This is something that someone pointed out to me today, and it was a real, “A-ha!” moment. The entire time I was losing weight, it felt like it was taking forever. As I look back through photos of myself throughout my journey, I remember thinking, “Wow, I’ve lost so much weight, but it’s taking forever to lose more.” Then, with each successive month, I’d notice I was in a new decade of digits as my weight continued to spiral downward. It felt slow, but in actuality, I was losing weight at a good, healthy clip.

We all want weight loss to happen immediately. Regardless of whether we have 10 lbs or 150 lbs to lose: we’d like for it to get done in a week. Even for a person who only needs to lose 10 lbs, that’s rather ambitious. The best I’ve done was 20 lbs in one month, and it’s likely that half of that was water weight. 10 lbs a month is about the best I’ve ever accomplished, and from what I’ve read, that’s about the fastest you can lose weight while still being considered healthy. Any faster, and there’s likely something wrong going on (either systemically or in the diet used).

Nothing worthwhile is accomplished immediately and without effort. Think of the accomplishments in life you are proudest of. Those likely took some serious time and effort to attain. Losing a large chunk of weight is no different. It will take some time and effort to accomplish, but when you’re done, you will feel great, have more mobility, and you will feel proud to have done it. I know, because I feel all those things and more. Don’t expect immediate huge numbers, but the huge numbers add up over time before you even know it.

I still can’t believe I’ve lost 140 lbs. It feels like I started this journey just a few months ago, yet while I was losing weight, I felt like I’d never be here. Be patient. If you stick to the plan, you will be met with success. Just don’t expect it next month; it may take longer than that.