Dear Plateau: I hate you

Weight loss plateau???? Why can't it be a weight GAIN plateau!?!

It's just not fair, seriously (insert me pouting with my arms crossed here)! 

The above picture is the weigh-in I had right before I hit my plateau, I had lost 34 lbs. The before picture was taken Easter of 2012 (I am the fat girl, not the baby alligator), and the after picture is after 3ish months in to my weight loss journey - and is my most current pic, even though it is now outdated (fist pump in the air!). I am happy to report that since this "after" picture was taken, I broke my plateau, and I am down a full 38 lbs since June 2014.

So picture this... you work hard and lose weight, and are doing great! 34 lbs, and you are actually looking forward to getting on the scale (this alone is a huge triumph!) So, Friday morning, you do your "weigh in ritual" (yes, it's a thing...) and you get in the scale, count to three in your head (1... 2... 3...) and look down!

WTF!?!

That's right! Your number not only didn't budge, but it went UP! Maybe that was only an ounce it went up, but that was still a higher number than last week! Repeat: WTF!!!

Ahhh, yes, awesome reader. It's the dreaded "plateau."

I wish I could tell you that the weight loss plateau is a mythical thing. Think unicorn, centaur, or hippogriff (yes, that really was a Harry Potter reference...). Unfortunately, plateaus happen, and when it happened to me, I wanted to jump off it. But don't jump off, preserver, because generally they only last about 3 weeks (according to WebMD and various other reputable sites). Mine lasted about two weeks.

Here is the info... So plateaus are perfectly normal (and stupid, IMO). And they happen to everyone. Basically, you are taking in less calories, ideally... and not on a fad diet... and your metabolism has slowed down to conserve them. This of course is a simple explanation.






Here are some simple ways to "break through."

1) Make sure you are counting your calories. If you aren't logging everything (butter you put on your toast this morning, the bite of cupcake you ate etc), you might have some sneaky calories slowing you down. Keep logging and tracking what you eat.


2) If you are a lady... it could also just be hormones (bLoAt) - they certainly don't help the dieting issue. If this could be the issue, give it a week, you'll be fine.

3) Is your workout working for you? If you are doing the same ol' work out, it may be time to kick it up a notch. The key is intensity, so intensify. More weights, longer or harder cardio.

Additional things I've found that have worked for me: upping my water intake. A reasonable "reward" meal. Going from a low calories to a more low carb focus for a few days.

Whatever you decide to do, this is what you NEED to do: Don't give up. It will pass. Keep going.
 

Drink all the water!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pee all the time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You know you are drinking enough water when you walk by the bathroom and think 'well... as long as I'm here, I'd better go..."

Well... that's all I got. There just isn't a lot of humor in water consumption. 

So, as of last Friday (Sept 12th), I've lost 34.8 lbs since June 7th, 2014.  Which is awesome! My clothes are looser, and more and more friends, family and colleagues are noticing the differences! That's my bragging for the day.

I have been delaying this blog for a couple weeks now. Water just isn't funny or interesting, but it is a vital part of dieting. For me, drinking water (or anything!) is a struggle. Let me tell you, the struggle is real! If I have one little excuse, I will let myself off the hook and not drink like I should. My goal each day is to drink a gallon. To get the amount you are supposed to drink a day, you follow a formula. You cut your weight in half and drink that number in ounces (100 lbs, you need to drink 50 oz). That's a lot of aqua... In total transparency, I haven't met this goal in a few weeks. And for about two weeks, I was lucky to get a bottle! I did see the amount of weight I was losing decrease. I'm going to stop letting myself down - I'm going to drink my goal every day.

Water drinking is so important. This is something everyone knows... and lots of people, me included, ignore. Every diet (even the crazy ones... except maybe that tapeworm thing) tells you to drink water, and to drink at least 8, 8oz glasses. There is reasons why drinking water is a dieting/healthy eating requirement. The biggest perk to this drinking water thing is that it kick starts your metabolism. But there are other good reasons for keeping a bottle of Aquafina near by... Some of the benefits of drinking include but aren't limited to calorie control - you may not actually be hungry, you could be thirsty! It makes your skin look better. Your muscles won't be as fatigued -- they will increase their awesome! Your bowels will work properly - poop happier! Your kidneys will function better - they get rid of the toxins in your body. You want them to function. So you get my point - that water is important. Drink up!

