I’m not going to lie, I was a bit miffed on Sunday last week when the bitch in the bathroom refused to budge, to the point where I’ve dragged her out from her hidey hole every day this week to see whether the impasse has been broken. The only breaking news to report is that she’s still not inclined to deliver me the sort of news I want to hear. Bitch. Despite my daily pilgrimage to the Kingdom of Pain, the needle hasn’t moved in the last 10 days.
There’s something that feels so unfair in that, I mean I’m busting my balls here, you know? The Asshole’s butting in with his what’s the point conversation on the hour, every hour and more than once I’ve found myself nodding along…what is the point, if it’s not making any difference?
What this plateau has done, is to serve up a sharp reminder about how easy it is to slip into sulky child mode…I’m so ready to spit my dummy out right now because things aren’t going my way on the number. I’ve had a serious word with myself this afternoon, because I can’t risk going there. It’s only a number.
And therein lies the rub…I know it’s only a number. Logic tells me that. However, that doesn’t stop me from wanting to beat something to a pulp because it’s the same fucking number as it was ten days ago.
I somehow imagined, that once I started pouring myself into those lycra pants on a daily basis and working up a regular sweat the weight would fall off me…I’m earning loads of exercise points which I’m not spending, and on top of my daily torture I’m going out of my way to find ways to walk further and do more, yet still the bitch isn’t for budging.
How long do you think it’s good to wait when you hit a plateau before you swap out your diet? I’m flirting with the idea of cutting loose from Weight Watchers altogether and maybe counting plain old calories instead. I do like the WW diet and the flexibility it gives me but I don’t want to invest all this turbo-charged effort just to stand still, and the fact that I am is really pushing my buttons.
The exercise is doing its job, you know? I feel stronger, fitter and my shape is changing…I can feel it, it’s tangible. But the diet is doing bugger all for me right now and I’m sort of in that place that says it’s time to try something new. Having said that, I’m a bit nervous about it, I mean am I just being a drama queen? I’ve done okay so far and maybe this is just a blip…what do you guys think..?
Changing the subject altogether, I’m gutted to report the sad demise of the reclining mechanism in my fat old leather armchair. How ironic is it, that after four years of heroically tipping a seriously fat old body back and forth, now I’m seventy pounds lighter it’s gone kaput? I feel like I’m mourning an old friend. I’ve got a man with a stethoscope and a spanner coming out next Friday to see whether he can breathe life back into it, but I’m not holding out much hope…it’s like sitting side on to a hill it’s gone so wonky.
Still, on the bright side…no lazing about for me this weekend, right?
Have a good one y’all and I’ll see you on the other side 🙂
It sounds like you just need to shake it up a bit! WW never really worked for me and I hate counting calories. Have you tried something like the South Beach diet where the carbs are lower? You are doing great so don’t let a little plateau discourage you!
Hi Nicole, I’m so lucky to have all these awesome suggestions and so many words of encouragement…thank you ?
M’s point, about eating the lowest number of points for a couple of days and then the highest, fooling your body, is very similar to what i was thinking. When you are working full time and working out and trying to diet, sometimes you get in a rut and eat mostly the same foods in mostly the same amounts because it’s faster and easier when you are crunched for time. Your body becomes accustomed to that and the loss plateaus. Mixing things up can often make that scale budge.
I’m going to try that Mimi…you’re right, I do eat a lot of the same things so I need to mix it up a little!
oh, man it’s CERTAINLY NOT just you! I am so glad to see this outpouring – lots of info, lots of approaches, and I have one to add! Well 1-1/2: first I gotta say if you had changed NOTHING yet the # got lodged in one place for awhile, you might like reading about the Whoosh Effect. 🙂
Given that you have recently* bumped things up with the hard training, you know it’s a game changer right? I’d hate for you to make too many changes to food plan / activity / work-out all at the same time. You want to identify which tweaks produced results that you want.
* It is reckoned in geologic time, as I needn’t remind you.
Love to all, Fleury
You’re absolutely right Fleury, wise counsel from all of you. What would I do without my posse! I was freaking out yesterday at the unfairness of it all but I’ve shoved the diva back in her box today. I’ve just done five miles with Charlie-dog before breakfast and all this effort will show somewhere at some point, right?!
Dee!!!! So….two things here. One. When you are exercising like you are, you HAVE to eat or your metabolism shuts down. Translation is that you have to eat to keep your metabolism going. I was eating 1300 calories (ish) per day and losing very little weight. I upped it to 1750 and started losing weight so fast it was crazy. You also need to eat a lot more lean protein and veggies with your new workout regimen to increase your muscle mass.
Two…I hate Weight Watchers because I felt like I never learned how to eat like a normal person. I count calories and macros which has worked for me (and very successfully). But I eat way more than MyFitnesPal says I should eat because the default settings are too low. Eat. Eat.
Ok, I lied. There are three things. Three…Muscle weighs more than fat. I know it sounds cliche, but it’s true. Tweak your diet a little, make sure you are drinking enough water and don’t stress about the numbers on the scale while your muscles and fat figure out your new routine. Eat.
Thanks Tracey, I feel like I can really benefit from your experience because you’ve lived this journey too 🙂
maybe you start taking your measurements. often the loss will show up in inches/cm lost before it shows on the scale! Good luck to you!
Thanks Terri, I’m going to do that this weekend, it’s a great idea 🙂
First off breathe Dee and calm down all this upset and hubbub is raising your stress level which will mess with your hormones which will stall your weight loss or horrors cause weight gain which we really don’t want.
If this plateau hasn’t gone on for oh say six weeks I know its HARD I get that but stay the course like you said it has been working. Interestingly enough make sure your eating enough since you are working out harder now. Make sure your getting enough sleep too. Make sure your controlling your emotional stress as well. Keep doing what you know works. Maybe talk it over with your trainer and see what he thinks.
I hope you have a calm, active, restful weekend and be kind to yourself maybe a non food, non debt producing reward? You deserve it you have been working so hard.
Me? I just hope this is a weekend over here in Orlando with no fresh hell.
I hear you Susan…patience is what’s needed. I’m working on it. And I’m so very sorry about what happened in Orlando. Thoughts are with you lovely xx
my experience (and your mileage may vary) is that when I went to the gym 6/7 days for 2 hours of my Kingdom of Pain. it took me ELEVEN bloody weeks to lose five pounds. like you, I was extremely frustrated. yeah, my clothing was fitting better, but I almost pitched my own bitch in the bathroom out of the window.
also: that amount of exercise really upped my appetite, fueling my anger. in fact, I was so busy being angry, you could have knocked me over the day I went into a clothing store for something (can’t remember what), and realized that I had dropped three entire clothing sizes, because my body had changed.
all this to say: don’t fret! and stay the course if you can. I was also doing WW at that point (paying for a gym and a trainer and WW and not really losing: so much fun).
something else I figured out (after the eleven weeks of angry) was that if I ate at the lowest range of my points for two days, and then the highest, or even plus a bit on the third day, it confused my metabolism so much that I had a loss. (again, ymmv.)
Wow there’s a lot to take in there…thanks so much and once again I’m hit square between the eyes that it’s not just me tripping over these bumps in the road. I bloody love you guys!!