Picture me googling about how to get past a weight loss plateau, y'all cause I am SO THERE.
*sigh*
I knew it was coming and I know it's just your body's natural response to significant weight loss but...dang. It's sure frustrating. So yeah. I'm still in that three pound fluctuation from Christmas vacation. My visit from Mother Nature has passed and while I'm consistently on the lower end of that three pounds, it's still not progress.
What to do to get past this? There is no easy answer, unfortunately. The last time I had significant weight loss back in 2006, I hit my plateau, got frustrated, and gained 10lbs. I stayed at that weight for a good four or five years before I ballooned up to a depressing 285.
So. Yeah. We ain't doing that this time. I refuse to gain 10lbs and be okay with it. And I definitely refuse to ever go back to 285. Or 270, where I stayed for about a year after I finally lost 15lbs. Or even 260, where I was when I started this recent "journey" in June. I feel too good in my skin. I can cross my legs comfortably. And while I can (and still do, sometimes) use my belly as shelf when I sit in my recliner, that shelf is significantly smaller than it used to be. Walking past mirrors doesn't make me want to cry as bad. I feel stronger, healthier, and more positive than I have in, maybe, ever!
I mean, don't get me wrong. I've still got a LOT of weight to lose. And I do mean a LOT. But I've already come too far. I can't let this get me down and set me back.
So what can I do to get past this plateau?
Well, for one thing, I can up the weight of the dumbbells I've been using for my weight training. It's far past time to do so, as the 3lb weights I've been using have become easily maneuverable. I can also be more consistent in how often I work with the weights. I've mostly been doing it when I think about it but I really need to make myself a weekly schedule, put it on my phone for reminders, and then stick to it! I can also add another set to the movements. I've been only doing two sets per movement but I need to start doing three.
Side note: Before anyone thinks, "Oh, you've added muscle and muscle weighs more than fat so that's why the scale isn't reflecting." Y'all...it may be true that muscle is denser than fat but I'm not at the point yet where that would even matter. Whatever muscle I've managed to build is negligible and those sorts of excuses are what I used to allow myself to be lazy in the past. So, no. It's not muscle affecting the scale. At this point, I'm familiar enough with my body's patterns in this round of weight loss to even know when it's water instead of actual weight and at this moment, I doubt very seriously that the scale is even measuring water weight.
Another thing I can do...and this is the hard part...reevaluate what I'm eating/drinking. For instance, I know I've been drinking too much regular coffee. And by regular coffee, I don't me caffeinated, although I do always drink caffeinated. No, what I mean is drip coffee with added sugar and half & half instead of a latte. Obviously the sugar and half&half are not ideal and the idea in the beginning of all this was that I would slowly wean myself off of needing either of those things. I did cut back by a teaspoon of sugar and have adjusted well to that. But I never took that next step in cutting back another teaspoon. Cutting back another teaspoon of sugar in my coffee and maybe a teaspoon of the half&half is a good start, but going even further, I need to cut back on how often I drink coffee. I know you know I love coffee, though. I love the process of making it. I love how it smells. I love how it tastes with sugar and half&half and how it warms me. It's comforting, kinda like a kid's favorite blanket or how a lot of people feel about mac & cheese. But I need to learn how to save it as a treat and not my go-to, two to three times a day vice.
I've also been eating sweets more than I was in the beginning. It's small portions, mind you, but small portions more often is still more than I need to be consuming. Desserts and sweets need to be an every now and then treat instead of once a day. I'm never going to tell myself I can never have chocolate or cheesecake or whatever again. That's not realistic. But I do need to be more mindful about what, when, and how often I do allow myself to indulge. Basically, I need to get back into my headspace and really remember what carbs and sugar can do to my body and what even just a routine daily fun size candy bar could potentially lead to: sticking my finger twice a day for the rest of my life.
I also need to add more veggies to my diet. And by diet, I don't mean "weight loss plan" because I'm not on one of those. I mean, diet in the sense of "what I eat". I don't eat enough vegetables. I struggle to eat veggies because, well, most of them just don't taste good to me. And I don't really know how to cook a lot of veggies. I've stuck to my "core' veggies like asparagus (I like it roasted), bell peppers, onions, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, zucchini, mushrooms, avocado, and salads. But I need to add more greens like spinach and kale. To be honest, I struggle with those because I'm not really crazy about either of them. Not to mention the cost of them. I pony up the cash for avocado because I love it so much but spending my money on spinach and kale? Bleh.
I need to do more research on how to break through a plateau. For sure there has to be some tips and tricks somewhere out there. But kicking my strength training up a notch and reevaluating my eating habits is a good place to start.
Wish me luck!
Edited to add: This article is a great place to start. I knew a bit of research would do me some good. ;-) https://www.eatthis.com/weight-loss-plateau/
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