Weekly Weigh-In: Frustrated
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It’s time for the Weekly Weigh-In and, as you may have guessed, I’m not especially happy with my weight-loss this week. I lost, but not much — six-tenths of a pound. That’s less than a pound in the last two weeks. The good news is that I can now officially say that I’ve lost 18 lbs. The bad news is, I’m seriously fearing that I’ve hit a plateau.
I’ve been reading up on how to deal with them. One thing I’ve read is to change up my exercise, so, as much as I hate the recumbent bike, I may use it the rest of the week instead of the treadmill. Another thing I’ve read is that I should take at least seven days off my regular exercise routine. I’m a bit afraid to do that because, among other things, I’m afraid it might be hard to get started back, so I’m not going to do that yet.
I’m just frustrated. Not “throwing in the towel, quitting” frustrated, just bummed that I’m not seeing the results of all the hard work I’ve been putting in.
From The Biggest Loser 30-Day Jump Start, p. 141:
…one of the worst mistake dieters make is allowing the numbers on the scale to discourage them. “Many times folks quit when their body is just taking a rest,” Maria [Patella, fitness expert] says. “It may be wondering whether or not the lower calories and increased exercise are going to continue. And, when they don’t, the body happily gains again.”
She says the best thing to do is to continue to eat right and exercise, even when the weight loss has slowed down. “You need to send a signal to your body that it needs to adapt because the healthy habits are here to stay.”
That’s my plan for now — to keep on keeping on. I may trade my bike for the treadmill this week, but that’s the only change I’m making in my exercise routine. As far as my eating goes, although I feel that I’ve been accurately tracking my calories consumed, I will admit that it’s possible I haven’t kept close tabs on the serving sizes. So, this week, I am going to really be watching the portion sizes.
Next week, our local Chik-Fil-A is starting a wellness program with one of the area YMCA branches. There will be meetings every other Monday at Chick-Fil-A with guest speakers who will speak on topics related to health, wellness, and weight-loss. The best part, though, is that as long as you remain active in the program, you get free membership to the YMCA — for the full three months of the program. I’m all over that and can’t wait until starts.
I’m hoping that I’ll pick up some ideas from the wellness coaches or the fitness trainers at the Y that might help me get past this hurdle. Of course, I’m really hoping that I’ll be past this hurdle by next Monday when the program starts. 😉
How about you? Did you have a good weight-loss this week or would you like to join me in my little whine-fest this week? You can leave your results as a comment or post about them on your blog and link up. If you link up, just be sure to link directly to your Weekly Weigh-In post so that others can find it easily.
Kris Bales is a newly-retired homeschool mom and the quirky, Christ-following, painfully honest founder (and former owner) of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. She has a pretty serious addiction to sweet tea and Words with Friends. Kris and her husband of over 30 years are parents to three amazing homeschool grads. They share their home with three dogs, two cats, a ball python, a bearded dragon, and seven birds.
I haven't posted in this for a while. Sorry! First my scale broke (weird error message). Then DH fixed it and I had gained back up to 187.4 lbs.(last week). This week I'm back down to 186.0lbs, so that is encouraging. I have to be honest, I'm totally off my exercise routine and have zero motivation to start it again. I'm working on eating really well and hopefully will come up with some exercise that is motivating. Sigh.
Any weight loss is progress! Kudos to you for keeping your motivation, it will come off. Keep up the good work!
You say "Chick fil A" and I think "SUPER SIZE EVERYTHING and give it to me quick!" THat's a pretty cool program that they are starting!
In the meantime, this week I've had the stomach flu and while it's not the recommended way to lose weight, it got me off of MY plateau.
@ Carrie — No, I think I'll pass on that particular plateau-busting method, but thanks for sharing. 😉 I hope you're feeling better.
We eat at Chick-Fil-A at least once a week. Surprisingly, it's one of the restaurants where I can actually eat mostly guilt-free. A chargrilled chicken sandwich with a side salad or fruit cup is relatively low in fat and calories. Of course, I have to have a sweet tea, too, but it's only once a week. Moderation is the key for me.
I've heard lots of people say adding in some extra (healthy) fat will help get you past a plateau. So maybe drizzle some extra olive oil on your salad, chop up some avocado for guacamole or throw some flax oil into a smoothie??? Just a thought.
Hang in there, Kris! It is frustrating how our bodies react on this journey, but just remember you are doing great. 🙂
Try not yo be discouraged, you've done so well so far!! Have you been taking your measurements? You can still lose inches even without losing weight, trading fat for muscle which will mean more calorie burning. Hang in there, keep your eyes on the long term goal you're doing a phenomenal job 😀
Oh yeah, try adding a little coconut oil to rev up your metabolism. You can put a teaspoon of it in your tea (not as bad as it sounds) it can jumpstart your metabolism and it is a fat that takes more calories to burn it than you ingest.
Hey, I'm with Cheryl. Measure, measure, measure. One of my friends revved up her exercise routine and did not see any weight loss. BUT she had hew trainer help her check her BMI and it had dropped like 10 plus points! you might look into that. Keep going! I just found your blog and I intend to "join in!!"