I was really angry yesterday with my maintaining after hard work. But it didn't push me to binge, it instead pushed me to the gym. (That's a huge victory for me.) But enough about me. I feel so much better knowing that I am not alone.
This has been a tough scale week for us healthy bloggers. Some of us are struggling for motivation as the "newness" of 2008 has worn off. But what troubles me more are those of us who are totally rocking our eating and workouts, and the scale is not cooperating.
Fat Bridesmaid has totally kicked butt in the gym and the scale hasn't moved for several weeks. But she's not giving up! She has my quote for the week:
I hate plateaus. I hate them because they seem fundamentally unfair. You work hard, you make sacrifices, and fight temptation, and what do you get to show for it? Nothing. It's like your body gives you the once over, a sarcastic grin and says Ha! Try again fatty.
My dear friend Sarah actually gained a pound despite 796 minutes at the gym the previous week. And she's hanging in there!
I love Briana. And her scale is going in the wrong direction! She has totally rocked 50 pounds off, and now she's a little confused about her scale. What I love about her is she has found some specific things she didn't do so well and is making changes to her eating to fix it.
But, as always, back to me. I hate the scale today. What really frustrates me is the inability to know exactly what I need to change for the scale to be different next week. Yes, I had an IC Mocha. BUT I stayed within my SparkPeople calorie range for that day. But I have typically been eating below what the site says I should eat. I eat based on my hunger and I quit before I am full. When I figure up my calories as points, I am eating significantly below my recommended point value. Should I be eating more? But I'm not hungry for more! What if I eat more and GAIN? I'd just die! But what if I keep eating 1500 calories a day and don't lose either? (Insert frustrated scream here.)
When I did Weight Watchers before, I genuinely half-assed the program. I wrote down *most* of what I ate. I exercised a few times a week, but I never sweated like I have this year. I was focused *most* weekends, but never really committed 100%. And I lost 46 pounds in a year. And now I'm doing this health thing 95% (I stand by that number!) and I maintain? What?
I know I ususally ooze positivity. Maybe it's the scale. Maybe it's hormones. Maybe it's boredom from not working. All I know is I'm frustrated. And frustration is motivating me to keep trudging.
I'm seriously thinking about taking a "Scale-Free February" and setting a goal of exercise minutes or calories or something. Maybe it would help if I could judge my success on numbers I can control instead of the somewhat-arbitrary scale. I mean, I'm going to be out of town for half of the month, and no access to my scale, so why not see what happens?
Because the lack of accountablility of a scale might push me over the edge into craziness and eating and laziness?
(Yes, insert another frustrated scream at this point.)
14 comments:
I vote for what you feel will work for you. If a scale free Feb is what will do it, then I say GO FOR IT!!!
You are doing great! Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and you will get where you want to go!!
Have a SUPER day!
*huggles*
=0)
I was pretty baffled yesterday. We all seemed to be doing pretty well and it just didn't seem fair. (I got on the scale this morning and I was the same as yesterday, so it wasn't a fluke.)
I think having positive attitudes and that we didn't let our old unhealthy habits creep back yesterday is SO amazing. We can and are doing this weight loss thing.
I hope you figure out what will work best for you. Don't give up the scale if you are going to run into food oblivion and start throwing out healthy habits because there is no accountability. Whatever you decide, keep going because you are doing great even if just maintaining!
i think it's very possible that you are not eating enough...not being hungry could be a signal of a slowed metabo....i would def make a point to add two more snacks to your day....on mid morning and one mid afternoon...and make it something that really counts. like an apple or a 1/2 c of (real) oatmeal and fresh blueberries.
but yada yada yada...everyone has the answer to the OTHER person's frozen scale, right??
hang in there...and it is a major nsv that you were prompted to work harder rather than give up...that is what will make you a success!
I really like your idea of a "Scale-Free February" that is a wonderful idea!!!! And just so you know- I am now motivated to go and start my own healthy living blog (again) thanks to you and Fat Bridesmaid :) You ladies ROCK!
I say go with your gut, girl. If you think giving up the scale for February makes sense then ROCK it. And keep trudging along to the gym and eating healthy and all that jazz because sooner or later (hopefully sooner) you're gonna bust to a new lower number and be SO GLAD you sweated your butt off at the gym instead of drowning your sorrows in Panera. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself.
Plateau-ers UNITE!
OK here is my blog I said I was going to go out and create :)
http://nadbal.blogspot.com/
Thanks again!
I would go with scale-free February, and I might join you! You are doing so so well, it really does get SO frustrating sometimes doesn't it!
Look at it this way...you lost 46 pounds in a year a while back, right? At the rate you're going, there will be nothing left of you in a year's time.
I love scale free Feb - Im going to try it. What an awesome idea. Thanks!!!
I know it can be tough sometimes, but you have to work through it. I have lost 30 lb's so far using calorie counter and sparkpeople. There have been periods of time where my scale has barely budged, but I'm in it for the long term. If I had been perfect since I started, I would be at my goal by now, but instead I still have 12 more lb's to go (well...that was what it said on my WI day last Fri, now it says i have 14 more to go and I have been good!).
But I know that my goal is a healthy body first and foremost. As long as I am eating well and exercising regularly I know that I am working towards good health. The number on the scale is just a number. If I reach my goal in April or I reach it in June, it won't change that I will still be eating healthy and exercising regularly, whatever the scale says.
We all get obsessed with the numbers, but while that's the easiest way to measure your goal, is that your true goal?
You've been doing really well. Good for you for not binging. If a scale free month is what will work for you, then go for it. If you need it to help keep you on track, then use it when you can.
Keep up the good work!
oh I have been there and it sucks! but your hard work WILL pay off, even if it seems like its not. every day you exercise or eat healthy, you are changing your life and your health and that is not always measured by a scale.
very true about WW...first time I did them, I didnt write everything down and filled up my points with junk. didnt get me very far!
I definitely think you need to eat more. try snacking in between meals if you don't want to eat more at each meal or start eating earlier in the day. When I started WW I I was given 20 points and at first it worked out great, I lost, then after a few weeks nothing was happening, and it was around the time I started to do some daily exercise. Then I decided to go back to SparkPeople and log my calories in addition to my points and realized that for me 20 points wasn't even 1200 calories a day. Technically I was starving myself, which was my original problem and why I lost as soon as I joined WW because it made me eat more than usual. So I did a few weeks of just calorie countine and BAM all kinds of weight off, so I reassesed my points and realized that for me, 23 was the right number. Our bodies really do need a certain amount of fuel in order to burn more. I do totally understand your fear of eating more and gaining, because I was the same way, but exoerimenting really helped me learn how MY body worked and how much I needed to eat to lose and now to maintain. Especially when exercise is involved. I suggest really measuring everything, not guesstimating the portions, and logging them into SP for 1 week and see how your body reacts. Pay attention to the protein and sodium #s too because you want higher protein than the minimum and watch the sodium intake becuase that number alone can trhow off all other hard work.
And don't forget to eat yoru fruit and veggies and drink your water.
Good luck!!!
There are other methods of measuring weight loss success than using a scale. How do you close feel? What do you look like? How do you feel? I'm sure none of these are new to you, but I thought I thrown them out there.
Another suggestion I have, if you're interested; Iowa Avenue is sponsoring a Take Off to a Tighter Ass Challenge. You set the goal of how many lunges and squats you think you can do each day for two months, and track your progress. By the summer, you might be a little sore, but your ass will look better..........:)
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