It's not a DIET it's a LIFESTYLE Change. Period.

 Wow, that Lean Cuisine  really filled me up! ~Said no one ever.

 

There is no diet that will do what healthy eating does. Skip the diet, just eat healthy. 

The picture above is me at weight loss of about 28 lbs. Before was taken March 31st, 2014 and after was taken August 20th, 2014. At this point, even I can see the changes. And I like seeing the changes, a lot! This picture is also a bit dated because as of Friday of last week (8/29/14) I reached a new milestone of having lost over 30 lbs! 31 pounds to be exact! The magic solution was healthy, reasonable eating. Which I have outlined in another blog titled "The Plan a.k.a. The Diet." Essentially, I'm not on a "diet," I'm on the road to a lifestyle change of healthy eating and exercise. What I eat is what I provide my family to eat. Healthy, nutritious meals with a side of Kick-My-Own-Ass exercise.

The whole "lifestyle change" thing may sound cliche, yeah, I get it. But it's real. Something that has been a hard lesson to learn is: there is no magic antidote  for weight loss. There is a lot of garbage out there that parades itself around as the magic cure ("not only will you shed pounds fast, but it will be permanent!" "Ahhh! Let me open my wallet!" said everyone who didn't want to work for it...) for weight loss. Fad diets, yep, I've tried them ALL (...err... most of them after some research, I have NOT tried the tapeworm, you will be happy to learn) and guess what? At the end, I was still fat. And super grumpy for eating only cabbage for a week. News flash for you: water weight comes back. OH, SNAP!

For fun... Here are some popular fad diets. 

• Eat for your Blood Type diet. Really? So, after a lot of research there is literally no evidence that there is any founding for this diet. I never tried this fad, but I do remember as a teenager, adults in my life discussing this. A blood type? You should be a vegetarian. O? Better not eat wheat. Ever. Again. 

• The hCG Diet. So let me get this straight... you get injected with a hormone extracted from pregnant woman's pee, then have to restrict your diet to 500 calories a day? Wait, what?!?! Ok, so the hCG stuff... treats infertility. All hCG products are required to come with a little label that says "not intended for weight loss." There is no conclusive evidence (per legit researchers, not just me) that suggests hCG works for weight loss. And let's just discuss this whole 500 calories busiess. The average healthy adult consumes about 2,600 calories a day. 500 qualifies as anorexia nervosa. Rewind, read again. Anorexia. By the way, anorexia will cause damage to every organ in your body, not to mention cause you to lose your hair, depression, and more. Attractive. 

• The Cabbage Soup Diet. This one is my favorite fad diet to joke about. And yep, been there, done that. I did loose weight. And I gained it right back by breathing. No, really, I gained it back by eating a regular diet. Basically, this diet is low carb, low protein, and low vital nutrients your body needs. What you are loosing (and what I lost) is water weight. So aside from the aspiring menu you are limited to (I'll have cabbage with a side of... um... cabbage) you get to look forward to... putting it back on. Yummy.  

If you can maintain the "diet" forever, then it isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle change. Cliche and all! HA! 

The days that SUCK.

I've been dieting ALLLLLL morning! Why aren't I skinny yet?!

Look on the bright side... you lose weight every time you poop. 

So with any challenge, you will have ups and downs. The ups feel great. Fantastic. Amazing. You are in control, you see your success unfolding right before your eyes. You can take on any craving, you can battle any delicious temptation, and you can run a 5k -- ALL with your hands tied behind your back. You are in control!

And then there are the downs. Eff the downs, man. They suck. Friday through Sunday of this week have been a huge down for me. I'm hoping tomorrow I will wake and feel energized and find myself back on my horse.

