I'm so good at being encouraging when someone else hits a plateau. When it happens to me, I have almost no sympathy for myself. I berate myself for doing something wrong, whether or not I actually did anything off plan. Other than the ounce of vanilla soymilk in my a.m. coffee and not eating one of the three fruits I'm supposed to, I am *so* on plan. These things don't seem really wrong or damaging, but when I get stuck like this, I question myself.

Some of my ugly feelings right now have to do with greed. I've lost over 35 lbs in a little over 2 months, which I know is good. I just want to lose more! And quickly! Patience is definitely a lesson I need to learn.

Do any of you awesome people have tips for dealing with getting stuck? Not so much tricks for getting over a plateau, but just positive, encouraging things you tell yourself till the scale moves again.

Frustrated and considering snarling very soon,
Erin

Well we have options. You can take measurements, see if your body fat percentage is changing, use a pair of pants as a guide. but what I've found most helpful to me is to take out an old picture of myself at my starting weight, do I really want to go back there because I have an issue with patience. Well I don't.
Throw your body a curve ball, do something you've never done before, play tennis, go swimming, try yoga. The body is like anything else, you have to keep it guessing. What will we do today, what new muscles will we work.
Are you exercising? You can eat well all day long but that's only part of the equation. You have to MOVE that body. Go for a walk, lift some free weights, go bowling.
Life is about fun...your body is working so hard to change, let it have a little fun too.
Just my thoughts.

Two years ago I got down to 260 pretty quick and hit a plateau despite being very good and on plan. I got discouraged and went back to my bad habits and gained back about ten pounds.

Fast forward two years, those ten pounds are gone and I'm back at the same blasted plateau for three weeks now.

But this time I'm not discouraged because I'm really satisfied with what I'm eating, how I'm feeling, how things are going. I'm not even interested in going back to fast food, candy bars, and a bag of chips a day. I'd surely like to break through this plateau and weigh less. A LOT less. But I'll keep on keeping on and in two years I WILL weigh less. Maybe not as little as I'd love and not as fast as I dream about but I WILL weigh less and I'll still be happy with the way I'm eating and not yearning for the junk food.

Plateaus are frustrating and just plain not fair when we're trying so hard! But the only way out is through because otherwise we're headed right back where we started and I KNOW we don't want to go there!

Thanks for the encouragment, y'all! After I posted this thread, I saw there was another plateau thread... I'll be checking that out later. =D

As for keeping my body guessing, my daughter and are gonna do some pilates this evening. We've also got a plan for our "crazy dancing" in the family room tomorrow. Its a great idea to change up how we exercise. "Curveballs." I like that.

My starting weight this time was my highest weight in my life. I absolutely never want to be there again. My weight will eventually reflect all the good
I'm doing for my body. Patience was never my strong suit, lol.

Thanks again!

Vladadog, thanks sooooo much for posting this! I have been on a plateu for the past month now and it is driving me CRAZY!!!!! I have been staying strong and know that in due time the scale will move............but when!? Hehehe
I have changed up my routine, added more cardio, staying on plan, ugh! Oh well, like you said, I will be thinner, healthier, I just gotta keep keeping on

My loss is going to be slower than I want, no matter how perfect I do my diet. Between age, menopause and a very sedentary lifestyle I have to deal with periodic numbing scale experiences.

I am not getting as upset as I use to, because it creates a negative energy that just consumes me. It helps me to keep my eye on the changes I am going through, which are finally very noticeable. I try to relate more to my body, how I feel, how my body is changing. Sometimes this body takes a break from losing weight, but that doesn't mean that nothing is happening. All kinds of healthy improvements are going on that don't register on a scale.

The other day, my husband (who is attempting to diet along with me - HA!) succumbed to a snack attack. He ate and ate. By bedtime, he told me how awful he felt, so bloated and uncomfortable. I laid there thinking how good I felt, how wonderful it was to be where I was at even though the blasted scale showed a 4 pound gain. I could have gotten frustrated with the scale, feeling like I am never going to lose another pound, but that's not what is really happening. I am getting there, but by bit. In a few days, I'll check my weight gain and I am sure that 4 pounds will have gone away. My husband's comments made me realize how far I have come. I think that is important to celebrate when the scale is being a pain the !@#

As of yesterday, I hadn't yet broken the plateau, but I discovered my waist has gone down another 2 inches (from 50 to 48). That's positive thing number one.

Number two is that I sat down and really thought about things. How unhealthy I felt a few months ago compared to now. My stomach isn't flat, but it's not bloated like it used to be. No more heartburn. No more chest pain...not sure if that one is weight or anxiety level related. My complexion is better. It's easier to exercise. Mr. cehrriins has noticed lots of "fun" things too. =D All in all, I realized that I should be proud of me for what I have accomplished, even if its a NSV.

I want to tell all of you thank you. The support here has helped me so much. You're all wonderful people. It's such a rare thing to find so much positive energy in one place on the 'Net. Y'all are awesome! I hope I can return the favor someday.