Anyone on a weight loss journey knows the feeling, the anticipation of weighing in.
I jumped on the scales yesterday morning. I took a deep breath while my fancy new scales calculated my stats, I hoped for a good result. But no, I hadn't lost anything, not a pound or half a pound, not even a quarter of a pound, not a sausage. Gutted.
Start weight of 2013: 9st10 3/4lbs / 136.6lbs
Previous weight: 9st10 3/4lbs / 136.6lbs
Current weight: 9st10 3/4lbs / 136.6lbs [STS]
Total weight loss: 0lbs
Body fat percentage at start of 2013: 26.3 per cent
Previous body fat percentage: 26.3 per cent
Current body fat percentage: 26.2 per cent [- 0.1 per cent]
Total body fat loss: 0.1 per cent
Previous water percentage: 53.8 per cent
Current water percentage: 53.8 per cent
BMI at start of 2013: 23.3
Previous BMI: 23.3
Current BMI: 23.3
My body fat has gone down slightly by 0.1 per cent, so at least there was some movement on the scales, albeit a small one.
It is incredibly frustrating when you are actively trying to lose weight but the scale isn't moving. We all have weeks when we stay the same weight. And it's just one week, right? Wrong. For months now the scales have barely been budging.
I felt I had a good week, I stuck to my Weight Watchers ProPoints, and as well as the new bathroom scales I bought some kitchen ones and was weighing out my oats, carbs, proteins and fats. When my mum opened a box of Christmas chocolates and offered me one, I said no and said no to cheese on my dinner one night. I got in a good amount of exercise, over the week I did 13 mins high intensity interval training on my elliptical trainer, I went to the gym for an hour with my mum, did an hour's horse riding lesson and 50 minutes of yoga.
Basically, I'm either eating too much or not eating enough. I've been researching and it seems to be that the latter may be the culprit. I might not be consuming enough food to lose anymore weight. That sounds crazy, right? You eat less, you move more, you lose weight. Apparently not always. Apparently our bodies can get wise to this.
Plateaus are an inevitable part of weight loss. If you got to your goal weight without one then you are one lucky guy or gal. Our body's are clever and they get used to what we are feeding them and what exercise we are doing. So, I'm going to mix it up!
I've done a little research and some very cleverboffins scientists believe it might be due to a little something called leptin. This is a hormone produced by our fat cells and it helps to regulate our appetite. According to this article on the WW website research has shown that weight loss decreases leptin levels and that a reduction the hormone can contribute to a weight loss plateau.
So, I'm going to try and fool my body. Eat different foods, eat a little more, not eat the same thing day in day out and do some different exercise. I plan on getting my Wii out and doing some Zumba fitness. I always loved Zumba and haven't danced to the beats in a while.
I'm going to experiment and see what works and what doesn't. What I'm doing now clearly isn't working, so I'm going to try something else.
I've done a little research and some very clever
So, I'm going to try and fool my body. Eat different foods, eat a little more, not eat the same thing day in day out and do some different exercise. I plan on getting my Wii out and doing some Zumba fitness. I always loved Zumba and haven't danced to the beats in a while.
Last week I earned 11 extra ProPoints from undertaking exercise but I didn't eat them. My plan this week is to eat a few of the activity PPs I earn. If that doesn't work after a couple of weeks one other option is to up my daily Weight Watchers ProPoints from 26 a day to 27 a day.
The other day Kammie @ Sensual Appeal posted about her giving up yogurt because she was constantly eating yogurt parfaits, this really hit home for me. I have an addictive personality. I'm one of those people who will listen to a song 10 times in a row. Once I find a food I like I will eat it over and over and over again until the cows come home and never get bored of it. I'm eating oats nearly every morning for breakfast, I don't want anything else, it's become a little bit of an addiction. I'm also eating mainly the same snacks every day as well, fruit and nuts. I need to change it up. Switch it around. Get creative.I'm going to experiment and see what works and what doesn't. What I'm doing now clearly isn't working, so I'm going to try something else.
But, there could be one other culprit. I was doing a quick search before Christmas and when on the Weight Watchers website came across a list of medicines that can affect your weight, and guess what was on it? Only the beta blockers (Propranolol) that I am taking to prevent my migraines. Absolute bummer! Major bummer. I've got an appointment with my migraine doctor tomorrow to discuss things.
Keep at it! Sometimes few weeks of being consistent can fight through a plateau.
ReplyDeleteI did it for weeks before Christmas and weeks before that. Nothing. So I need to try something new.
DeleteI'm sorry! I totally understand what you're going through. I know it sucks, but at least be thankful you haven't gained and that you're still determined to lose more weight. You'll definitely be able to lose more with that determination.
ReplyDeleteIt is good that I haven't gained but also frustrating that I have maintained when I am trying to lose.
DeleteSorry to hear you've hit a plateau :( I think a change of exercise and food will shake things up. Your body is clever and will easily get used to things after a while and find shortcuts to avoid losing weight, you just have to trick it :)
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly what I'm going to try to do, trick my body.
DeleteIt's just one weigh in of one week - don't get frustrated. Keep track of your foods. Sometimes our bodies react to a certain ingredient or type of food. I feel like I'm constantly tweaking my diet. Perhaps instead of stopping your medication you can research to see if there are any foods that will counterbalance the effects (maybe more raw veggies or leafy greens). Hope you find a solution soon.
ReplyDeleteIt's not just one week though. I've barely been losing for months. I'm not coming of the medication, it is preventing my migraines. If I come off the meds and I get migraines I won't be able to do anything let alone working out. I get very severe migraines that last days, sometimes a week or two. I'm just going to tweek my diet and exercise a little.
DeleteNikki, I know you didn't see the results you were expecting, but don't get down on yourself. Just like people have difficulties loosing, i have the opposite.. but we have to remind ourselves that sometimes its easier to take baby steps. I promise you with your consistent hard work & dedication, pounds will start shredding & it will all be worth it. <3
ReplyDeleteI know you find it hard to put on weight, sweetie. I've got a close friend who had the same problem, but she finally did it. I just know what I've been doing hasn't been seeming to work for a while, so I'm gonna try something different :). If it doesn't work then I'll try something else :)
DeleteHang in there Nikki, you've done so amazingly, and this plateau is nothing that you've done wrong. I think the suggestions about trying to just change up your routine and eat a few different things are great ideas. Also, this is going to sound like twisted logic, but I've heard that if you eat a little bit higher than your typical caloric intake one day, your body will adjust to burn that much...so then if you eat a little bit less than your typical caloric intake the next day, it can help burn extra calories and push through a plateau.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Erin. I know its nothing I've done wrong, its just what happens because I've lost a lot of weight.
DeleteI did read that somewhere that if you have eat more one day and then eat less the next day that can help break a plateau.
I've been trying to eat different foods this week and did some Zumba on my wii yesterday, which I haven't done in a while.
On the old plan someone created this thing called the wendie plan to help through plateaus. Basically you had a Super high day followed by a super low day and then some days of extra points and less. So maybe you could try the same using weekly/exercise points. The super high followed by super low is good for shocking your metabolism. So maybe have a day where you eat about 10 of your points then follow it by a day exactly on your daily allowance and see if helps. Good luck!
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