WAH! Why won't the dang scale move?!?! page 2

[marcadav]

The number on the scale should not matter. The fit of your clothes, measurements, firmness, not to mention health markers, are better guides. Your pictures are proof that what you are doing is having a positive effect on your body.

FWIW, my belly measurement decreased very slowly and remains THE area that needs work. I have been eating low carb and exercising consistently since 1/1/09. I decided on 1/1/09 to eat and exercise to improve my health and stave off diseases and problems that plague my family. I made a conscious decision not to focus on weight loss and view it, if it happened, as a perk of getting, being, and staying healthy.

[MalPaz]

why dont you post a typical couple days of food intake

[LittleNappingLion]

yeah, post a couple days of intake...sometimes you need someone elses eyeballs to spot things you can fix. lol, if you looked at my intake you'd say,"girl! drop the chocolate!"

I'm 30 too and started PB just before thanksgiving. One thing I've learned from this is to NOT put all your emotional eggs in the basket with the scale. I kNOW, I KNOW that's hard to do, but really. Take off a month from weighing yourself...seriously, a month. It'll re-focus your brain. Just for what its worth, I started PB, lost 10lbs, then gained 12 back (dont get scared) and am now sloooooooooooooooooooowly losing it again. However, nowadays I'll go for a month and the scale will be stuck at the same number (down to the decimal points even!) every morning and then bam! 1/2 a pound will be missing when I weigh myself again. Just suddenly & then it'll stay there for about a month. But i know good things are happening b/c my clothes are constantly changing fit on me. Recently I had to buy new jeans b/c there's less give in my (now) more muscular legs & butt (hurray!), so my normal size is just too small now. Seriously...I added 2" of ass since going primal & upped my back squat max by 20lbs...its awesome! <-that's the shit that matters!

So instead of using the scale, i've refocused my brain to measure my diet-success by my performance in workouts. I KNOW i'm doing a good thing for my body by eating this way and doing CrossFit several times a week...I too then sit on my ass the rest of the time in an office. The scale has ZERO ability to tell me that my skin has gotten better, I dont smell if I forget my deoderant & workout, I have more energy, I'm happier, and soooooooo much stronger & faster!! I did 5 WODs in a row this week with minimal soreness, totally pain free by sunday!

I KNOW it sucks to not see the scale move, but really and sincerely stop weighing for a month & use that time as a meditation to refocus your mind. It'll turn your focus inward. Maybe you'll notice that trick-knee isn't so tricky anymore, or that your skin is softer or whatever it is, try to find those things that are not as visible, nor as measurable, and so mulch more valuable as the number on that f-ing piece of plastic in your bathroom.

Hugs & good luck! keep your chin up sweety!

[Chaohinon]

I think what you need, first and foremost, is an attitude adjustment. Looking over your post, I see a lot of a references to self-punishment, "sitting on my ass,", "kicking my ass", etc.

You need to let go of the notion that good things only come to those who inflict unnecessary suffering on themselves. You deserve to relax, you deserve leisure time, and you deserve to enjoy your food. Once you learn to love and empathize with yourself, rather than looking in the mirror and seeing a broken thing that needs to be hammered into shape, then getting healthy becomes effortless. This might require some psychotherapy, as it's often traumatizing childhood experiences that lead people to believe that punishment is the path to virtue.

If the time you spend at the gym is just a sweaty ass-kicking session, and not something you truly enjoy, then I'd suggest ditching your gym membership. Get involved in enjoyable, natural forms of exercise - biking, hiking, foraging, sports, etc. Since you have kids, the best thing you could do would be to let them loose on a playground, observe what they do, and follow suit.

[Freedish]

The scale has ZERO ability to tell me that my skin has gotten better, I dont smell if I forget my deoderant & workout, I have more energy, I'm happier, and soooooooo much stronger & faster!!....Maybe you'll notice that trick-knee isn't so tricky anymore, or that your skin is softer or whatever it is, try to find those things that are not as visible, nor as measurable, and so mulch more valuable as the number on that f-ing piece of plastic in your bathroom.

