Okay, I have gained twenty pounds. I only advanced one dress size. So everyone keeps telling me that I couldn't have gained any weight -- my height gives that illusion. Trust me, I have gained weight! I know just how it happened -- overeating the precious "bad" carbs that I was so diligent about limiting. Now, I am back on track, eating a low carb diet and infusing it with healthy carbs (for the most part). And I work out. But there is a "BUT"....BUT, I cannot seem to drop more than a couple of pounds, and as soon as I eat one of my "for the most part" carbs, those couple of pounds come right back. What's the deal? Even when I was twenty pounds lighter, I could maintain the lower weight, while occasionally straying from my low carb diet. Why am I plateauing at a weight twenty pounds higher than I was? Surely, there is room for improvement. Surely my body wants to be lighter and not stuck at this weight. A sorority sister suggested things that I could do to break this plateau and start losing weight again. Her encouragement, "You have to push it to break that plateau!!" I was all ears, of course. At this point, I am desperate.
A plateau is a period or state of little or no growth or decline. A weight-loss plateau occurs when you no longer lose weight despite continuing with your exercise and healthy-eating habits. Being stuck at a weight-loss plateau eventually happens to everyone who is trying to lose weight. Although this blog is not about weight loss plateaus per se, I thought I would research What causes a weight-loss plateau. According to the Mayo Clinic, the progression from initial weight loss to a weight-loss plateau follows a typical pattern. During the first few weeks of losing weight, a rapid drop in pounds is normal. When calories from food are reduced, the body gets needed energy by releasing its stores of glycogen, a type of carbohydrate found in the muscles and liver. Glycogen holds onto water, so when glycogen is burned for energy, it also releases the water — about 4 grams of water for every gram of glycogen — resulting in substantial weight loss that's mostly water.
A plateau occurs because your metabolism — the process of burning calories for energy — slows as you lose lean tissue (muscle). When you lose weight, you lose both fat and lean tissue. (The notion that overweight people have a slower metabolism is a myth. In general, the higher a person's weight, the higher the body's metabolic rate.) Your weight-loss efforts result in a new equilibrium with your now slower metabolism. This means that in order to lose more weight, you need to increase activity or decrease the calories you eat. Using the same approach that worked initially will maintain your weight loss, but it won't lead to more weight loss.
A plateau can occur in any area of life, not just weight loss. Following are ways to move beyond your plateau to the desired end result:
1. PUSH. Pray until something happens - PUSH! Not only pray...persevere until something happens. Participate until something happens. Proceed until something happens. The idea here is "DO NOT STOP". Stay the course. Don't give up! Hang in there. It is the only way to break a plateau.
2. Don't be desperate. Okay, I know that I said that I am desperate, implying that I would do anything to break this plateau. Please do not follow suit in a fit of desperation. Desperation can make you try crazy things -- by crazy, I mean unreasonable and illogical (and not in the, "I am going to walk by faith" kind of "illogical" way, but in the "this is just downright stupid" kind of way). Please be reasonable and logical in your approach to breaking your plateau. Do not do anything unsafe, unwise, or imprudent to expedite the process.
3. Know it's a process. Just like reaching a plateau is part of the overall process in meeting an end goal, breaking a plateau is likewise a process. Processes take time and planning. Breaking a plateau is like having a plan within a plan. You have to map your couse for that plan by setting and keeping goals. Set SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound), and be accountable and motivated as you work to accomplish them.
4. Ramp it up! Take your efforts to the next level. If it's a workout, do one more mile on the treadmill, five more minutes on the elliptical, ten more pounds of weight, one level higher of resistance. If it's starting up a business, make one more connection, do five more hours of research, save $100 more dollars a month. If it's a ministry, spend another hour in prayer, network even more people in the same focus area, attend yet another conference, spend more time in the Word. If it's your career, go back to school, get certified, get a mentor, think of ways to make or save your company money. Whatever the area in which you are experiencing a plateau, go that extra mile, literally or figuratively, to see some change.
5. Do something differently. The smallest change can help you gain momentum and lead to the biggest results over the long haul. Change your perspective, attitude, or approach to help break your plateau. If you have plateaued long enough, you might learn that a total change in direction or effort is warranted.
6. Don't regress. Whatever you do, do not go back to old habits or your old ways of doing things.That's insanity, as you likely know. When you don't see progress for a while, it can be easy to revert back to what was comfortable, familiar, and even pleasurable (albeit, an impedance to progress). If you want old results, go back to your old ways. Otherwise, stay on the new path, doing new things.
7. Remove obstacles. To break a plateau, you have to eliminate anything that stands in your way. Remove obstacles like negativity, pessimism, lack of motivation, lack of creativity, and close-mindedness, which might prevent forward movement.
8. Ignore the evidence. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen." Sometimes, you have to ignore what you do see and hold out for what you can't see (yet). For me, it's the scale that will not budge, despite my many efforts. If I stop now, I will not lose any weight and might just gain more. Keep a "this too shall pass" attitutude. Focus more on getting to your end goal than on your present state, and you will be able to move beyond your plateau.
9. Be encouraged. Prior to a plateau, you could have been experiencing constant upward movement, even a big spike in productivity, only to be hit with a period of no progress at all. Don't be discouraged. Remember, it's part of the process. All successful people, entities, businesses and ministries have their lulls. Remain encouraged. The Book of Psalms tells us that King David encouraged himself in the Lord. This says that when things seem to not be going your way, and there is no encouragement to be had from someone else, you must encourage yourself. Encouraging yourself may not be easy, but it is necessary in staying the course and moving beyond your plateau. Encouraging yourself is remaining positive and seeing a positive end result. It is finding joy along the way.
Jacinta M. Gray,
The Couch Coach
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-loss-plateau/MY01152
