It's been 12 weeks...

I still don't feel like my body has changed all that dramatically. It's definitely nice to be back in my pre-pregnancy clothes, though, so clearly something is changing even if I don't see it. I just wish things would hurry up a little! It took more than a few weeks to gain all this weight, makes sense it takes more than a few weeks to lose it all. I'm just impatient. After 12 weeks and a 1.6lb loss this week, I am down 28lbs.

I'm also in the middle of the Third Month Blues, something I thought was just an exaggeration. On the Nutrisystem boards they talk about the Terrible Threes- here they are, explained by Amy (It_Just_Is):

"There is a situation that I think needs to be brought up again since we have so many new people lately. It's called the 3s curse. (yes I'm serious) This comes in to play in ANY nutritional program and the better aware you are of it the better your chances for success. This consists of- yes- 3 parts.

Part number 1. 3 days into your program.

Right about now you're having second thoughts about what you have committed to. You may have just eaten the first food that you think is absolutely dreadful. Your head hurts from carb withdrawal, you're hungry and you're all over in a horrible mood. You HAVE to hang in there to get past the 3rd day. Take some tylenol for your head - come here for support and take the food you don't like off your next order! You are going to do great - just remember why you started!

Part number 2. the 3rd week.

By now your weight loss is slowing and you just about know what foods you like and what you don't - but WAIT there has been so much talk on the board about free foods, extras, and something about "Bears" - you're confused as heck! Does the milk for cereal count as your dairy for breakfast??? (no) Can you have popcorn??? Why did I lose 10 pounds in the first 2 weeks and this week nothing???? Oh it's just too much!!!! GO to the E-classes board! Most if not all of your questions have been asked in class by many many other people! If you can't find the answers there - come post here. Thats what we are here for - to make this easier on you and we will help in any way we can!

Part number 3. the 3rd month.

OHMYGOSH- you're doing it... and doing it... and doing it... things start to seem repetitive, even a tad boring now that the newness has worn off. You know what you can eat and when, and you're starting to "pick" from others' plates, have a little extra peanut butter, fudge your food measurements, maybe even have hit a "stall" with the scale and you're frustrated! Calm down - you know what's happening and now you can stop it! But you have to recognize that it is happening! People get so comfortable in the 3rd month that little things start to slide! STOP IT! If you can get past the 3rd month you will be fine. Come here for support. Keep a journal. Talk to a counselor if you need to - whatever you have to do to keep your program going.

I didn't have any problems with the first two- I was so determined to succeed and frankly I found there were many more carbs than I was used to on a weight loss program, so nothing's affected me until now. I didn't think the 3 month blues would hit, either. Lo and behold, I started getting hungry and wanting to snack on things. Maybe I'd make my servings of the added foods a little larger. Just little stuff, but maybe it adds up. This is the lowest amount of weight loss I've had since I started the program.

So, now I have two choices. I can keep going how I'm going, and either slow or stall my weight loss entirely. Or I can recommit to the program and finish what I started.

There's a poster on the Nutrisystem boards that I find very inspirational. Her name is PamSB, and even though she was in her sixties, she lost over 100lbs and has maintained ever since. She's been a Nutrisystem spokesperson and she continues to help posters on the message boards who hit a rut. She said to me that the way she lost all that weight and continues to maintain is to treat every day like it's Day One.

So here we go- tomorrow is a new Day One for me.