I really shouldn’t be surprised anymore when I make steady progress with my weight loss and size loss, yet I still find myself giggling. Not always internal giggling, either. My wife hears me in the bathroom in the mornings; when the scale reads a heavier weight than the morning before, I groan. When I lose weight, I say something like, “Nice.” But when it happens three days in a row? I giggle.

It feels good to see the results of sticking with the plan. Sometimes, we have to rely on trust and faith to get us through when, regardless of the effort, the results just aren’t there. I had that happen for weeks at a time, and I had to push through the doubt and temptations and just do what needed to be done: eat right, get sleep, avoid foods with added sugar, and avoid alcohol. Of course, I voluntarily sabotaged myself a few times along the way, and I have nobody to blame for that but myself. But instead of wallowing in that blame game, I brushed myself off, got right back up, and kept at it. The reward: 5 solid lbs gone.

I have more to go, but I know I’m on a roll, and the motivation level keeps getting higher and higher. It gets easier to deal with the plateaus when you’re just coming off a good loss trend. I know it’s coming within 5 lbs or so, and I’m ready for it. I won’t be surprised about that, either. But I won’t be sad, either. It’s all a part of how our bodies work, and how we lose weight/size.