Busting a Plateau
Today’s weight loss, .4 ounces. It has taken me 3 weeks to lose 1 lb. And whatever I’m doing is resulting in a consistent weight loss of .4 ounces, week after week. And in case you care, this is NOT making me happy. So after scouring the world wide web, talking to my mom, talking to people I know who’ve lost a significant amount of weight, talking to my gym friends, I’ve decided to do the following to bust my plateau:
1. Reduce my calorie intake to 1500/day. I was at 1700/day because of the whole two times a day at the gym thing. But since I’ve stopped that, I need to re-evaluate my calories. Done.
2. Stay on Jenny Craig through the holidays. I originally was only doing Jenny Craig to bust through my last plateau and stay stable over the summer. But I don’t want Jenny Craig to have credit for my weight loss, so I’d planned to transition off after Labor Day. I’ve only half done it for the past couple months, which I think is a big reason why I’ve only lost 2 pounds in 2 months. I need to stick with something, and with all the life transition I’m in, plus the holiday temptations, sticking with Jenny Craig through the new year seems like the smartest plan. Done.
3. Incorporate 2-3 strength training classes in each week. I hate lifting weights on my own, but I can make it to the gym for a couple of weight classes a week. Done.
4. Mix up my gym routine. When I do have spare time to make it to the gym at night or on the weekends that doesn’t conflict with my schedule, I’m going to run, stairclimb (I did 44 floors on the stairmaster last night in prep for MS Climb Lemon) or do the elliptical.
My new friend at the gym is also one of my class instructors. Today after spin class, I was telling her about this stupid plateau and she encouraged me to make sure I’m challenging myself. To add in intervals when I’m on the treadmill, or increase the incline on the elliptical, which is a good point, b/c I’m a classic “let the machine do the work for me” kind of person. And when I told her about my dilemma with Jenny Craig, she said, “You’ve chosen a lifestyle of healthy eating and exercising. You are doing this on your own. Jenny Craig is the tool that helps you in your busy life. There’s nothing wrong with that.” Then she followed up with, “Don’t forget that you’ve already lost 40 lbs. 40 lbs! That’s a big deal, and you should be very proud.” Which is sweet, but like I told her, there’s still so much left.
Here’s to major weight loss next week. Fingers (and toes) crossed!
I’ve lost 59 lbs since last year, but in the past five months I’ve only lost 15 lbs. I’ve been super ticked off because I work out 5 days a week and I’m not kicking my own butt to lose only 2-3 lbs a month. I read this post and realized that I’m not eating enough calories. I’ve only been eating 1350 per day. Oops. I did some research and realized that I’m basically starving myself. So, yeah. Thank you sooooo much for posting. I’ll be upping my caloric intake now. 66 more lbs to go! Wish me luck!
