Well it looks like I have hit some type of weight loss plateau. Or maybe I am just not pushing myself hard enough. If I was a betting person I would say a little of both.
Here are my stats this week.
SW: 177
GW: 125
CW: 148.5
PL: +1
I know 1 pound gained or lost is not a huge deal but honestly, it is driving me crazy. You see the bulk of my weight came off during the first 7 months of my weight loss journey. It was so encouraging to see consistent weight loss numbers each week as I got on the scale. The first week alone I lost 7 pounds! I am sure it was mostly water weight and my body going into shock but still 7 pounds is a lot. After that first week the scale dropped another 3 pounds then leveled off at around 1-2 pounds a week until May 2011 when I got down to 141.5 pounds. Since then I have fluctuated between 141.5 – 149.
My conclusion to all of this is my body has become comfortable. Basically, my body and weight has adjusted to the cleaner diet and level of exercise I have adopted. In a way I see this as good because I am able to maintain the bulk of my weight loss without really thinking about it. However, on the other hand for me to reach my goal weight I need to step out of my comfort zone.
I am not looking to make any major food changes or complete a food overhaul. I am not even looking to decrease the amount of food I eat because I have been doing really well with keeping my calories and portions under control (thanks to My Fitness Pal). Of course, I will continue to learn about and evolve my clean eating lifestyle but overall, right now, I am satisfied with my eating habits. Sure I have slip ups every now and then but for the most part I feel good about the food I eat.
So if it is not the food then what is it? It bugs me to even type this because at this point I am starting to sound like a broken record. My issue is exercise! Ugh!
Over the last couple weeks I have been doing okay with exercising. My goal is to run on my treadmill 4 times a week and also add in some strength training. That is my goal. What I have been really doing is walking on my treadmill 2 -3 times a week, watching a video on my iPad, and barely breaking a sweat. Now I know this is better than nothing and has helped me maintain my weight loss but….this mama needs to sweat! I need to get out of my comfort zone and push myself. I need to get off my treadmill and immediately want to take a shower! You get my point.
Moving forward I am going to focus on sweat! If I am going to take the time to go into my freezing cold basement to exercise then I need to make it count.
Your turn. How did you do this week? Enter your stats below. Also, I would LOVE to hear about the ways you get motivated to workout.
Don’t be hard on yourself you have to celebrate your progress mix it up a little , just jump roping I love that add it into your workouts just saying .good luck to u . You are an inspiration to all of us who are trying once again
Before I post my stats… Really focus on the strength training! Movement of any kind is great, but at this point strength training and building as much lean muscle as possible is your friend and will do a lot more for you than cardio. That’s what helps boost your metabolism and makes your body burn calories even when you’re resting. I’m in a forum with a lot of people who have succeeded in major weight loss/lifestyle change and the number one thing that seems to have helped people get over plateaus like this is strength training.
If you can afford it, look in to a pilates machine. We got ours from QVC and it’s wonderful. It will make your muscles as sore as if you spent an hour in a gym lifting weights, but you’re laying down doing fluid movements and it’s actually *relaxing*. I set it down in my living room and do a complete body workout in 15 – 20 minutes while watching TV. Just an idea!
Okay… Now MY stats…
SW: 200
GW: 155
CW: 195.2
PL: -1.4
Happily surprised and shocked at my weight loss! Once again, I ate very healthy/clean during the week but come the weekend we ate some of the worst possible stuff. Pizza and bread sticks, KFC, birthday cake, soda, etc. This is the third week in a row I’ve experienced a loss even with the weekend binges, so I’m now confident that if I can control myself and continue the healthy eating over the weekend I could be seeing a loss of ~2 lbs per week.
Did pretty bad with exercise… didn’t make it to the gym. I did do a little bit of pilates, but that was it.
Just stick with it…I know you can do it!
SW 143.2
GW 120
CW 136.3
Loss of 1.5 lbs this week
Have you considered doing the Whole30 program? The book ‘It Starts With Food’ is very informative and makes a lot of sense. Plus, it’s only 30 days. I never thought I’d be able to go a week without bread, pasta, or sweets, but I’m on day 13 and I feel fabulous. You’re not supposed to weigh yourself during the 30 days, but I have and I’ve lost a few pounds, feel fabulous, and never go hungry. It’s actually not intended for weight loss, that just seems to be a perk of the program. Plus – NO CALORIE COUNTING!!
You’re great at planning out your meals and prepping everything, so I’m sure it would be a breeze for you. Just a thought – and good luck on your weight loss journey. I enjoy seeing your recipes and progress.
Thanks for sharing Tammy. Great insight regarding the need to get in some good work out sessions. But also, in all honesty, you have to look at your eating habits, and that’s the hardest part!! I know that first hand! Might I suggest you swap your cheese and crackers for raw veggies? And cut out those refined carbs! I promise, if you make these small changes, you will reach your goal!!
Thanks Loretta for your advice. I agree refined carbs are no good. I actually have worked very hard to limit the amount of refined carbs I eat. It is very minimum and some days not at all. Also, I started bringing salad and veggies with me to work which I love. One of my goals was to increase the amount of veggies I was eating and this has helped a lot. The amount of cheese I eat (about 1-2 ounces) is not a lot either – it is just enough to get me through mid morning until lunch. I am actually very satisfied with my eating habits. Besides a few slip ups here and there my eating style is very clean. I do agree it is important to keep an eye on our eating habits because one to many slip ups can have us right back into old bad habits. Thanks so much for your comment it definitely helped me take a step back and review more what I am eating.