So when I fly in to my upswing, again, I will be proud that this weekend wasn't a cheat weekend. I stayed on my diet, and maintained my schedules, but the battle has been so hard. I feel bitter and pissy that I just can't have (insert anything here, because honestly, I've wanted everything on any menu).

I have no miracle solution as to how to break out of a dieting/goal slump. I wish I could say that was a magic solution to power through it. But there isn't. You just have to fight it through, remember your motivating reasons and just keep on going.

Food Tracking

What you eat in private... you wear in public...

"Screw your recommended serving size... you don't know me!!!!!"

Food tracking. The most celebrated and hated part of any diet. Yeah, I don't know, I just made that up. But it sounds about right. Either you diet and track, or don't, and if you don't, no offense, but you are doing it wrong.  I know this fact to be true: You will be more successful during your weight loss journey if you track the calories you have consumed.

I track every bite I put in my mouth, the good, the bad, and the delicious. Tracking can be considered tedious (tedious = a pain in the ass), I totally get that. But it also keeps you... well.. on track!

1 - Your food diary is going to show you what you eat. Do you recall everything you had yesterday? Did you have a quick snack (handfull of pretzels..) you may have forgotten about?

2 - This is the key tool for losing weight. You will know how many calories you have left to eat, that simple. Today I have had 1,279. My limit is 1,500. I can technically have 221 more, if I wanted.

This isn't yo' mama's diet tracker.... You can track via your phone these days. Smartphones have great apps available to you. I use my Fitbit tracker. I'm a walking advertisement for Fitbit, but there are other apps to track your caloric intake, or, you can just use a good ol' sheet of paper.

Below are some examples of calorie tracking apps.
Fitbit
My Diet Coach (free app. My Diet Coach Pro is $3.99 for Android)
My Fitness Pal - an app my husband was using before he started using Fitbit.

The Plan. Aka: Diet.

 

"This diet makes me feel SO FULL" Biggest. Lie. EVER.

"Skinny feels better than that cupcake tastes" (insert eye-roll here)

"What are you doing?"

This is the most common question asked. And I think 98% of those that ask don't actually believe my answer(s). Why? Because, awesome reader, the "diet" is easy, it's sticking with it day in and day out that is hard. Weight loss is hard because temptation is high, cravings are very easy to sate and and dedication takes willpower. Oh, and working out sucks.

When choosing a diet (and I'm not biased or anything, but mine is pretty awesome) there are some rules that need to be considered. Basically, these rules are all common sense. I have found though, when it comes to wanting immediate gratification (the curse of every single person on a diet), common sense can go out the door. Hence some of the idiotic fad diets (more on those beauties later).

Rule #1 - Your diet must be maintainable. Duh. If you can't do it for a week, what makes you think you can do it for a month? Or, for some of us, a year??

Exibit A - I am an idiot. I went to my doctor to get a diet plan a few years ago. But I already had the answer I wanted in my head. I asked the doctor for a plan and was presented the 1500 calorie low carb diet. I'm confident I even wrinkled my nose at it. "No," said I. "That's too many calories! I want to do 1200. I think 1200 is much more reasonable." Clearly that worked out well for me, since years later, I'm still fat.

Rule #2 - Your diet must incorporate all foods. Sorry but "I'm just not going to have carbs EVER" doesn't work. "Everything in moderation" is a phrase that everyone has heard and that is for good reason... because it's the truth.

Exhibit B - Everyone who has done a no carb diet, who does it again months later because they gained all their weight back. Oh yes, that includes me.

Rule #3 - Having to buy specific "extras" isn't going to work out either. Sorry. Normal weight loss drinks/meals can help short term, but they don't teach you how to maintain. They don't teach you how to create healthy meals that will in turn, lead to weight loss. I consider these types of diets as "quick fixes".

Exhibit C - SURPRISE! Me again! About two years ago, I committed myself to a brand name weight loss product that touts if you drink it's drink or eat it's meal replacements, you will lose weight. I did! I lost 14 lbs! Which was awesome! But I also gained it back because I couldn't maintain and this is a shocker right here... I gained MORE back! That of course isn't the fault of the weight loss product, it's mine.

