Weekly weigh-in: How much does the scale matter?

Last week's weight: 177.6
This week's weight: 177.4
Difference: -0.4
Total weight lost since January 2010: 94.4

I was pretty bummed when I weighed in yesterday and I'd barely lost any weight this week. After a two-pound gain last week, I tried really hard this week -- eating well and exercising almost daily. I had a few splurges, including the best carrot cake cupcake ever and Chinese for lunch one day, but I tracked my Weight Watchers points. I used daily points as well as almost all of my weekly points, but none of my activity points. So I think I should have seen more progress on the scale.

By today, however, my mood shifted. I recently discovered that all of my spring/summer clothes from last year are too big. That's great ... well, except that buying new clothes every three to six months is really expensive. Oh well. I do love to shop. Despite the lack of progress on the scale, I could tell a big difference when shopping today. For the most part, I could wear a size 12 in everything. Not too long ago, I was wearing 16s and delighted when a 14 fit. To be able to fit into a 12 most of the time now is truly amazing.

Here's the weird part. When I started this journey, I didn't set a specific weight loss goal. Instead, I said I wanted to be a size 12. Honestly, I picked that size because I know people who are a size 12 and they look like a "normal" size. I hate that I think I wasn't a normal size before. I wish I didn't see myself that way. Anyway, I also picked a 12 because I knew that meant being able to walk into any store and fit into the clothes. A lot of 12s are snug, but I'm very close. What baffles me is that along the way I decided I wanted to weigh 150-155 pounds. That means I have 25 pounds to go.

That leaves me wondering whether I should revise my goal or maybe it's just a sign that I shouldn't be too hard on myself when I slip. I don't want to give myself a pass. If I do, I'll end up eating anything and everything I can get my hands on. But I'm going to try not to stress too much about how slow my progress is these days. Long-term, I am still making progress. I think that's all that matters.