The hills and valleys of motivation

 So I just came off of a 7 day "pause" of weight loss.  This happens every month, so it doesn't surprise me.  The week before my TOM I struggle like a maniac simply not to gain, and count it as a good week if I don't.  If you are a newbie out there, pay attention to your cycles so you don't lose your mind when you are in the valley and struggling to find your way out  

On the flip side, I have noticed that my surgiversary date motivates me.  I decided a while back to log on my blog the loss for each month.  I have 7 days left for month two and tomorrow I can FINALLY start to exercise again.  I plan on making the most of it.  I lost 21 pounds month 1 and am sitting at 13 at the moment.  I do not think it is realistic to pull off 8 more pounds, but I am shooting for 5.  We'll have to see how it works out :)

So what have you noticed about the motivation cycle for you?