Aa
Misbehaved and Lost!
I have been struggling for the last week. I have been tracking my food and calories, etc. and keeping where I should and had increased my exercise levels. No budge in the weight! Yesterday I had a bad day and drank lots of wine and made a dessert that I ate. I lost a pound this morning. What gives?!
Trudie, look at your weight chart! The overall pattern is very good. Its not really a plateau unless its been going on for a couple of weeks. One week without a loss can be perfectly normal, and if you stick to your diet and exercise program, your losses will begin again.
When you have plateau'd, look at any extras in your diet (nibbles here and there, portion sizes bigger than normal, some cookies at work, extra drinks at night) to see if there might be a clue in what you are eating. Look at your exercise to see if you've decreased your physical activity or intensity.
Nothing can ruin an established diet and exercise program faster than changing things too frequently. Once you get in that "groove", change can lead to excessive hunger if you cut calories more than is appropriate, which can lead to unwise choices in the next day or two.
If you are taking in the appropriate amount of calories and exercising, simply sticking with your program (as long as you have examined your diet closely for cheats or nibbles) will result in the losses starting back up again.
I think you are doing great! Ignore, ignore, ignore daily fluctuations of the scale. Look at your pattern week by week.
If its heading down, you're doing good. Don't be too hasty to make daily changes based on what the scale says every day. That's a very "diety" way of thinking, and will not benefit you in the long run!
When you have plateau'd, look at any extras in your diet (nibbles here and there, portion sizes bigger than normal, some cookies at work, extra drinks at night) to see if there might be a clue in what you are eating. Look at your exercise to see if you've decreased your physical activity or intensity.
Nothing can ruin an established diet and exercise program faster than changing things too frequently. Once you get in that "groove", change can lead to excessive hunger if you cut calories more than is appropriate, which can lead to unwise choices in the next day or two.
If you are taking in the appropriate amount of calories and exercising, simply sticking with your program (as long as you have examined your diet closely for cheats or nibbles) will result in the losses starting back up again.
I think you are doing great! Ignore, ignore, ignore daily fluctuations of the scale. Look at your pattern week by week.
If its heading down, you're doing good. Don't be too hasty to make daily changes based on what the scale says every day. That's a very "diety" way of thinking, and will not benefit you in the long run!
Ranae, thank you for your post. This makes sense and is likely what happened to me. Since this breakthrough I have continued to lose so it did the trick. I didn't realize the calories could be tracked on the weight tracker so you are indeed not blind. I will be a good girl and not break the plateau with wine and dessert in the future :( Wannabenana, I appreciate the humour. I made this post mostly out of humour but am glad it did supply me with a good reason for the weirdness.
I'm sorry you're feeling frustrated and that you are struggling. Tracking your food and calories is an excellent path to weight loss and that, combined with moderate exercise, can lead to your success.
Your body naturally goes through plateaus and if your calorie content is too low, your body stubbornly holds onto the weight in an effort of self-preservation as it thinks you are starving. I tried to look at your calorie content and did not see it on your tracker. You may wish to implement that portion or gently let me know I need glasses .. lolll
It also may take more than a week to lose weight on the scale. One of the ways I break a plateau is by eating 200 calories fewer than norm for two days and then, on the third day, eat 200 calories more than norm. This signals your brain that you are not starving and it allows you to lose the weight it was holding in reserve.
May I most kindly and gently urge you to not use that news to drink wine and eat dessert. While it may have provided the extra calories to signal your brain that you were not starving, it defeats your efforts of nutrition and sustained weight loss and feeds an emotional relationship/dependence on food.
Hope this helps. Please let us know how you are doing. We're here to support you, encourage you, share information and do this together. You CAN do this!!!
((Hugs))
Ranae
Your body naturally goes through plateaus and if your calorie content is too low, your body stubbornly holds onto the weight in an effort of self-preservation as it thinks you are starving. I tried to look at your calorie content and did not see it on your tracker. You may wish to implement that portion or gently let me know I need glasses .. lolll
It also may take more than a week to lose weight on the scale. One of the ways I break a plateau is by eating 200 calories fewer than norm for two days and then, on the third day, eat 200 calories more than norm. This signals your brain that you are not starving and it allows you to lose the weight it was holding in reserve.
May I most kindly and gently urge you to not use that news to drink wine and eat dessert. While it may have provided the extra calories to signal your brain that you were not starving, it defeats your efforts of nutrition and sustained weight loss and feeds an emotional relationship/dependence on food.
Hope this helps. Please let us know how you are doing. We're here to support you, encourage you, share information and do this together. You CAN do this!!!
((Hugs))
Ranae
Yes, you may be onto something: a wine and dessert diet.
Or, maybe you are going through a test of wills right now, and expecting a change faster than your body is willing to offer.
Spurious fluctuations and plateaus are no fun. I swear, they are just they body trying to trick you. You know if you avoid extra calories and keep up with exercise that you'll get through this phase.
How often do you weigh in? If you do it everyday, maybe switch to every few days or once a week, so that little daily changes don't bother you so much. You could switch back when you are feeling better.
Good luck!
Or, maybe you are going through a test of wills right now, and expecting a change faster than your body is willing to offer.
Spurious fluctuations and plateaus are no fun. I swear, they are just they body trying to trick you. You know if you avoid extra calories and keep up with exercise that you'll get through this phase.
How often do you weigh in? If you do it everyday, maybe switch to every few days or once a week, so that little daily changes don't bother you so much. You could switch back when you are feeling better.
Good luck!
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