I look at the scale today and I feel happy for a small victory of 8 lbs down (unofficially). I rejoice because as the coach said, small victories enable one to take the weight loss journey pound by pound; instead of thinking of the loss in terms of one lump sum number.
Another philosopher said "each victory fuels the next victory" and this rings true for me in this trek to be a healthier. One thing that has changed is that I no longer berate myself for not looking the way I want to at the moment. I read some articles online about "Realsitic Weight Loss Expectations" and I was pleasantly surprised that it takes about two (2) months on average (some longer, some shorter) to actually start seeing progress from your healthy eating and exercise regimen. That pleased me because I had fallen into the whole "Lose 20 pounds in one week" group of individuals who wanted weight loss NOW. I too wanted weight loss instantaneously, but as the late Dr. Stephen R Covey posited, one "can't iinterfere with the law of the harvest." We must sow seeds; water, weed and maintain the ground in which they're planted; and then reap the bounty of the crop at the APPROPRIATE time. No farmer instantly grew a crop of anything in a week's time.
The same is so true of weight loss; you have to work at it and push and try and work at it some more and get frustrated and get happy and feel however you need to feel. In the end, your results will be a reminder of your true behavior and habits. In the end, you've got to not only desire weight loss , you've got to put all of your mind and body into this endeavor, and WORK FOR IT every single day. You'll fall off sometimes; and you'll stray away from the path at other times. But you've got to EARN your weight loss.
NO ONE gives you the true and abiding weight loss results: no pills, no fad diets, no surgeries. Only healthy eating and consistent exercise will lead you to your goals.