Consider yourself well and truly slapped.
I truly sympathize and understand your frustrations. No matter what we tell ourselves about future rewards, the simple fact is that we are creatures of the here and now. We all live in the present - although it's debatable that we all live in the same universe
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Focus on the one thing you said that is truly paying off in the here and now - you know that this WOL is helping you physically completely separate from the weight loss.
Now ask youself the following question. If I could somehow magically guarantee you a steady weight loss of 0.5 pounds per week until you met goal and then that you would stay there, would you take that over other offers that promised that you MIGHT lose it at 5# per week but would probably fail and end up heavier than before?
I would - and that would mean it would take me eight years! But had I undertaken even that slow and steady of a route when I graduated from college I would have been able to enjoy my entire 30's at a reasonable weight. Now, it will not be surprising if I don't make goal much before the time I turn 40.
But you know something - whether I lose the weight or not, in less than three years I will still turn 40. I can either do it at my goal weight or I can do it at well over 400#. Those really are my two options - there's simply not much in between.
Do I hope for a faster weight loss? You bet. I'm really shooting for something between an unrealistic 12 months and a fairly realistic 18 months. Do I fantasize about doing it in 8 or 10 months. Yeah. But, for the very first time in my life, I am truly willing to stay the course even if it takes four years. Even if it does take four years, that means I will be 50 pounds lighter a year from now! If I were only 50 pounds lighter now that I was this time last year I would be very happy with my progress.
Does this mean I don't still get a little frustrated when I gain two pounds in one day or see the scales creep up four pounds in one week? No. It's still frustrating. But focus on the long term and ask yourself if the slow rate is really that bad? After all, if it will take you a year to lose it all, you will be halfway there by the end of summer!
Expect your body to do strange things - especially with water retention - as you lose fat, have your TOM, consume salt. It's all water and it can only mask fat loss for so long. Longer than we would like, but not very long when everything is said and done.
I would not recommend making a bunch of changes to your diet on a weekly basis in respond to things that are or are not happening on a weekly timescale - your body takes longer than that to adjust to most changes.
I would recommend dumping the herbal pills. The vast majority of herbal supplements are pure crap with no science at all behind them. They are snake oil. Think about it. If I had a pill that would make a person lose just a half pound a week without making any changes in their lifestyle or eating habits I could prove that so easily in a double-blind study that it would be accepted and acknowledged - especially by the media - in no time. Look at Viagra - and it would be bigger than Viagra. So why are the pushers of all of these herbal supplements and other things so unwilling to actually conduct the studies?
So, while I doubt it is doing anything for you, it wouldn't surprise me a bit if they are actually hindering you. But they are likely not doing anything one way or the other beyond a placebo effect.
If you really want some motivation that others go through the same probems and that they will work out if you just stay the course, go look at Marlaine's journal. Talk about a journey of self-discovery! It should be required reading.
Sorry for the long post - but hang in there. Keep the Faith and Stay the Course!
And throwing your scale in the trash is not an altogether bad idea!