7 Women Share How They Overcame Their Biggest Weight-Loss Struggles

After sweating like a beast at the gym five days a week, eating more green veggies than you ever have in your life, and drinking water like it’s your job, you would expect that any extra weight would drop off faster than you can say, “burpees.” But, if you’ve ever tried to lose weight before, you know that’s not how it goes down.

If it makes you feel better, that’s totally normal, says Isabel Smith, R.D. “It’s hard to wait for the weight to catch up to the effort,” says Smith. The key to success, especially in the beginning, she says, is being patient and zeroing in on the results that are harder to see. For example, even if the number on the scale might not have budged, your measurements and your energy levels might have, she says. Plus, you could see improvements in your hair, skin, and nails, says Smith. Thanks, green veggies!

Many women who successfully lose the extra pounds share one common trait: They identify the real reason they’re struggling—and find a way to push past it. Here, we asked women to share the biggest challenge of weight loss and how they overcame their struggles to shed the pounds for good.