Ok, for the last...what seems like weeks...that DS says... 242....244....242....243...242...

Ok...DONE NOW!!!!

I am an impatient person anyway, but throw this South Western Geological Feature in my path and I get a little......irritated!

I shouldn't complain that much...I have lost 84...82...84...83...84lbs! ...

...I have been more active in the last few months then I have been in the last 10 years...have conquered more fears then ever before...had to stop buying clothes because they have been getting to big, too fast for my wallet...and yet it seems like I am bobbing in the water when I want to swim! Dive! Race the Teenagers in the deep end!

Ok, maybe to get past this plateau of mine I should cut down on the coffee.

Angela

i hate plateaus! you mentioned cutting back on coffee, which i wanted to do but decided i can't so i make a 35 calories cup! i got used to using fat free milk in my coffee, so i put 1/4 a cup of fat free milk (its not very much but it's just enough) and some artificial sweetner and some hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder, about a half a table spoon, which is only 10 calories. it's pretty good! im drinking some right now actually.

also, there is an amazing selection of sugar-free calorie-free flavored syrups that i sometimes put in my coffee. i have vanilla, raspberry and hazelnut right now. I want to try the cheesecake and marshmallow ones but i'm not sure if they come in sugar free yet. anyway good luck

I've been going thru the same problem for a while, but I did lose 3 lbs, then 12 inches; and then 2 clothing sizes this winter/spring. I keep bouncing around the same 3-5 lbs (esp @ TOM time); but I haven't dropped below 317 for some reason. Interesting thing to note that I also lost over 75+ lbs. The doctors office weighed me at 307 but my new home digital says I was 317 and so it goes: rats and more rats.

Now, Amanda says that as long as I am losing inches and sizes that I'm still losing and that's true enuff, but it is very frustrating. I am eating healthier than I have for a long time and I am more active, but it doesn't want to budge. I read an article in the maintainers section (posts worth reading again in the red sticky section) that talks about how after we lose a significant amount of weight the body doesn't want us to lose and will fight us on it. I think that is true becuz some days I get cravings and it's a battle to ignore them. I have to work really hard to avoid the munchies; but for the most part, I am staying on plan ... hmmm ...

I figure with time, the scale will eventually budge; or I may have to do some more tweaking until I find a way to make if move (like more exercise). With summer coming, I hope that makes a difference as we'll be busy.

Really feel for ya becuz I know how it feels. We have a girl in our regular thread who had surgery (I didn't) that stalled after so many lbs too; with increased exercise the scale is going down again. I hope the same happens for you too real soon ... ROSEBUD



MISSANGELAKS ~ I will answer the question: you can ride safely in a row boat and it WON'T TIP. I rode in a 12 footer with my DH (and I am much heavier than you) and it didn't tip, although I did get a bit concerned about the water coming up over the wide end ~ LOL! It didn't though!

I had the same problem -- an 8 week plateau. I got over it by getting rid of white bread and moving to whole wheat, logging at the dailyplate and getting rid of those foods that caused the fat percentage to creep up, and adding more protein to my daily calories.

I finally dropped 4 pounds last week.

JustWant2BHealthy - Ha! i'm glad you read my signature haha! thank you for answering it, it made me giggle. my signature is actually a quote from the show The Office, Michael asks the question when one of his co-workers tells him she might have a friend that would go on a blind date with him.

ok angela - it might be time for the BIG GUNS: and by that i mean INTERVALS to shake up your exercise routine. sorry to say that sometimes our bodies just get into an exercise rut, and we have to start playing tricks on it.

here's what you do - whatever aerobic thing you're doing, increase the intensity for a few seconds - to your MAX - and maintain that for at least 30 seconds. longer. if you can manage it. and then back it down to your normal speed so you can catch your breath. and then do it again. over and over and over.

it works. it's weird, but it works.

PS: if anyone had told me 10 years ago that i'd actually be handing out EXERCISE advice, i would have fallen on the floor laughing hysterically!!!!

