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
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