That's awesome
I still weigh myself but I don't pay as much attention to it as I used to. My body seems to like staying around 180lbs regardless of my body fat %...everyone tells me I'm looking leaner anyways

Btw is it possible for this diet to make your eyes brighter? I know that's an odd question but occasionally I'll do a double take in the mirror because my eyes look different. Maybe it's just the dark spots under my eyes are fading......or maybe i'm turning into a vampire X)

[Selah]

I've heard that dark circles/spots under the eyes are a symptom of wheat allergy.........sounds like you are cleaning up!

[say_rahhh]

Lady, lady, lady! I haven't read anyone's responses, I just went straight to your FB page and checked out the pic that also shows July 13, and there is NO WAY your waist measurement is the same as before. I just don't believe it. You are kicking ass and have so much to show for it. I'm giving you big woot woots!!

[AndreAnna]

Wow, Little Lion those are AMAZING changes and you're right. I have noticed some amazing changes not on the scale - my eczema patches are gone, my dry itchy scalp gone, I sleep like a damn rock, and I'm overall a more relaxed happier person. Thanks for reminding me to focus on that again.

Say_rahh - I SWEAR, it hasn't changed, even though it looks like it. Maybe it just firmed up and rearranged?. For those that don't know me, here is the before/after pic she is talking about: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Primal...34910623197028

But, my lower abdomen, right under my belly button is the worst. Just won't move.

I know the scale holds so much over us when it shouldn't and I even wrote a whole post about throwing it away and empowering others to do the same and yet, I still feel defined by that number even though I only see it weekly at my allergy appointments.

Here's a quick look at a typical few days of eating. I even track it most days just to make sure it stays under 50 g carbs and within a decent calorie range:

Breakfast - 2 eggs with veggies, sometimes 1-2 pieces of bacon or sausage, maybe a slice or two of cheese. Coffee with heavy cream. Or I often skip breakfast and eat around 2 pm.
Snack - apple with 2 tbsp almond butter (I also use this to break an IF as it eases me into eating again)
Lunch - Sauteed spinach with onions and feta, small chicken breast. OR 4 oz cottage cheese with berries OR tuna salad made with homemade mayo in a tomato baked, or leftover dinner.
Dinner - Tonight I had a chicken cabbage stir fry, but I often have 2-3 different roasted veggies and a piece of protein, either chicken or bison. I'm not a big steak eater. Or we often have GIANT salads with tons of fresh greens, grilled chicken, strawberries, feta, sunflower seeds. SO yummy. Sometimes we'll get uncured sausages and grill them or some nights we just make easy peasy bacon burgers.

I also don't snack much but if I do, I reach for nuts or seeds or a piece of fruit. I do try and have an apple a day though - there's something about that adage I think holds some merit!!

I truly don't get it. Is there something I should try? Maybe cutting out dairy? But I tell you, I may DIE without my coffee. DIE I tell you. LOL Even though it's 1/2 caff, its the taste and the comfort I love.

[AndreAnna]

Oh I should mention that 90% of our food is organic and local and all dairy is organic and full-fat. I'm not afraid of fat at all, I just tend not to like fattier cuts of meat and I've never really been so I try and add extra oil to my salads or eggs to sautees to make sure I'm getting enough fat

[SheGlowsPale]

I'm just starting to feel like a failure - like something is WRONG with me that it's not working right. I'm even on medication for my insulin resistance from PCOS which is supposed to HELP lose weight not hold onto it.

How can you be a failure if you are losing in your arms/legs/etc? I could almost understand if you weren't losing at all (you still wouldn't be a failure at all but I could atleast understand the rationale) If you are losing anywhere the it hasn't failed AT ALL. Belly fat is extremely difficult to lose especially with IR and PCOS *stabs IR in the face* just keep going..it will all come together.