The definition of a plateau is “a state of little to no change after a period of progress”. A plateau in weight loss seems to happen to everyone. Strange, because I was eating everything spelled out on the diet and had even increased my exercise. It was time for a reassessment. I started checking my portions, going back to weighing everything again and paying attention to the quantity. This is where I found the kink in the system. I had been slowly inching up on how much I was eating. The confidence that I knew the right quantities had convinced me I was right. The old brain that was tied to full plates was taking over and running my show.
The other strategy I put in place is changing up my exercise and adding some spice to the mix. I hired a Chi Gong teacher to come one morning a week to begin to instill a sense of balance in me, I was obviously out of balance and this was confirmed when I could hardly balance on one foot for very long. I also started to do some free weights in a simple morning routine on another day before my normal walk. Variety seems to be helping my body to have an overall effect on the stagnation of my metabolism.
From a spiritual point of view, I started to show gratitude for myself. Thanking me for all the effort and for making better choices. When in meditation I tried to feel my body in its different form and celebrate the changes and the vibrancy I was feeling after losing 40 pounds. It was like I needed to see the new form that I was inside with new and different eyes and to embrace it and welcome it to my healthy world.
I turned the plateau into a time of celebration, tallying up the successes along the way and looking forward to knowing that the best was yet to come. I did however have a serious chat with my fat cells, knowing of the theory that my body might naturally be trying to maintain a weight where it is most comfy and that it was possibly stuck in its comfort zone. I reminded them that all was well but we were still heading down the path to more weight loss and to get on board.
Lastly, I put a picture of the old me on the refrigerator to remind me of how far I have come. When I did that, I realized that I did not have a full length mirror in my home, a subtle reminder that I was in denial for so long. Awareness is powerful and bringing things out in the open has given me the opportunity to take this head on, like sharing my journey with all of you.
If you have lost 100 pounds, I would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions too.
Hugs,
Lori
