need some encouragement....

[Beanna]

Tomorrow I will be finished with my induction period. On the first 9 days I lost 8 pounds but now I've been at the same weight for 5 days now. In this forum I read that some people are loosing 20 pounds during induction and some didn't loose any so I'm trying not to feel discouraged and I know if I stick to this diet that I will loose weight...just looking at the before and after pictures motivates me so much. Even though I haven't lost weight for 5 days I feel my clothes fitting looser which is great but I guess I am still a little down about the weight loss thing. I have 85 pounds to loose total so I guess I feel like I should have lost a lot more during induction.

I plan on staying on induction for awhile and picking up the cardio a lot more. I need to loose 85 pounds in 14 months so I can start trying on wedding dresses for my Sept 08 wedding....I don't want to be a plus size bride!

I'd appreciate any words of encouragement or suggestions...thank you all...you are the ones that motivate me!!

[julirama723]

It's always important to look at how much weight a person needs to lose, TOTAL. A person with 20 pounds to lose will never be able to lose as much as person who wants to lose 120! All of us have different degrees of metabolic resistance, so no two weight-loss journeys will be the same. During induction you can expect to lose 5-10% of the total weight you'd like to lose. 8 pounds is 9%, so you're right on target!

It's best to weigh after your 14 days on induction. Weight fluctuates hourly and daily and the scale can be frustrating sometimes. Even now, I only weigh once a week, and once is enough for me. I HATE the scale.

It's pretty common to lose a lot during your first week, and nothing or little during your second. Your body needs some time to adjust to all the weight it just dropped. This can be hard for it to get used to, especially if it's accustomed to GAINING rather than losing weight, like mine was. Did you take measurements? The tape measure often tells the TRUE story of our success. Losing inches means you are losing fat, and that is the goal, not a number on the scale.

I'm glad to hear you're going to intensify your exercise! What are you currently doing, and what do you plan on doing for exercise? There are lots of great challenges on the board, you should check them out! Also, make sure you're drinking AT LEAST 64oz. of water a day, and more if you're going to ramp up your exercise.

Congratulations on making it through induction! You can either continue extended induction or move to OWL Rung 1. Rung 1 is just another serving of veggies from the acceptable foods list. Many people fear moving to OWL, worried that their weight loss will stop, but on the contrary, those who move on usually find a "jumpstart" to their losses.

[Beanna]

Thanks Julie for all your encouraging information. I started by just walking outside but now I have started jogging and going to boxing classes. I also got the Biggest Looser Workout DVD so that gives me a great workout too. I will check the challenges though, thanks!

I do need to do a better job of drinking more water so I'll work on that. Thanks Julie...excited you wrote me back...I've noticed your success on the before and after pictures and I think you have great determination and you're awesome.

[julirama723]

Thanks for the kind words!

The way I keep track of my water is to drink out of one gallon jugs. OK, well not *out* of the jug (that would look pretty gluttonous) but I mean I keep refilling my nalgene bottle from the jug. Once the jug is gone, I know I've had my gallon. I try to drink at least a gallon a day, and usually that's not hard. At first it felt so foreign to drink so much water--I was a 8-cans-of-soda-a-day girl. But once my body figured out how good water is, it became all that I drank. And really, that's all I do drink now. I will have an Italian soda occasionally, a glass of wine occasionally, a shot of whiskey occasionally (I added these in OWL), but 99% of the time I'm drinking water.

[JMarsa202]

I think Julie gave you good advice.

I just wanted to say that you should be proud of what you've lost thus far! You're losing, not gaining. Please don't get discouraged.

I also think that you are dealing with it positively, because you're evaluating. I have seen other people on this board suggest (to people who were thinking that they would lose a bit more, or weren't losing as much as they should be) to keep a food diary. That way, someone else could look at it and spot any possible thing that might be stalling you.

Keep it up, though!