So I was pretty down this week due to my fluctuating weight and lack of exercise. This had a very negative impact on my eating pattern. I think I ate quite healthy, however there was a lot of grazing and some over eating. So I decided to hit up Google and get some research done. Trying to find an active solution to my problem always get me motivated.
I have also been looking into various other blogs, which are an amazing source of motivation and inspiration. There is something about reading other similar experiences to your own that gets me all fired up. I think its the idea that we're all human, we're not perfect. We'll get there if we keep moving. It doesn't matter how long it takes.
So I have found amongst my research that there is such a thing as the three week stall. It's probably not a 'thing' but its happening to me and its nice to see that im not the only person that this is happening to. Usually I would get disheartened and give up, but reading about others with a similar situation makes me want to try harder.I found this blog that peaked my interest, where people are having similar issues.
I lost quite a large amount of weight at the beginning of this diet and it just seems to have halted at this point. I put it down to my body realizing that its not going to get the usual amount of calories and slowly adjusting to my new lifestyle. I'm pretty sure my first weight loss was just water anyways. Apparently weight loss grinding to a halt and people even gaining weight at this point is quite normal.
Things I can do to bring back the weight loss-
-Do the same I have been doing and wait for my body to adjust
-More intense exercise
-More frequent exercise
-Exercise longer
-Check that I am eating enough calories and that my body isn't in starvation
-Change my diet to increase my metabolism
-Change the type of exercise im doing to build more muscle and increaser metabolism.
- Eat less and more often
- Keep a closer eye on the calories i am consuming
-Drink more water
- Eat less salt
-Eat less carbs
-Weigh self less and at the same time every week
With all the above in mind I will try and just be aware a lot more about what food I put into my body. One of the steps Im going to take is to set up some mini goals for myself, break down the chunk I want to achieve, such as weekly and monthly goals and of course an end goal.
So keep in mind for next week, exercise more, track food intake religiously and plan my goals.
Im feeling much more positive already. :)
GOALS
I want to lose 25lb by June, that is 14 weeks from now, 3 and a half months. So my goal is 1.7 lb per week. So every month I would like to lost 7.8 lb.... :) By:
March 1st I weigh 125 lb
April 1st I will weigh 117 lb
May 1st I will weigh 109 lb
June 1st I will weigh 101 lb
I will try and lose 2lb every week, but I will be happy with any kind of a loss :)
Setting small goals and achieving them is so much easier and more motivating (at least for me) than just knowing that I have to lose x amount of weight. The latter gets so overwhelming sometimes, and it does lead to giving up. Don't give up! Your body will adjust. Just keep doing what you're doing healthily, moderate the bad stuff, and get in your exercise.
ReplyDeleteNow...if I could just remember all of my own advise during MY plateaus! Haha.
Thanks for visiting my blog. I am a LifeTime Weight Watcher but I know it isn't for everyone. I agree that they give you too many points on this new program especially since you are quite short like my oldest daughter. She tries to stay around 108 pounds. Good luck with losing. I've found the blogs to be helpful.
ReplyDeleteGreat post with a wonderful plan of action. Breaking it down works so well for me!
ReplyDeleteHey, over from Jo's blog.
ReplyDeletei see only one thing I would alter about your approach. Let me put it to you this way.
Say you are in a car. You want to go from San francisco California to las Vegas nevada...We all know there is a big stretch of Desert out there, right?
How vague would you want your directions to be?
Would you want to 'keep an eye' on the sun to make sure you are heading east...well, that would be great. But what if you are on a dead end road?
Without an accurate calorie count, how will you know what your target is? You say you want to lose 1.7 pounds of fat per week.
There is 3500 calories in one pound of fat.
so.... In reality you are shooting for around a 6000 calorie deficit per week.
If you don't have any clear idea of how many calories you are consuming, or how many calories it takes to MAINTAIN your weight...how can you 'plan' to lose 1.7 lbs per week. I only point this out because I have seen this many, many times before. You have to know how many calories you are consuming, how many calories it takes to maintain to know what to cut.
That is a plan...if you don't know, then it's wishing. And after a week of feeling like you have been trying, and you get on the scale and see a maintain or even a gain....you will become discouraged. I know, I used to do it.
It's all math.
If you weigh 230 lbs. add a zero to your weight. It takes 2300 calories to maintain that weight.
If you want to create a 6000 calorie deficit, you will need to create a nearly 850 calorie deficit a day...you can do that by eating 1450 calories a day or you could eat 1650 and walk two miles. In any case, either approach would work. I just don't want to see you fall into magical thinking. There is nothing magical about any of this.
You can go to calorie count dot com for food info...and you can find any weight calculator for your maintain info. I know it annoys the crap out of me when people give me advice. But, when I saw tha you were wandering and discouraged, I thought I would tell you what I spotted that may be a weak point in the future.
Good luck to you in your journey.
Hi there and welcome to the blog world! I came over from Jo's blog to meet you.
ReplyDeleteI think your ideas sound great, by the way. I know that hitting a wall is frustrating, but perseverance really does pay off. You are absolutely right that your body is freaking out a bit right now, trying to figure out what is going on and trying to regain control. You just keep at it hard, with both exercise and calorie control, and you will get to your very realistic goal.
Good luck! :)
Thank you all for your very encouraging comments it's such a great help :) I was feeling pretty down today since the scale has not moved down at all, but reading your comments has kicked me right into gear again :)
ReplyDeleteThanks
Setting small goals is a great thing to do. It's how I get myself through! I'm a new blogger too:) I've never done this weight loss blogging stuff but I am doing it to hold myself accountable.
ReplyDeletehttp://neverafinishline.blogspot.com/
Great Job on setting goals! You can do this! We are all in this together, and it's nice to know that others know exactly what you are going through.
ReplyDeleteHi there, I came over from Jo's blog too. I just have one comment for you about your weight loss goals and only because I don't want to see you struggle needlessly. A healthy, sustainable rate of loss is about 1% of your weight per week, for your weight right now at 125, thats about 1.2-1.3 lbs a week for you. Its not to say you can't lose more, but to average 1.7 a week, that means when you have a lower number, some weeks you're going to have to lose alot more than the 1% to make up the difference and that won't be easy.
ReplyDeleteI read in one of your posts that you were "never going to cheat, ever". Life happens, some days you will go off your plan - some days you will choose to - from what I've learned and seen, its persistence that wins this race, not perfection.
Good luck and I'm looking forward to following you.
my goal of 1.7 lbs a week is very similar to yours,i hope you have good outcomes : ) good luck and keep it up!
ReplyDeleteHope you are having a good week. Thanks for visiting my blog, Anaelle. One day at a time, girl. Have you tried tracking calories or journaling your food? That's one way to get a good idea of where you're going off base.
ReplyDeleteWelcome.. It seems that you have some great goals!
ReplyDeleteNo you are not alone!
I have been in more then one plateau!
I think I am finally making my way out of this last one.
I tried this thing where I did not weigh for month and you know what happened???
I did not lose but .5 of a pound..Yes you heard me right. This was just 2 weeks ago. Since then I have lost a couple of pounds.
I look forward to getting to know you and reading your blog!