The Plateau- If you've been reading my blog for the past few weeks you will notice i've been stubbornly struggling through a plateau. I tried everything, eating more, eating less, tracking, crying, working out more, working out less, when finally I hit a wall and said to myself - "You are doing everything right, your body will catch up with your head - just keep it up."
With a little bit of self-reflection in "Breaking My Rules & Paying the Price" I put my mouth where my words were and got more sleep, drank more water, and watched my alcohol intake. That does'nt mean I did'nt drink, eat and have fun, I did - I just had more water in between. Kept my workouts going and did'nt give up on myself.
STICK WITH IT & meet Dr. Google! - When I hit this plateau I went into researcher/detective mode, trying to uncover all of the things that i've been doing wrong in my diet. I felt very alone - then I read this article in Women's Health Magazine
"It's tempting to change tactics completely. But busting through a weight-loss plateau is all about tweaking the diet you're on, not launching a whole new one. When Tufts University researchers recently tested the effectiveness of four different weight-loss plans on 160 people, they found that the diet didn't matter so much as your ability to stick with it. Of the 25 percent who lasted a year, all lost at least 5 percent of their total body weight..."
Finding help in "Dr. Google" can really help you stick to your diet plan, because you realize your not alone - even if you feel your doing everything right and its not working. In every weight-loss chat room, blog or food tracker site you will find people chatting away about plateaus.
Ultimately - What I learned in my research is weightloss is 80 percent diet and 20 percent sweat, and 10% - (to give it an extra 110%) perseverance.
The truth is, if your physically active - you need carbohydrates to sustain your energy levels, and you need protein to build muscle. Its not so much about what carbohydrates your eating as WHEN your eating them. I stick to whole grains, and brown rice, but instead of loading them after a work out - I eat them for breakfast or lunch to turn that sugar into energy to pull through my evening workouts. Then at night I load up on lots of veggies (meet my new friend kale chips) and lean protein such as chicken, lean cuts of steak and lean cuts of pork chops.
If I do an early morning workout on the weekends, I will end that workout with a 3 egg white omelet, with feta cheese, tomatoes, and spinach. I'll also pair that with some pumpernickel/rye or wheat toast, for a lean protein boost, with complex carbohydrates to pull me through the rest of the day.
Drinking more water - read what you write. I started this blog to not only share my struggles, but also to share what works. In my post - more water please I had plenty to say about drinking loads of water and seeing the benefits - "drinking water has lots of benefits. Clear skin, weight-loss, a clear knowledge of fullness (a great thing when you like to nibble on snacks when you think your hungry but in reality your really thirsty)." After re-reading this entry, I upped my water intake threefold. I realize I'm less hungry, I feel better, and yes my skin is clearer.
Being stubborn through a plateau is not easy. In fact it is the hardest emotional portion of my weightloss journey. But i'm learning, if I practice to what I preach and stick to the plan.
I will change my life - for the better.
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