions??

Oh, gosh,
You do have the blues.....you have done such an awesome job...the idea of you as a failure with your stats is just...well, I'm going to say it...crazy.. I want to be where you are so bad.....And you are so very close to your goal....and stomach muscles? You've got to be kidding...that's wonderful. I don't know if I'll ever see those even if...when I get to my goal, so I say you are one of the success stories of the board already, so PLEASE feel better.

Yes, you have the winter blues...and I know you have the same lousy weather that I have to blame !!
You are doing really well...hang in there.
Try 2 things that I swear by....lift weights first of all. They help build muscle, and burn fat while at rest.

Drink green tea, tastes great , and I believe it helps with weight loss...could be all in my head..but it sure cant hurt

Girl....spring will be here soon...you will feel so much better then

Hi,

I feel that way everyday........You just have to keep going and dont give up....I have been a single mom now for almost 10 yrs. Things are difficult for me, in a strange town with no family or friends, especially with being overweight.

You just have to try to see the light at the end of that tunnel, and dont give up. It sounds like you are doing better than you were before you started this , right?

That is what you have to think, and then with a little positive thinking along with perseverance and endurance.... the weight will start to come off.

Being grateful for everything and everybody that you have is a good way to beat depression. Try to focus on and do things that make you happy.

Take care, Gina

Hey there! I'd like to say, first off, congratulations!!! You're kicking butt! That being said, I also want to make it known that I would never say congratulations to a failure!! Amazing progress!! You MUST be doing something right girl! I have the "pooch" going on and the only children I have are dogs and one persnickity cat. Spring is coming, soon the birds will be singing and the sun will be shining. Just imagine, the warm breeze floating across your cheeks, the tulips in bloom, the sweet smell of fresh grass. Let's get rid of your Winter blues and look forward to Spring!!!

You've done a great job so far!

And I'd say you've got the Michigan blahs... I do too!

The one thing that might help you feel better and have more energy is some addtional exercise. Can you get some cardio exercise in, yoga, areobics, even a walk around the block? Some form of weight training will help tone your muscles and make you look even better.

You should be very proud of the HUGE progress you've made. I too have been stalled - for about four months now. You will get there eventually!

Kiks

Crunches and such are fine and will help the individual muscles, but you need to be doing some cardio for your mood and for your weight loss. Cardio cleans out your cells and changes the way they use insulin in a BIG way, and it's good for your mood and heart too.

My doctor told me, 30 minutes of hard exercise a day, or quit whining about stalling.

Feel free to take his advice. I paid $265 for it.

I live in Canada and I can identify with the blues! Can't wait for this ~#$%ing snow and cold to end!!!!! At least the days are getting longer - once the clocks go forward I think all of us northerners will start to feel better automatically. As for the worries about toning, just exercise a little more. It really does lift the spirits, as everyone says. But no offense CS Carver, I have been exercising 5-6 times a week for 45 minutes to an hour every day, intense cardio and resistance, and I'm still in a stall that has lasted about 6 months! I've even reduced myself to counting calories (ouch!) to try to break it but I think my age and perimenopause are counteracting every positive move I make. So don't give up, even if you don't see immediate results. This all takes time, but it will last a lifetime.

Hang in there - I'm sure you'll feel better in a couple of weeks as the air starts to smell like spring. And give yourself a huge pat on the back for how far you've come already. Awesome progress - be proud!!!!!

Aj

Thank you all for your support. I actually am trying to make (force) myself to feel better. I decided to give myself a VERY special treat that I had been saving up for a huge accomplishment. I went out yesterday (Saturday) and got the lower back tattoo that I was going to get when I hit my goal!! It looks as awsome as I hoped that it would. I think that it will give me even more incentive to get in shape to wear the short shirts to show it off this summer!! My husband and I also broke down and bought a really good scale, not a cheap one that doesn't really work good, but an expensive one that will help my entire family loose some weight. We also started a challenge between all four of us. (I have two teenage sons who are overweight) Who looses the most weight, (or gets closer to being in the healthy range for their height) gets $50.00 to do whatever they want to do with it during our vacation this fourth of July!! I am getting ready to take a walk around the neighborhood in a little while, even though it started snowing again!! I WILL MAKE MYSELF HAPPY DARN IT!!!

I am the only one who can, right??!!!

Thanks for all of your responses. I really do have the winter blahs!!!!!!! But, today I decided that only ME can make ME happy, and so I choose to be happy. There are some things in life that you can't change, but your weight is not one of them. I am going to keep going, and my entire family has taken a weight loss challange of our own. I have two overweight sons and an obese husband, and we all weighed in on Sunday, and who ever looses the most weight by July 1, gets $50.00 to spend any way they want when we go on vacation later in the summer!! I even decided to give myself a special reward that I was saving for myself when I hit my "goal" weight. I went out and got the lower back tattoo that I have been wanting for a year!! Last year at this time I got my belly button pierced, and now my "crack" tattoo!! That just makes me smile!! Why wait when you can enjoy life right now right????

Congratulations! Keep it up! I'm working towards that "crack tatoo" myself...that is if I ever decide what I want. I change my mind so much the waitresses at my favorite restaurant get mad and give up, lol. What did you end up getting? Best of luck to ya!

Keep up the good work.

I have been the same weight, give or take a few pounds, for quite a while and i FINALLY broke through. You will too.

Being in a stall is normal in all diets. Its just your body fighting back. It wants to survive. You are doing something the body was not used to. Cutting back on the foods you consume. It sound so simple, and it is. After a while your body will attack more stored fat and move on....by dropping weight to the next platform. This is built in survival nothing more. Depression is something else. This usually runs in familes. If you have it, you could be either fat or thin. It has nothing to do with weight. One more thing. If you take any kind of medication, your stall will last longer. Just another thing your body fights off. A layer of fat is not evil. It protects the body.

Juli G. I ended up with a peach colored rose right above my crack, and rose vines stretching down to my crack, and over to each side!! I also splurged this weekend, (good Friday) and got my hair highlighted!!! Wow do I look different!! I have an "indoor" tan, brown hair with blonde highlights, and my new tattoo!! I feel like a million bucks!! Now, my husband just shakes his head when he looks at me!! I don't know if he is wondering what the hell I am doing, or if he is jealous, he really doesn't talk about it much, except to worry that I am getting to "attractive" to other men. Hey, he looks at other women, why should he be worried about other men looking at me?? I mean he says that it doesn't hurt just to look!!!

Good for you on feeling better about yourself... it's an all new you!

I think your husband is worried that you're finding yourself... feeling better about yourself and doing something with your appearance. MEN!