Stepped on the scale after drop-off and it said 199.8. I started at 232 back in January, so that's about 27 weeks of slow, boring, unglamorous work with two kids climbing on me. My jeans went from an 18 to a 14, which honestly feels more real than the number. The thing that saved me is the snack drawer. I pre-portion almonds into little bags on Sunday, and I keep string cheese, turkey sticks, and popcorn in there at eye level. The kids' goldfish crackers live on the top shelf where I have to actually reach for them, and somehow that tiny bit of friction helps a lot. Dinnertime is still chaos — I'm usually eatng standing up at 5:30 while the 3-year-old negotiates over broccoli. What's the one snack in your drawer that keeps you from raiding the kids' stuff at 4pm?
Finally saw a 1 in front of my weight this morning
#1
#2
Congrats on the 1! The jeans going 18 to 14 is honestly the better data point. I’m deep in a 10-week plateau at 176–178, so I genuinely needed to read this today.
#3
Hi — brand new here, first week, and honestly a little nervous to post. The "slow, boring, unglamorous" part is what I needed to read today, because I keep waiting for some dramatic moment that never comes. Can I ask a small question? What did you do on the weeks the scale just sat there and refused to move? That's the part I'm scared of, since I'm the type to quietly give up if there's no number to show for it. Also — is your snack drawer yours alone, or do the kids raid it? I'm trying to figure out where to put mine so it isn't a free-for-all by Tuesday. Congratulations on the 199.8.
#4
The snack drawer is such a smart move. I do a similar thing with frozen grapes in little cups because I need cold crunch around 3pm when the kids are feral. Gentle question: did pre-portioning almonds change your actual hunger between meals, or mostly the after-school chaos? I’ve been trying to rate hunger 1–5 before I grab anything, and half the time it’s sensory overwhelm, not stomach hunger. Also, do your 14s fit differently at 9am vs after dinner? That end-of-day waistband signal has been weirdly useful for me.
#5
The almond drawer is smart. One thing that helped me around the 25-lb mark was pre-logging the handfuls, not just meals—my meals were fine, but the 3pm graze was quietly adding up. In the trials, adherence seems to track with how automatic the default is, so your Sunday prep probably matters more than willpower. Question: do you re-bag midweek, or do the kids raid the drawer? That was my undoing.
#6
congrats on the jeans—that’s the kind of win that follows you around all day. I’m in the empty-nester restart phase, and what finally clicked for me was a “closing kitchen” ritual: after dinner I make tea, wipe the counters, and put leftovers into one container before I sit down. Then I walk 15 minutes, even if it’s just laps around the block. The scale hasn’t moved
#7
Congrats on the 1! The 18 to 14 is such a concrete win. Sorry if this is a silly question, but did you notice any non-scale changes before 199.8—like your ring fitting looser, less puffiness in your face, or getting up off the floor with the kids without the usual groan? I have two kids too, so I’m trying to figure out what to pay attention to besides the scale. Also, what’s one small habit you’re glad you kept when motivation dipped?
#8
Congrats on the 1! The jean size change is honestly the bigger win. One thing that helped me during a long scale stall was a cheap tape measure: waist at the belly button and upper arm, every two weeks. I dropped almost 2 inches around my middle while the scale sat still for over a month, and that kept me from saying screw it. Do you have any non-scale markers you’re tracking besides the jeans? I’m trying to build a list before my next plateau.
#9
Congrats — the jeans NSV is huge. One thing I’m doing differently this time after losing and regaining: I take a monthly photo in the same leggings and tight tee, not just the scale. My last regain started when I got bored and stopped noticing changes. Sharp question: what’s your signal that it’s time to tighten things up again before the scale creeps? For me it’s when the 14s get snug. I’m prepping for that this time instead of pretending it’s water weight. Keep going.
#10
Congrats on the 1! The jeans drop is the real headline. Three years in, I’ve learned the scale lies for weeks then suddenly catches up. There was a thread last fall about the paper towel roll effect — early pounds hide, later ones show fast. Have you noticed rings or a watch fitting differently? That’s my sneaky metric when the number stalls. Also, two kids climbing on you totally counts as resistance training.
#11
The 1 is fun, but the size 14 is the real KPI. I run a two-tier snack system: kid-accessible drawer with stuff I’m neutral about, adult shelf with pre-portioned stuff. Friction is a feature. Do you weigh the almond bags, or trust the Sunday eyeball? I switched to a scale after realizing my “small handful” was 1.4 servings, which explains a lot of invisible drift.
Login to reply to this thread.
Login / Sign up