How important is that last 1.5 pounds? - News, Weather and Sports for Lincoln, NE; KLKNTV.com

By Lisa Spodak ResultsNotTypical@worldnow.com
Provided by WorldNow

Change this week:  -3 lbs
Change overall:  -98.5

I had a great week!  After a rough 6 or 8 weeks of not being able to control my late-night eating, and gaining and losing the same pound or so, I finally had a significant loss.  And my 100-pound goal is SO CLOSE now...

I've already admitted a few times here that I'm sort of a compulsive weigher.  On a typical day, I can weigh myself up to 5 or 6 times (I know it's not a great habit, but it helps keep me on track).  So I can also admit that I actually hit my 100-pound goal yesterday morning.  But since Wednesday is my official weigh-in day, I didn't really count it.  And when I weighed in a pound and a half heavier today, I had to count that as my official weight.

The funny thing is that I know I could have made my goal today.  I'd been having a really good week and I know that if I'd put my mind to it and eaten really lightly yesterday, I could have weighed in with a 100-pound milestone today.

But I didn't want to do anything drastic.  And I even let myself have a particularly late dinner, which always affects my weight the next day.  But I was out late and I was hungry and I made good choices (5 raw oysters, Manhattan clam chowder and broccoli sautéed with olive oil and garlic) for a "normal" meal.  And that's what it's all about.

Because I've never wanted to get so caught up in the numbers and trying to reach certain goals that I sacrifice to the point that I'm resentful.  I've tried to focus on making lifestyle changes and accepting that progress will be slow.  And there was no good reason to change my good behavior drastically just to make a goal.  (Plus, I do have 3 weeks until my birthday!)

I'm not sure exactly what my problem has been for the past couple of months.  And I'm not sure exactly what caused my breakthrough this week.  Though I think part of it may have been a conversation with my mom last week.  She said, "No matter what, you've already hit your goal.  You've made it."

And she's right.  And I think really feeling that eased my stress a little.  At this point, 1.5 pounds isn't so important.  What's important is that I've stuck to my plan for 18 months.  That I'm making good choices most of the time.  That I'm exercising 5-6 times a week.  That I've lost a whopping 98.5 pounds!

Don't get me wrong.  I definitely want to lose that 1.5 pounds... and another 40-50 after that.  But that doesn't diminish what I've done so far and it doesn't mean I haven't already succeeded.