Sunday, November 21, 2004
the dreaded weight loss plateau
So, it's been 4 weeks now and my weight hasn't moved a bit. I'm stuck on 180 and it's even more frustrating than I could have ever imagined. I know, I know what you're thinking --
It's only 4 weeks! I know there are a lot of people out there who've been through much worse but I don't think it's good to plateau like this when you still have 45 pounds to lose.
Here's the deal: I've been exercising more than ever. This means 5-6 times a week for at least 40 minutes and this week I added 3 weight sessions of 30 mins each. I've been watching portions since I started my weight loss kick but I've been extra careful since I started Operation: NYE and this week I'm counting points; 22 a day.
I've never felt more dedicated and ready to lose the weight than right now. So what am I doing wrong? I've been reading up and I think there are two potential explanations:
Not eating enough
Is it possible to not be eating enough on a 22 pt WW plan? I wouldn't have thought so but I read
here that the maximum a woman should go without eating is 3 hours during the day. I thought back to this week and my eating times are roughly 7:30am, 12:00pm and 6:30pm! Ouch!
Not enough activity
Argh at 40 minutes a day for someone who hasn't exercised at all in about 3 years prior, I'm hoping this is NOT the problem. I can't imagine pushing myself any harder in this area. However,
this article mentions that a short cardio session of 30 minutes before eating breakfast to kickstart the metabolism for the day, which sounds like a good idea to me.
So, here's my plan to beat this thing:
1.
Eat more (small) meals
I'm going to try the 3-hour-maximum-break thing and eat breakfast, lunch, dinner and a small snack in between each to ensure that my metabolism isn't going into starvation mode.
2.
Increase activity
I think I can manage 20-30 mins of walking/jogging before breakfast during the week to kickstart my metabolism for the day. It's not going to be easy, but I want OFF this damn plateau.
3.
Maintain resistance training
Continue with my 3x a week weight lifting for 30 mins each. I'm following a program from my
TuffStuff software that worked really well back in February.
4.
Water
I'm going to make sure I get my full 8 glasses in to avoid fluid retention issues.
Most of all, I'm going to follow Kim Beardsmore's
advice and renew my motivation because after all, the incentives that started this weight loss are still VERY there. ;)
I am NOT going to be one of those people that give up when they hit a roadblock. I'm already feeling pretty excited about coming up with a plan to beat this and I know it's going to be sweet when I do!
This won't be a regular thing, but quote of the day comes from
Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams after their first AFL premiership win in Sept 2004:
They're hard as hell to beat and it's as sweet as hell to beat 'em!
In my opinion: MORE exercise is NOT what you need right now. You said yourself, you haven't exercised at all in three years, and all of a sudden you're doing 5-days a week at 40+ min/day!! Your body is trying to figure out just what is going on, and isn't going to let go of any stores until it realizes this is the new norm. You need to consider varying your exercise- like try a different type... if you're currently doing a lot of cardio-intensive workouts, try yoga or weight lifting (which I see you've ADDED, I'm suggesting you SUBSTITUTE, not add...)
Water is definitely key- try to shoot for 100 oz/day on days you work out. That will ensure you get your 64, and will replace some of what you lose in working out.
You need to eat more, especially on days that you workout, which sounds like every day. 24 (not 22, twenty-FOUR) points/day is your TARGET (if you're currently 180 per your sidebar), and doesn't take into account the 5-6 activity points you're earning each day and the 35 weekly allowance points that it doesn't seem you're eating. Your body may think it's starving. I don't know that every woman needs to eat every three hours, but smaller, more frequent meals will keep your metabolism churning throughout the day.
Please, please- before you add work outs, consult a doctor or other health care professional, or at least a WW leader- I really think that MORE activity may not be what you need to break this plateau...
I agree with Becky. If you're not eating your activity points and/or Weekly Points, USE THEM!
Five days a week of exercise is PLENTY. Not giving yourself enough rest time makes you more prone to injury.
Are you getting a good balance of nutrients? Are you eating enough lean protein, whole grains, calcium-rich foods, and fruits and veg? Especially that calcium, since you're still building bone (up to age 25). Weight loss can be a transient thing, but strong bones will serve you well for the rest of your life.
Finally, in my experience, whenever I did a lot of weight training (3 days a week instead of 2 for example), my weight would stay the same, stay the same... then WHOOSH! I'd lose 3 pounds in a week. That may be what's happening to you too.
So maybe what you need is MORE rest. And if you'd like to post your food diaries, I'd love to give you my opinion if you think it'd help. I'm not a leader, but I can give you the benefit of my experience.
Bravo, great page related to best weight loss pill, hope you get a chance to visit mine about best weight loss pill
Lose and SnoozeTM - Weight Loss Guaranteed
Not long ago I was diagnosed with type 2 diadetes and my doctor told me to lose weight or my life would be shortened by mant years. Being overweight most of my life I knew it was time to get serious.
Link to this site. vegan weight loss plan
All I can say is WOW! The other half and I just got back from our friends house (well her friends house) and I needed a huge break. I am working on a project right now that is based on walking for weight loss. I have literally been on-line for 2-3 hours doing research. Even though your blog really isn�t on the same page as walking for weight loss I am certainly glad I came across your blog. There are a ton of great view points on this blog. Well I think I can here the kids screaming in the background. I put you in my internet favorites and I will certainly come back and visit. If you want to take a peek at my site you can find me here at http://www.information-on-weight-loss.com. I update my site very frequently. Again, great job blogging and I will be back again soon!
Post a Comment
<< Home