The Pause That Refreshes … and the journey to less continues
Let’s revisit the numbers on my journey to less. I started 12 weeks ago as of the date, I’m writing this. My beginning weight was 174. My goal was 150. From December 28th to June 4th is about 22 weeks. So to reach my healthier weight goal, I needed to lose just slightly over 1 pound per week. To lose one pound, I have to have a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories – or – a daily calorie deficit of 500 calories. The math was overwhelming with 22 weeks times 3,500 calories per week. But, like every journey, it’s OK to focus on just this step and the next one. I knew if I kept doing that, I’d get to the end.
It took me a minute to get started and then once I hit my stride with mindful, plant forward eating and modest exercise around 4 times a week, I had pretty steady weight loss and was actually a tiny bit ahead of schedule until about 2 ½ weeks ago. I hit 163 pounds and got absolutely stuck! I mean deep in the mud stuck. I even wrote a blog about being stuck at 163 and asked for a tow truck. That’s what it felt like it would take. A tow truck, some TNT … whatever it took to get unstuck and start making progress again. Honestly, I was beginning to get really frustrated.
That first 12 pounds has been a challenge. It seems like I was hungry all the time and it was only knowing that I had made a commitment that kept me on track in those first few weeks. My friend, Arlene, at the office has also been a great source of moral support. Once or twice a week when we can squeeze it in our busy work schedules, we go for a 20-minute walk before lunch and chat about our experiences with our respective journeys to a healthy weight. It has been so helpful to know of others with similar struggles.
When I hit 163 pounds, I was pretty happy. I had lost just a touch over 10 pounds which sounded like good progress. And, then it happened. The dreaded plateau. In my reading, I knew it had been predicted. Apparently, the human body is designed to adjust its metabolism in stages. I had just hoped that I might be different and that I might not plateau until I hit my goal.
In reflecting on the past few weeks of being stuck, I realize that life kind of got in the way. There was a birthday (for which I baked a cake and, of course, had to sample it … multiple times!) There was a party with many delicious foods to sample. Even a little bite of that many offerings mounts up. My daughter came back with a fantastic array of desserts from her trip to Turkey and I got a bit lazy and didn’t exercise quite as much as I had been. A little of this and a little of that and I was stuck!
Well, as of this morning, I’m happy to say I think I have gotten off that plateau. My scale read 161 this morning and I feel like that pause at 163 refreshed me for the final phase of this journey to less. I hope if you’re reading this and you, too, feel stuck, please know you can do it. Talk to and walk with a friend. Give yourself a pat on the back and say, “I can do this”. Ask for help. Maybe try an 18 or 24 hour fast (with doctor’s permission, of course). End food intake an hour earlier than you usually do. Buy something a size too small and keep trying it on as a way to measure your progress. Just, please, keep at it. Whether your healthy weight is lower or higher than where you are now, please keep at it. We’re here to help. The herself by Morton community is here to help. Write a comment on this blog or send an email to herself@herselfbymortonblog.com. I promise we’ll answer you.
Try to think of any plateau as the pause that refreshes.