Christy: Week 16

Well, the most reassuring thing I read lately was that "plateaus" with weight loss are common...very common and will likely occur at various stages of the journey for various predictable reasons.  One of the main reasons people plateau is because in the beginning, you are mostly losing water. So when you lose a "pound" you may think it's a pound of fat when it's really more likely a fluctuation in water. Don't get me wrong, eventually on your journey, you build muscle which in term helps you to burn off the fat and lose more "weight." This makes weight loss feel even harder than it already is!

I've also been talking with a friend of mine who is an avid runner. I've been asking her advice/tips on maintaining a running regimen.  While I am interested in losing at least 5 more lbs and breaking through this plateau that has lasted over a month now, I am also interested in establishing a lifestyle of staying physically fit. She suggested that instead of taking the whole weekend "off" I should take 2 days off but spread them out (i.e. Saturdays and Wednesdays) to allow my body to recover.  Staying injury free is the first way to support my desire to stay active.  Today was the first day I included a Sunday run and this Wednesday I plan to re-incorporate weight lifting Wednesdays.

There are a couple more changes that I plan to make based on what I've researched.  Another common reason people plateau is because of those darn extra calories! Like the calories from condiments, eating a few chips left from the kids plates, that third cookie after having 2, that second/third alcoholic beverage.  I'm not going to give up everything- that is just not realistic for me, BUT I DO NEED to reduce the quantities and re-examine what little things in my diet need to be ditched.  I feel like a broken record which means this is obviously an on-going issue I've yet to conquer!  After losing 20lbs, I am the first to say I've let a few things slip back into my diet. I need to take advantage of the fact that there isn't a candy laden holiday lingering around the corner-aka a big excuse to eat junk- and continue to clean up my act!

The other concept I've been embracing is the importance of building muscle. If I really want to burn the fat off for good, I need to build more muscle. To build more muscle I need to increase my weights, eat more protein,  & weight lift more often. I tried going to the gym twice a day but that is not going to work with my family's schedule & needs- so it's not longer a realistic option.

I'm feeling a little stress about the upcoming changes that will occur in my daily routine once school is out. I will likely no longer be working out at the recreation center since I'll have both kids with me and I still can't do early mornings because of husband's work schedule. I'll have to run outside or much later in the evenings which is opposite of what I'm doing now.  I'll figure it out!

This entire week I had broke the 150 mark...until today. Man, it just doesn't take much! Like I mentioned above, I ran this morning. I ate a great breakfast. And then it was doughnut Sunday at church. Ugh! They are so delicious! I had 2 of them. I didn't feel bad at the time but because I ate them "in between" what was breakfast & lunch...it threw my hunger for lunch "off"...so I reached for some easy chips to tide me over til dinner which didn't really work cuz by 3pm I was hungry again, and so on...you are getting the idea. One bad choice can easily snow ball :(   I was so certain that this was the week...I mean....THIS WAS the week I broke my plateau...only to start this new week right back where I left off last Sunday

My regret was eating 2 doughnuts!!
My successes included the running I did this week...ran outside and on another occasion did a 3.20 (5K) without stopping.

This week, I'm going to continue to bust my bottom AND work on the tweaking I mentioned above. Understanding what's going on with me has bee immensely helpful in this journey. I would have given up by now. Knowledge is power and muscles burn fat!