Plateau ends, weight loss resumes
Re-energized. Refocused.
I’ve taken these past two weeks to reflect on my plateau and have really thought hard about how I can get off of that plateau to achieve more weight loss.
The support I have had from friends, family and you — the readers – has been so encouraging and uplifting. My best friend in Miami and I have decided to really step it up and become determined to get fit together. We have been eating more raw vegetables as snacks, fresh fruit, lean protein meats, spinach and even desserts the healthy way. Instead of apple pie, I sprinkle a dash of cinnamon on a small sliced apple.
We have been walking a few miles every other morning (to give my heel spur a break) and I have been focusing on arms and abs at the Watertown Family YMCA and at home.
Guess what? It’s working. Finally — a breakthrough!
In two weeks I have lost five pounds. I wish I lost more, but at this point it would have felt good to lose even one pound after being stuck for so long. I’ve listened to staff at the Y as well as readers of this column. I have become focused on food — my intake, when I eat and how I eat. It has been all about fighting through hunger pains, sticking to a water-only liquid intake and training my body and mind to eat the right foods at the right time. In this time I allowed myself very few treats, one being on my grandmother’s birthday.
I’ve managed to avoid drinking diet soda, which is kind of a small little miracle. When I crave something else, I just drink more water. It works. Granted, a tall glass of water is no package of Peanut M&Ms or chocolate bar, but I’ll save those rewards for when I achieve small, attainable goals.
Motivation also has come in the form of a Pandora-like charm bracelet. For every five pounds my workout partner and I lose, we buy a bead for our bracelets. Mine are in shades of pink and hers are green. I’ve got six beads on my bracelet. I need 14 more in order to reach my 100 pound weight loss goal by the end of January, but I’d really love to see at least 20 more by the end of spring.
That means I would need to have lost 130 pounds within 18 months. Let’s just see how far I can actually go with this.
Some things I’ve learned in the past couple of Weight Loss Challenge meetings include planning meals weekly, always shopping from a grocery list to avoid being sporadic, never shopping when hungry, and shopping the perimeter of the store to get fresh or frozen items. Middle aisles tend to have processed foods.
I did that in my most recent grocery trip and it worked! I also bought only what I needed — one zucchini, one package of mushrooms, boneless chicken breast and a few other items. Other tips this week include using a smaller, child’s-size plate instead of an adult plate to avoid overeating, chewing food slowly, and putting silverware down after each bite. This helps to avoid scarfing meals down and the likelihood of overeating.
That hasn’t been a problem for me in a long time, and I hope it doesn’t become a problem again. I have a renewed focus since I finally have seen a weight loss after that lengthy plateau. And yes, besides walking I still go to the gym a few times a week. I’m stepping up my game to make a change. Working, sweating and writing through all of this hopefully will help me have even better results when I check back in two weeks.
A couple of friends and I have decided to stop cooking with fats and stick to grilling. The George Foreman grill has been a little piece of heaven: It cooks food quickly and I don’t have to put anything on food except for a little seasoning. No grease or gunk.
I will continue to be focused on exercise and food until, and even after, I reach my goals. I also plan to talk to specialists in the field of weight loss. For instance, Nicole S. Berry-Garnsey, nutritionist and owner of Feed the Soul Nutrition, encourages all her clients to see weight loss as a life plan, not just a meal plan.
“If it was easy everyone would do it,” she said.
She said there’s no cookie-cutter approach to weight management or fad diet that will help us maintain a quick 10 to 30 pound weight loss. Knowing now what nutritionist do — help people figure out their weight management challenges and help them devise a plan — maybe I’ll start building a team around me. A nutritionist and dietician would be all I needed to complete my team.
I’ve decided to dream about my long-term weight loss goals, while at the same time continuing to make realistic short-term goals. By the time the next column appears I hope to have lost at least four pounds. Cross your fingers for me.
It’s also not too late to join the Weight Loss Challenge. Call Mrs. Turner at 681-4788 for more information. You could also email me at rmadden@wdt.net for details, or to send me weight-loss tips or suggestions to improve the column.