I’ve started a journal to keep up with my weight loss journey since I started posting my stats on your blog. It’s been kind of depressing the past few weeks since there was the initial weight loss, then a weight gain, and now no change.
I know I need to count calories and write down what I eat, but honestly, I feel so busy now, I can’t imagine trying to add one more thing I have to do. I have never counted calories, so that is hard for me. This week has to change though, so I will start jotting down what I eat, and continue to stay away from the sweets and refined stuff. I know I’ll probably have a small piece of my son’s birthday cake Friday night, though. I’ve done well with being consistent with exercise and kicked it up a notch this week. Hope to keep up that trend. I am worn out though. Hoping for something good to post next week. 
SW-153.5
CW-155
GW-127
(no change)
SW 179.5
CW 177
I gained half a lb. and I pretty much expected it. I went to a high school friends reunion on Saturday and we ate and drank all day and night! Super Bowl Sunday was another party. I’m lucky that I only gained .5! I excercised today, and yesterday, and feel like I’m back on track!
I think I maintained, which really isn’t good considering I’m at my all time high weight wise. I know what you mean about feeling like a broken record. I felt like such a broken record that I just stopped talking about (which, FYI, definitely didn’t help at all). It is tough to fit in the exercise. However, I think maintaining is a HUGE accomplishment.
SW 226
GW 155
CW. 196
-2# from last week
Back up again, this time 2 lbs! =(
SW 199
GW 152
CW 174.5
My only motivation to get moving was the loss I saw last week. I thought for sure I could keep it up, but once again was disappointed. Over on my blog, I linked to a pretty neat Workout Tracker that I found online and printed. For some reason seeing it on paper is different than seeing it on my computer and actually made me want to get the workout done! My goal is also 4 days a week on my treadmill and right now I’m doing the Couch to 5K program. I do that 3 days a week and then use the iFit workout that came with my treadmill for the other day on the treadmill. Last week was my first week adding strength back in and for that I just use strength videos I find on sparkpeople or my Daily Workouts App on my Kindle.
Thanks again for helping me stay accountable!
If you have an iPhone there is an app called Nike Training which is actually like having a personal trainer, it’s great. Give it a try!
SW: 163
GW: 143
CW: 159
Chg: +.5 lbs argh
I have been very committed to strength training workouts at the gym, I’ve been getting there 5-6 times per week and try to work out for 90 minutes at time. And still, I can’t get a hold of my eating. I try very hard to eat clean but I always want a little more and always crave and give into dessert. I feel like I set myself up for failure every time but can’t get past my “need” to eat this crap. So frustrating.
SW 179.2
GW 135
CW 172.6
TL 6.6 ( No gain/loss this week)
I have to say that even though the scale doesn’t show it, I am very proud of myself this week. In years past, the Super Bowl was just a reason to gorge myself on all my favorite junk foods. This year, I did have some of my favorites but I tracked everything as I went and stopped when I reached my calories for the day. So regardless of what the scale says, I think I’ve had a GREAT week! (Weigh-in day just happened to be the one day of the month that I gain weight just by looking at food, if you know what I mean)
I am going on a girls’ scrapbook weekend this weekend and we are staying at a B&B type place so I really hope I can keep my calories in check. Hope to see a loss next week!
SW 164
CW 155.4
GW 139
PL 2.0
This week what has worked for me is Zumba once a week, and I’m on Week 2 of C25K. I’m running one on March 23 with friend. And this weekend we even ran in the cold, usually I run on my treadmill. You can download the app if you have a smartphone and it will tell you when to run and walk in intervals.
SW: 159.4
GW: 124
CW: 155.4
PL: 4
I lost 1.6 pounds this week, which I am pleased with. I have been doing MFP for nearly 5 weeks now and lost 4 pounds, which seems like VERY slow going to me, but I just need to remember that as long as the weight is coming off, that is all that matters! I know it would come off faster if I could get motivated to exercise more.
Hey Gals
You all are very incouraging!!! KEEP IT UP!!
Which – I think is a good thought and something I need to do 
lol
Just catching this blog
Three weeks ago at work we started the “Biggest Loser” contest – well – first week -5, second week -1 (but I had cinnabons :-0 ) , 3rd week -2. Not too bad with no “sweating” exercise
What diet are you all following?? and Eating Clean – does that just mean – no cinnabons
SW- 156.8
CW- 150
GW- 125
weight lost so far- 6.8
I realized last week that I needed to “amp up ” my workouts too. I have figured out the healthy eating part of this journey but I need to add in more sweat too. A friend of mine recommended a program called T-tap. I started it today and I can really feel it! I am planning on doing that with my running and hopefully that will help! I think this is all a learning experience about what works and what doesnt work for you during this season of life. So good luck!! You can do it!!
Try intervals on the treadmill! That way you can do 1 or 2 min at a high incline/ lowish speed and then bring that incline down for a minute to rest, then back up. Keeps your heart pumping at a higher rate, and the incline will really work your leg muscles to build more muscle so a it’s a double whammy.
Also – have you tried the pedometer where you try to hit 10,000 steps per day? That might help since you could include all kinds of walking to get to your goal.