Starting tomorrow (well today but the email says tomorrow)

[Tracie Wagner Massey]

HI my name is Tracie and I started doing paleo Jan 1st and I LOVE it.. It's not as hard as I thought (but I also do the "paleo" treats so whole 30 is still going to be a bit of a challenge)

I lost 30 pounds but I am having trouble with the last 10 lbs. My husband is coming home from Afghanistan in 3 WEEKS and I want to be at my goal weight before he gets home!!

I am very excited about starting the Whole 30 as I "fell off the wagon" this weekend with chinese food and pizza and I feel horrible (and the scale says I gained 5 POUNDS in 4 days!!) I am sick about that.. so if it's NOT water weight then I have 15 lbs to lose now ((sigh))

I also was exercising every day and the last 2 months I haven't moved so I am starting to move my butt again and I need motivation .. I know I can do it.. not a diet it's a lifestyle change!!

Looking forward to picking everyones' brain lol

Tracie

[Tom Denham]

Welcome.

From what you've shared, I want to emphasize that the scale is not your friend. If you really want a sustainable lifestyle and to lose weight in a way that keeps it off, get rid of your scale. Our experience around here is that if you weigh yourself, you will make yourself crazy, make worse food choices, and stress yourself enough to slow weight loss. And as long as I'm giving advice, don't exercise every day. Most people do better with a rest day every 2 or 3 days.

[Beets]

What Tom said.

Also, IME, giving myself a deadline like that (losing x lbs by x day) always always backfires,makes me feel bad about myself, and puts me in a worse mental place.

If your w30 is about losing those pounds, what will happen if you successfully complete your W30, work towards healing your digestive system, your hunger cues, your relationship to food, you discover a new veg you love, you decide you don't need to snack in the afternoons--but you lose 6lbs instead of 10?

There is a phrase popular around here: healthy by choice, hot by accident.

Making weight loss your #1 goal is not a great motivator. It might feel like it is, but you've done that before and it hasn't worked as well as you wanted.

Put your scale away, think about your health, read the famous scale addicts posts, and make yourself a different goal that you definitely can achieve and feel great about. http://everydaypaleo...-scale-addicts/ and: http://everydaypaleo.com/attention-scale-addicts-part-2/

Last, I firmly believe and have to emphasize that the "must lose X by X day" only creates stress, which compels you to eat more and store more fat.

You can do this, and you can feel great about yourself when your husband comes home. No matter what the scale says!

[Tracie Wagner Massey]

Awesome!! Thank you.. you both made perfect sense!! I will concentrate on continuing to eat healthy and reep the benefits :-) Thanks so much!!