Stalemate

So what's on my mind today~

I decided to go weigh-in on Thursday mornings now. I will still attend the WW meetings on Thursday nights with my support buddies. Since I don't work and am home during the day, it was too much stress to wait til 6 pm, to know if I had lost or not. Last week I had a gain of .6 pounds and this morning I lost that same .6 pounds. So I am back at the same weight I was at before I weighed in last week. I am not going to focus on that today. I have been researching through the internet on possible reason why my weight loss has slowed down. First of all, I am going to take a deep breath and congratulate myself for a big accomplishment! Losing 41 pounds in six months is a big deal. It's also exactly the way it was suggested that I go about weight loss: slow and steady. Good for me! But now I've reached a plateau. UGH!!!

So what exactly is a plateau? "After your initial weight loss, your progress will slow down and eventually stop even though your exercise and food intake is consistent." Sound familar? Well it does to me. I also found that most people will reach this plateau around the 6 month period. Starting to sounds even more familar. I really don't like this word or what it stands for but it does help me to know I am not alone.

I read that I need to add muscle training to my routine, and that could help me get past this stage. But I ask myself HOW can I do that? If I really want to continue in my weight loss, I need to find ways that I can gain muscle. I have a big rubber ball that I can start to use as a tool to help with my core strength. I have vertigo issues, so a lot of the weight training exercises, will not work for me. But I am not going to throw the towel in yet.

I found this on the web too:

"throw your old program directly out the window. You have to switch things up and force your body to keep up with your new routine. This means that your mind and body are going to have to figure out how to handle the new weights, exercises, reps, tempo, or all four. By literally shocking your body with new techniques you're going to burn more calories and speed up your metabolism.

For example, if you're someone who is used to do long cardio sessions on the treadmill or elliptical, then hop off and start doing some shorter sprints. Better yet, get your heart rate pumping by including some squats, deadlifts, lunges, or step-ups to burn calories, boost your metabolism, and tone your muscles all at the same time.

Lastly, if you switch up your program every 4 weeks you'll be far more successful at never hitting a plateau again!"

Ok That does sound like good advise too, I will have to see what things I can do this next week.

It was suggested to add more protein (but not too much) to my diet. I did find a Kellogg's Protein shake at the local grocery store. It is 3 points, but do I really want to use 3 points, of my already small daily points, on THIS? I am going to look into other less point valued protein drinks at my WW meeting tonight.
Finally, it may be that your body (not to mention you) might benefit from a brief respite from active weight loss. Take a few weeks to allow your body to adjust to the weight you've lost and stabilize, without trying to lose more weight.

Just knowing that what I am experiencing is normal and I am not doing anything wrong, is encouraging. Not being on very many diet plans in my life, I was not aware that this was going to happen. I hope that this blog entry can help others. And also provide them with the understanding that it's ok.

I have had many obstacles put in my path during my life and this one is no different. I have a very strong personality and I don't give up easily, so I will keep pressing on. If there is a WILL there is a WAY...