This weekend, I was lamenting the fact that my weight loss has stalled at 7 lbs when Sherry reminded me that I’d recently gotten back into my size 32 inch jeans. She also reminded me of something I learned back when I lost my first 130 lbs: I usually lose weight OR size, never both at the same time.

I’m glad that she’s here to remind me of these things when I’m feeling down. Losing weight and getting fit is an emotional rollercoaster. There are days when I feel like I’m killing it and doing a great job, and then there are the days when I feel like nothing I’m doing matters or is making any progress. Usually, when I feel like I’m not making progress, it’s because I’m not looking at the right data points to find that progress. The truth is that as long as I’m doing the work, there are changes happening even if I cannot see them.

I’m definitely smaller now. My shirts fit better (the way they used to a year ago). I’m wearing my smaller pants again. And more importantly, my fitness is improving as I’m running faster, lifting heavier weights, and finally being able to do more than a few pull-ups. This is huge for me.

People I know have had difficulties in getting started with or staying with the healthy lifestyle. I get it. I’ve been there before. The key for me was to make small goals and not beat myself up when I can’t follow the plan perfectly. When trying to change your lifestyle, set a goal of one day of eating right. When you accomplish that goal, make the next goal of making it another full day of eating right. After a few days of this, set a goal of making a second week. “But what if I fall off the wagon?” It’ll happen, and it’s okay. You definitely want to try to not do that, but if it does happen, be defined by getting back on the wagon and keeping at it rather than throwing your hands up and surrendering. Do you know how many missed at-bats even the best baseball players have? We don’t count those; we count their home runs. How many lost games each NBA team has had? Nobody cares; we count championships. Missed passes by quarterbacks in the NFL? Not a stat we care about; we count completions.

Losing weight/size is like a pendulum for me. I either lose weight or lose size. I am fortunate that I have a supportive partner who reminds me of these things when I’m feeling down. She motivates me to keep going.