I do think it is good to keep the goal, for accountability and something to work toward. But not to beat yourself up over. Plus you have fitness goals that are not tied to a scale (the half marathon), which I think is good for your physical and mental health. That is why I really like your attitude!

PQ, when reading this entry I felt you’ve given up. It’s obvious you feel fine with your weight now and the scales are not a problem anymore for you. Shopping, apparently, isn’t a problem either. I must tell you something, I am 5 ft 7 and weigh 150 lbs and I wear the largest size of all in “normal” stores in Germany (or in Spain, where I come from). It can be worse: ZARA, for instance, doesn’t have my size for all trousers. As you see I’m not overweight and yet I am always the fattest anywere I go (friends, family, work…). This fact keeps me away from gaining weight because I don’t want to shop in plus-size stores. If I ever shopped there, there would be no upper limit for my weight. Now, PQ, imagine you moved here, or suddendly shops in the US go “european” and don’t sell your size anymore. Come on, you’ve lost a lot of weight, you can do better!!!

PQ – I actually started walking for a week before I even started changing what I ate. I didn’t want to do too much stuff at once. Good luck to you!

PQ – No, I meant since I myself was breastfeeding, about 27 years ago.

I love your blog and read it as a former heavy girl who lived through the struggle and now likes to route for others. My accomplishment was not nearly as big as yours — I lost 24 pounds during the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of college, learned to love running and dropped eight dress sizes. My goal had been to lose 30, and at first, I kept up weighing myself every day, only to be frustrated by no change.

After about a year, I stopped weighing myself or worrying about it because frankly, it became boring to be so obsessed. I loved my life, I looked good, and I enjoyed exercise, and I decided that was enough. Four years later, while working long stressful hours at my first job, I found I didn’t have time for my regular exercise. I stopped running for a month. Devastated, and sure that I’d gained all of the weight I’d lost, I stepped on the scale for the first time in years, only to find that I’d dropped the last 6 pounds! Since then, and that was five years ago, I’ve stayed within 2 pounds of my ideal weight. I don’t run as much as I used to because I’m in law school, though I love to run when I can. I eat junk food sometimes when I stress. But the nice thing is, weight is now miraculously easy to maintain, because what I gain one day, I lose the next.

My point is, you might find, when you stop stepping on the scale each day, that the weight slips off when you least expect it.

Truly well said.

I agree. Don’t change your goal… even if it takes you another 5 years to get there. The real progress is in the journey, right?

Isn’t it funny when you make your wishes happen? The “now what” moment is terrifying and thrilling all at once.

Good luck with what’s next!

You mentioned in a post that you thought you were successful in losing weight this time because your environment made it easier, and that had you been a mom taking care of others it might not have been so easy.

Well, I’m a mom taking care of two small children (2.5 and 10 months). I’ve got 15 more pounds of baby weight to get off (I’m only 5’4″ so that 15 pounds makes a real difference) and I’m staring down another pregnancy likely in the next 4-6 months. During the 10 months since I gave birth, I’ve been stymied by getting pregnant and miscarrying twice (and boy does that put a brick wall in the weight loss road.) Although I do have a gym membership, it is hard to get there regularly because I have to work it around two children’s naptimes, transportation only half of the week, and a husband who also wants some time with me (fancy that!)

Our general diet is healthy – I understand basic nutrition and work hard to plan good balanced meals. We could stand to eat more vegetables but we DO eat them. However, I know that I tend to eat for comfort when life at home with two children gets overwhelming. I know that, and yet I do it anyway.

I know there isn’t an easy answer other than eat less and move more. But for those of us who are in an environment that makes that hard…any tips?

I’m also just curious: do you have children? Have you dealt with the pregnancy/weight cycle?

PQ – Man, I don’t know what to say other than “Don’t stop trying.” You might try to find some exercise you can do around the house so you don’t have to get to the gym. If anyone else has better tips, shout them on out. As for kids, I don’t have any, so I haven’t had to deal with weight-gain during pregnancy.