So with these rules in mind, I made a full circle back to the 1500 calorie, low carb diet. This diet and moderate exercise (that feels extreme) I have lost 28 lbs in slightly over two months and I feel great! The best part is, nothing is off limits, I just need to account for it. 1500 calories works. It's not rocket science.

1500 Calorie low carb diet broken down. This is what works for me, adjust as necessary.

Breakfast - 250 - 350 calories
Lunch - 300ish calories
Dinner - 600 - 800
After dinner - 100 - 200 if I have the remaining calories

For diabetics - this can work for you too... I'm not an expert on diabetes, but I did find some information for you to start your own research for this particular diet.  For the Diabetic Awesome Reader

The few twists I've added... I lean towards a very "clean" eating menu. Processed crap is all out. I really like the Paleo diet for that reason and have been investigating it a lot, and putting Paleo recipes on my dinner table. Paleo information for the interested Awesome Reader.

In addition to clean eating, I also track every single calorie I consume. Tracking is key, you have heard it a million times. And more on this topic to come!

Jocelyn's motivation list

Motivations to shut my mouth and get on a treadmill...

For real though, reasons to lose weight and upgrade my lifestyle.

I've been overweight all my life, I guess? Who knows, that is how everyone else starts their "why" so I'll take that route too. Yep, I've been fat all my adult life and the majority of my childhood. The psychology of it is simple: good home cooking in a time that wasn't as health conscious and not enough physical activity. Easy.

A few rules for you, awesome reader, "fat" is not a bad word. It's just a word, and it has no power over me. It shouldn't have power over you, either. If you add other words to it, it can become bad. "Ass" for example is not appreciated! HA!!!

The weight became who I was, and I won't bore you with a sob story, because I don't really have a sob story to sob over. I accepted myself, I thought -- more on that some other time. My weight didn't hold me back, I have a hawt husband (for real, yo), beautiful daughters who are going to be gorgeous adult women, a good job, the best friends on the planet... So my motivation for changing isn't to "get" anything. Well... it is, but it isn't. If you get me. So my motivations for this journey I have embarked on are outlined below. I'm not going to lie, every one of them is selfish - and THAT, awesome reader, is the key to weight loss success.

Motivation #1
I want to look great. Sexy. Beautiful. Nice......... In clothes that aren't size double digit. It's just what I want. Don't be a reverse hater and tell me I look great now. No, I don't, in my opinion. But I will.
Also, I want to look great naked. My husband thinks I look great now, but waaaaait till he sees me in several months ;-). Sorry, family.

Motivation #2
Since meeting my husband and having my daughters, I want to live a very LONG time. I want to live as long as possible to an age as old as I can - and obviously be healthy. I want to see my great grand kids. I want to be ACTIVE with my great grand kids. It's not rocket science, healthier and skinny people live longer.

Motivation #3
I want to feel great! So this is a newer motivation.... This is one I discovered during the journey I'm currently on. So since Day1, (my current) I have lost 28 lbs. That's fantastic! But, the difference in how I feel is major. I feel more energetic and just............... better. I want to keep feeling this way. Feeling like this makes me want to be more active and that is a great feeling to have after years of feeling tired. I want more of this! Greed isn't always bad!

Motivation #4
And this is a biggie.... CLOTHES. I want lots and lots and lots of beautiful clothes. Sorry in advance, hubby, but I'm going to need a LOT more room in the closet.

So... my point.... for any goal, you need to have motivation. It's important not to lose sight of your motivating factors. These are the reasons for your struggle! And let me be loud and clear here, weight loss, at any level isn't easy. My suggestion for you, for any goal you have, weight loss or otherwise is to write down your reasons and read them when you are struggling the most, when that pizza your coworker is eating smells reeeeallyyy good. Remember the reasons why you started in the first place.

Being sexy.

Living longer.

Feeling better.

Clothes. And ohmigawd! shoes and purses to match!