7 Women Explain What It Feels Like to Hit Your Weight-Loss Goal

The journey toward losing weight inevitably comes with a lot of ups and downs. Some days, you feel like the queen of the gym. Others, you feel like the scale is never going to budge. In case you were doubting your ability to reach your goal—spoiler alert, you can totally do it!—we asked Women's Health Facebook followers and other women we know what it felt like when they hit their weight-loss goals. Read on to get all the motivation you need to keep at it:

"By the time I reached my goal weight, I was mostly stepping on the scale out of habit. At first it didn't even register that the magic number was the magic number because I'd been so focused on celebrating the fact that my weight hadn't fluctuated upward in a significant way for several weeks—and I was busy celebrating how much more energy I had from my new, whole Foods-friendly diet. When I realized I'd hit my goal weight after months of trying, it was gratifying for sure. But my happiness with my body and what it could do had already improved so much that the number on the scale was just icing—icing on a really, really delicious, healthy cake." —Iris X.

"The day I stepped on that scale and saw that number I've been wanting to see was one of the best feelings ever. Complete satisfaction and pride rolled into one!" —Michele C.

"I actually did my happy dance when I found out." —Jasmine A.

"I had tossed out my scale to concentrate on non-scale victories, so when I went in for a routine checkup at the doctor and saw just how much weight I'd lost, I cried. Happy tears! Sometimes, when things get tough and you feel like giving up, you lose perspective. It's hard. But when I saw just how far I had come, I knew that it was all worth it. I was so proud." —Lily M.

"I was a huge narcissist for, like, a week! I couldn't stop staring in the mirror like, 'Damn, girl.'" —Elizabeth B.  

"Hitting your goal is awesome, but the feeling of being able to maintain your success is comparable to actually getting the weight off. Proving to yourself you are worth it is the best feeling ever." —Sarah M.

"It hasn't been easy, and I've stalled a few times, but each accomplishment gives me the confidence to keep going." —Angela S.

1. Prev:What Happens to Your Body When You Skip a Meal
2. Next:6 Things You Should Never Say to Someone Trying to Lose Weight