Thanks Jiff! I have been doing just that the last few days and it feels good! I haven't weighed yet but I will let you know.

Angela

Here is my suggestion. Put the scales down in the back of the closet, move back, shut the door, and don't open it for a few weeks! You will drive yourself crazy. IF, you are doing what the doctor told you about food and exercise than there is no way that you CAN'T lose. But in the mean time you are going to drive yourself crazy. Believe me I've been there, done that!!! I think that I know when I start losing again because my clothes are getting looser. When I stop losing and stabilize then I will weigh my self every one or two weeks to keep myself accountable, but not now. Too darn discouraging. I'm concentrating on my health and ability to do thing I haven't done in years. Which reminds me, I'm out of here have to go ride my bike. I had the worst angst because I couldn't get under 200, then I've been chasing my DH's weight and decided to stop fretting about it. Now I'm under 200 and I'm less than my DH!!! It was a pleasant surprise when I finally did weigh myself. Now all of this is just my opinion!!!! LOL!!!

Nancy...I here ya...and I agree with you...to an extent. I can be addicted to numbers and I really do have to stay sane when it comes to weighing myself (4 times a day is my limit! Kidding!!!!)...but I am crazy already, there's no scale that is going to change that! That and my doctor has a stipulation in our "contract" that states I will weigh myself regularly to stay "on top" of the situation just as I am to eat right, drink water and exercise 5 times a week. Right now I am "on top" of a plateau...It has another side and I have shown myself that I do head down it....eventually. When I say that I get "irritated" it's tonuge in cheek and I'll get over it soon.

Angela

Here's hoping you're no longer camped on top!!!!!! You are doing so well Ange! Keep up the good work. I'm riding my bike to grandson's this morning and then walking him to school. We'd like to ride our bikes, but little GD can't ride yet and I don't have the endurance to ride her in a baby set. I remember once, when I was younger, I picked up my son from kindergarten and put 10 pounds of groceries on the handle bars and him on the seat behind me. Now it takes all my concentration to stay up-right. Oh, these darned OLD legs!!!!! LOL!!! Have an active and healthy day!!!!

Hi Angela –

I’m a personal trainer and weight loss coach, and thought I’d “weigh in” (forgive the pun!) to offer some help and encouragement. First of all, congratulations on your weight loss so far. 80+ pounds is a great achievement, and you should be very proud of everything you’ve achieved so far.

Plateaus are definitely a dieting frustration, but don’t let it stop you. You can get past this obstacle. Here are a few suggestions to help you. First take a good look at your dinner plate. According to research, most people don’t realize how much they are really consuming, either because we misjudge the portion size or we don’t accurately estimate the calories a particular meal packs. When you first started dieting, you had to modify the amount and kinds of food you were eating to achieve your current weight loss. Now that you weigh less, you may need to re-evaluate how many calories you’re consuming again – what was once enough to produce weight loss for you, may now actually be a maintenance level for your new body weight. If you want to keep going down, you may need to reduce your calorie intake.

On the exercise end: If you’ve been walking or doing some other type of cardiovascular workout as your preferred form of exercise, now might be a great time to add strength training, since muscle burns more calories than fat Jiffypop’s comment about interval training is a good one too. It might give your metabolism the kick start it needs to turn up your calorie burn.

If you are eating well and exercising regularly, then it might be time to cut yourself a little slack and realize that simply maintaining your weight is an accomplishment all its own. Not to mention you are, and will always be, infinitely more than a number on the scale.

Best of luck,
Sarah Robertson
ACE Certified Trainer
Founder/Head Coach
Outside In Fitness
get out. take it in.

BONZILLA ~ I'm glad you thought my comment was funny; I didn't see that program, but it just goes to show, that there's some leeway there!

I'm glad Angelaks asked this question. Thanks for all the good tips mentioned here, as I'm sure they will help me too! I really think that I have to watch my snack and how much I'm eating closer. It may be time to cut back a bit more like Ms. Robertson suggests. I like the exercise tips too.


ROSEBUD