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Oh No! It’s a Plateau.
 Posted by Tawny Weber Feb 2 2012, 2:46 am in Tawny Weber, Tawny's Thursdays My weight is at a place I’d started to think I’d never hit again. Oh, not the number on the scale (although there were some sneaky doubts about that dancing around in the back of my mind). Nope, I’ve hit a plateau. After 4 months of steady loss, my body apparently declared January roadblock month. Despite all of my efforts- and having made it through the temptation filled holidays still losing weight- in January I lost a grand total of 3.5 lbs. Now, hey, I’m not complaining. I’m thrilled to still be losing, and given that during an intense workout-filled, coach led 4 months early last year I lost a total of 7 lbs with a ton more effort, I am ecstatic to wave goodbye to each and every ounce. But… I still have weight to lose. I’m not at my goal (and anyone who knows me knows how obsessive I get about those goals!). So I can’t give up. But I haven’t quite figured out what to do, either. Plateaus are a funny thing. To me, it’s a forced assessment. Am I still following the plan or have I started ‘guesstimating’ how much food is on the plate instead of using the measuring cup? Am I balancing my food well and getting ample protein, or have those carbs snuck back into my day-to-day meals? Am I exercising often enough? And am I working out hard enough to make that time I’m putting in pay off? Am I lifting weights? Should I lift more? Lift less? Am I letting stress overwhelm me again, slipping out of the meditation habit and into the obsessive worrying? And here’s the biggie… am I at a weight that I could happily live with if my body ends up setting up camp on this particular plateau? When I asked all those questions, the answers to everything except the last one was yes. I’m eating carefully. I’m tracking food, and even in anticipation of a possible plateau as I got closer to my weight goal, I’d deemed January the kick it up month, joining an exercise challenge that had me doing 5 days of cardio and 7 days of strength training each week. Now, granted, the strength training was based on very short (7-15 minute) videos but since I hadn’t followed a regular strength program in quite awhile, I figured that was a good way to set the habit and ease back in. And since I was also upping my cardio, I’d hoped that would be enough that I’d be able to slide right past Plateau Hell. Nope. I landed smack dab in the middle of it. So now I’m trying to figure out what to do. I won’t drop my calories any lower, but I am considering cycling my calories for awhile. You know, upping them a couple of hundred calories on random days of the week, just to shake up my body’s expectations. I’ve joined another challenges (this one titled Get Your Bikini body *snicker*) but am wondering if maybe I should push for a tougher workout instead, like the P90x that Donna recommended. Or should I just be patient, keep on plugging along with what I’m doing, and hope the plateau gets sick of me before I get sick of it? Oh wait… I’m already sick of it! So – what do you think? Got any plateau-busting ideas?
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10 Responses to “Oh No! It’s a Plateau.”Leave a Reply |
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Hugs on the plateau, Tawny, but yay on all the weight you’ve lost! I know from having seen you recently that you look awesome and the change is very noticeable!
I don’t know what advice to give as I’ve been on a hormone-driven plateau for a while and it is so frustrating. But making your body less complacent makes sense *g*.
Aww, thanks, Anna
I’m thrilled with where I’m at, for sure.
after reading the comments here, I think I might be more in a ‘mentally preparing myself for a plateau’ than a real down and dirty plateau *g* But the stuck feeling 2 1/2 weeks in a row is frustrating – and labeling it is a nice mental excuse to keep from getting upset. I hear you on the hormonal challenges, too. Isn’t it fun being a girl?! Of course, we’d look funny wearing gorgeous shoes if we were guys, so I guess it’s worth it *g*
Losing 3.5 pounds in a month is not a plateau. It may be slower weight loss than you are used to or prefer, but it is not small enough to fit the definition of a plateau.
Strength-training initially can slow down weight loss. Initially, it retains water (can’t remember the scientific explanation why). Muscle weighs more than fat too. It takes less space, so it makes you smaller, but you might weigh a bit more at first.
Don’t let the slow weight loss play with your mind. The impatience can start make you thinking it’s hopeless, but you are moving forward.
Thanks for the pep talk, Michelle
I am moving forward, and am thrilled with the progress. You nailed it when you used the word impatience. I waited 2 months after I’d actually started seeing a weight loss to calculate my average weekly/monthly loss to gauge how close I might be to goal. If I’d kept at that trajectory (hey, I refrained from making a color coded chart) I’d have been at my goal weight by Valentine’s. I kept myself entertained on the elliptical by imagining what clothes I’d treat myself to for my birthday 2 weeks later *g* So the impatience is a definite factor. And, as you say, adding in weights has an impact, too, even if it isn’t a big one as I really do consider last month more ‘strength training on training wheels’ 
Tawny, I also would not consider any month when you lose weight a plateau. Most people lose weight more slowly as they go farther into the process. Initial weight loss is very often followed by a dramatic slowdown. Expecting a pound a week or more is really not realistic. Except for 20-something guys, and let’s not even go into how unfair that is!
My only suggestion is to be sure you’re not eating the same things day after day and week after week. Change it up so your body doesn’t get into a routine.
If you are really exercising a lot, you may actually need to eat more, so your body doesn’t hoard fuel (a/k/a fat).
Congrats on the 3.5!
Aw, babe, there’s nothing fair about 20 something guys *g* I totally agree!!!
Great suggestion on changing up the food. I did that in a big way –but still kept a handle on the calories–during my Idaho trip a couple of weeks ago. I changed up the workouts, too, since I was away from my own equipment. I’d had stuck scale week the week before we left and it was still stuck in the same spot this morning *g* I do think changing up the food and maybe bouncing the calories around a bit more will help.
I wouldn’t either. I lost a whole 1.2 lbs in the last 2 weeks, and I’m still heavier than I was in November.
I’ve started P90X again, and am in my 3rd week.
When I plateau, I go back to what I know works. If you’re doing all the things that you know work, then stop stressing about it and stay the course. You’ll drop again. I plateaued several times over the last few years, going weeks without pegging a loss. But eventually I always kept going down.
So don’t panic. And don’t worry about the weight so much – worry about how strong and healthy you are and how you are nurturing your body. The rest will take care of itself.
Thank you, Donna! I needed to hear that, and love your point about worrying about the important things. It’s so easy to get obsessed with the trees, to the point that we ignore the entire forest.
I’m comforted to hear that you’ve done this before and that by sticking with it, things do shift.
And congrats on the loss so far
It sounds like P90X is working it’s magic for you again.
Okay, yes, I did lose and that’s a great thing. But that weight was all lost in the early part of the month. It was the last couple weeks (including this one *G*) that I haven’t lost. So, yeah, I jumped onto the “Ack, I’m not losing anymore, I won’t reach my goal, ack” wagon *ggg*. And my daughter wonders where she gets her dramatic streak.
Your post inspired me to write one about plateauing on my blog today, Tawny!