I kicked my ass this week and the scale went down a pound. I don't feel bloated and I don't think I put on muscle mass because I've just been doing cardio (occasional situps). I was looking at my chart today at the clinic and have realized that I've been in the 160s for the past 2 and a half months, the lowest being 164 (166 today). I think it's safe to say that after 25 pounds lost I'm going through my plateau stage; I'd like to think I've been making alot of changes the past couple of weeks, but I'm still stuck in place.
I vented this to the counselor and she suggested that I should think about doing the NO-NO diet for one week which is something they recommend to clients at the plateau. It's pretty much not eat carbs for a week. Sometimes it takes something that drastic to "shock" my body and get things moving again. She wasn't being pushy about it and said it's completely up to me if I feel like I'm up for something like this. I need some advice, what did you guys to get out of your plateau (if you have had one)?
As I was staring at the weight ticker I realized that perhaps I was not realistic in setting my goal weight to be 105 which is a weight I reached when I went on a summer starvation diet when I was 16. I think I would be more than happy to be 115 and considering I'm 5"1 it is a realistic goal to reach. So instead of staring at 61 lbs to lose I can stare at 51 lbs to lose, sounds so much better!
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7 comments:
Sometimes plateus result from eating the same ol same ol all the time and doing the same ol same ol exercises. Try new menu ideas and new exercises! And congrats on the weight loss!
The "no-no" diet sounds like a plan - that's exactly what I do when I need to jump start the loss after awhile at the same weight. If you keep your calories low and eat less than 50 grams of carbs, you'll lose weight for sure. I also recommend drinking A LOT of water (I drink about 80 - 100 oz a day) and also try drinking some lemon water at the end of the day, or hot herbal tea with fresh lemon. I don't know why but the lemon water thing often works to push me out of a plateau.
When I get frustrated at my rate of loss (like when the scale just stays the same for days) I try to be very honest about every morsel that crosses my lips - I can't let myself "forget" the ketchup I added to something, or the bite of cake, or the cream I added to the coffee. My "forgetting" often results in hundreds of additional calories!
I agree with you that 105 is a bit of a crazy goal and 115 is much more realistic. I am 5'4 and my goal is 135. Would I rather weight 125 or 120? Well, yes, but I am not 14 anymore and don't plan to workout 4 hours a day so - I'm going with 135. Good luck and congrats on the lost pound. They all count!
I'm with breckgirl. You will most likely never be able to get back to a weight you were when you were 16. One of the things that makes weight loss a more permanent thing is to pick a goal you can maintain, instead of just picking a goal you want to see on the scale.
You have to ask yourself...if you get down to 105, would that be a weight you can maintain and still be healthy?
Interval workouts! If you walk, warm up for 2 minutes, then for the next 18 minutes, kick it up to a power walk for the first 20 seconds of each minute, then back to regular pace for 40 seconds. Then cool down for 2 minutes at a regular pace.
I've also read that exercise bands are more effective than weights, Pilates or yoga. And they are CHEAP! So that would be another workout I would try. Prevention magazine for November or December had a great band workout in it.
Hang in there, I'm sure you'll break that plateau soon!
Path to Health
You have two choices. You can do continue to eat healthy and exercise and totally forget about scale numbers for a few weeks till the plateau phase ends and then you start losing again. Or you can go for the "no-no" diet for a week to shake things up. I think for a healthy person one week of no carb will not hurt.
Regarding reevaluating your goal weight, I think that was a very smart thing to do.
I have also changed my goal weight a month ago (about 5 months into the eat healthy and exercise lifestyle). I am 5'4 and I first wanted to reach 135 but then I remembered that most of the time even when I was in my twenties I was around 143, so I have set that as a new more realistic goal.
shannon, I've been changing up the exercise but I admit it's been the same old food, thanks for the tip!
breckgirl, one concern about the NO-NO is the aftermath, is it going to be even harder to lose weight when I go off of it? Yea I should start really writing down everything I eat, that's what I did at the beginning!
thea, I don't mean to sound like such a pessimist but alot of my friends my age wear the size that I would be wearing if I weighed 105, so if they're capabable of doing it why can't I?
mamma, hmm I actually used to use exercise bands with a Tae Bo workout and some pilates, but I honestly felt like they got in the way and compromised my workout. Maybe I wasn't using them right. You're right about the interval training and I try to stay conscious of that when working out.
W, yup those are my 2 choices! I'm thinking to stick with what I'm doing now I just don't have the drive and this energy for the NO-NO, at this moment I have bigger priorities in life and I'm afraid being on the No-No is going to require so much focus.
W, yea it's better to be realistic!
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