06 August 2017

Be Like Stella (Get Your Groove Back)


I remember June 2011. I was attending my WeightWatchers class (the gods bless WW! My WW journey was incredible, by the way) when, during our talks, a wonderful 50-something year old woman said that she was waiting on the final 2lb before her daughter’s wedding. She’d lost about 40lb, but the 2lb just wasn’t moving. It hadn’t moved in over a month, and her daughter’s wedding was 2 weeks away, if my memory serves me well. Just a week to her daughter’s big day, guess what happened? It moved! Finally! It was emotional, inspiring, and super exciting. This same plateau feeling we all reach after a period of consistent progress is normal. Those who win are the persistent ones. You can win, too.

Although I would not recommend being a slave to the scale/numbers, using the scale does have its occasional advantages.  It can give you an idea of how you’re doing, especially if you don’t strength train. There have been times (and recent times indeed) when I needed to be Stella – certainly needed my groove back! Most times, I’ve gotten it back. Let’s talk some ways I’ve made my honesty dress budge: shrinking a bit more and doing it healthily, happily, and most importantly, sustainably.  For the record, progress is a slow process (50 cent was the man). Even if you feel as though you’re not making much progress, remember that sustainable weight loss takes time. Here are my tips to switching things up to make progress.

1.     Hold on, you’re most likely making progress
Don’t despair just yet.  Your body is not trying to work against you. You live in your body, and your body is working for you. Be easy on your body. Take a minute to appreciate it, and the work it’s done thus far. Because you aren’t noticing more changes over a few weeks does not mean that you’re doing anything wrongly. Our bodies adjust, recuperate, might need a break, or might just need more time to adjust to a new environment. If you are still doing everything right, you have to trust the process. You’ll be happier for it.
2.     Diversify your food portfolio
Sounds like I’m referring to some trust fund here. I mean, we are our bodies’ trustees, right? We’re the ones entrusted with this frame that should last us a good number of years. Variety is the spice of life. Switch up your food a little. If you’ve been having a protein-focused breakfast, why not try one that includes complex carbohydrates, for example? Or if you eat leafy salads for dinner, why not try a more wholesome salad with seeds, legumes, cruciferous veggies and perhaps a yogurt-based dressing that you’ve never made? I made this wonderful yogurt based dressing to match my salad yesterday and it was so yum! I can share the recipe if you’d like J. Also speaking of diversifying, try reducing your animal flesh. I know a lot of us get our protein from chicken, beef, fish, lamb etc., but switching it up is always nice. Try a day without animal flesh. Go for legumes, eggs, almonds, Greek yogurt and so on. Constant consumption of animal flesh without giving your body a break might leave you feeling bloated – a recipe for false ‘weight gain.’
3.     Diversify your workout portfolio
Especially for runners, this is a tall order. Runners are so obsessed with logging in miles, that doing any other thing is considered sacrilege if we haven’t ‘paid our dues.’ But even within running, it’s possible to diversify. Interval training, speed workouts, shorter runs with time to spare for weight lifting, etc. If you’re not a runner, why don’t you try something different? Get a workout buddy. Try yoga. Workout at a different time of the day. Add an extra day in. Join a group exercise class. Do a workout challenge. Buy new workout clothes that’ll make you want to do more (I love this one).
4.     Watch your sodium intake
For my scale addicts, sodium can literally take a 160lb person to 165lb the next morning. Don’t panic, just adjust your sodium intake and drink more water. There are also hidden salts in foods that we don’t notice.
5.     Snackers beware
I have an entire post on snacking here. If you snack, you have to be really careful when you’re stuck in a rut and the weight just isn’t shifting. Switch your snacks. Eat some carrots and cucumbers, if you must snack. Pick up a few pieces of almonds – yes, almonds have calories, but not all calories are equal. The fullness from almonds can keep you full for a few hours and still provide you with fibre, protein, healthy fats, and so much more! These snacking methods are 100% sustainable. We are all about sustainability at themeasuringcupblog!

Share your thoughts with your friends and me. Till next time,


anu