Please don't ever compare yourself to anyone else on here!! That's the most destructive thing you can do!! Think about it like this!! Angela (fictitious name) loses 8lb in her first week then a further 3lb for the next 10 weeks!! Everyone is in awe that she's lost 38lb (nearly 3 stone in just 11 weeks!!) Some people are envious but inspired, others are just plain envious and feel they must be doing something wrong!! Becky (again fictitious name) loses 1 lb in her first week then continues to lose 1lb each week for the next 10 weeks, resulting in a total of 11lb in 11 weeks!! People say "well done that's brilliant" but Becky doesn't believe it- she compares herself to Angela and feels like a failure, but decides to plod along, chipping away bit by bit- she is having a life after all, eating out sometimes, but most of the time she's sticking to the plan- things are slower than she'd like but she realises it's a long term approach she should be aiming for! A few weeks go by and Angela gets her 4 stone award (18 more pounds over a 6 week period!!!) and Becky loses a further 6 lb in those same 6 weeks, getting her 1 stone award and half way to her 1 1/2 stone award.
Then Angela goes to Dominican Republic on holiday for a fortnight all-inclusive! On returning home she has a sneaky scale check at home and is absolutely horrified that she has gained 10lb!! She misses class the week she returns home to 'buy her some time' to get rid of a few lbs! Unfortunately it isn't as easy as she thinks to get back on plan again after eating in such abundance on holiday which she really really enjoyed, after all it had been really hard slog saying no to everything during those 17 weeks leading up to the holiday even though it did feel good to be 4 stone lighter in her bikini! She misses class once again and promises herself she'll get back into it 'on Monday'! She doesn't! Infact she never goes back- it would be faaarr too embarrassing for other people to know she's had such a big gain, and her Consultant wouldn't be happy!! Over time the weight creeps back on and before she knows it she's 4 1/2 stone heavier, 1/2 stone heavier than when she started!!
Becky continues to chip away, averaging 1lb per week, sometimes she gains after a busy indulgent week that has made it hard to plan, or after a holiday or a weekend away! Sometimes she stays the same or gains when she'd been 100% all week!! Despite her frustrations she keeps at it, she eats well and has changed so many bad habits and over time she loses more than she gains! The time flies by and before she knows it she's been doing Slimming World for 18 months and is overjoyed that she has lost a total of 5 stone!
This is why it's never good to compare! Everyone's journey is individual! Success is not final! We do have to work at this but it's incredible how much we can lose just by making a pledge to ourselves to stick with it through thick and thin and seeing it as a long term investment in our health and happiness!! Good luck!! Hope you enjoyed my story lol!!X