Breaking Through a Plateau

We talk about plateaus - and they do exist! Here are some areas to work on to help you break through your plateau and continue with your weight loss.

The first thing we must do is "change the context". Realise and enjoy the benefits that your weight loss has bought you. Do you have more energy? Are your joints less painful? Are you sleeping better? Sometimes we have achieved great health benefits but our mind is stuck on the number on the scale. Try not to forget what you have achieved from a health point of view. Remember that weight loss is a marathon not a sprint.

Revisit your record taking. Are you still doing it, or are you 'winging' it? You probably feel you are eating very well, but when we don't record our intake we are much less mindful. Small slips add up.

Look at the stressors in your life. Stress at home or work can really undermine our efforts. Not only do we become less careful with how and what we eat, the stress itself inhibits fat burning via the cortisol system. Managing stress is not easy, however increasing exercise can be a great de-stressor. Take up yoga, or practice slow deep breathing for 60 seconds before you eat something you shouldn't. While you are doing the slow in and out breathing, ask yourself two questions: 1. "Am I sure I really want to eat this?” and 2. "Am I willing to suffer the consequences of eating this?"

Look at your sleep. Are you getting enough good quality sleep or are you watching TV or playing on the computer far too late into the evening?

Exercise is so very important, yet we all tend to put this on the backburner, especially during the winter months. If you are lucky enough to have equipment in your house you could do a short "HIIT" program (high intensity interval training). There are many benefits to this, and the best is, it takes only a short time. An example might be walking on a treadmill at 3 mph at 0 incline for 3 minutes, then 1 minute at 4.5 mph on incline 1 or 1.5 for 1 minute and repeat this for 20 or so minutes. Or if walking outside, walk 100 steps easy then 50 steps slow jog or brisk walk and do this over and over for 20 or 30 minutes.

Not only should we look at 'formal' exercise, but we must look at simply moving more. Stand and do something during commercial breaks. Stand when talking on the phone. Try not to sit for one hour; move occasionally.

You might look at changing up how you are eating or what you are eating. Most of us underestimate the number of calories we ingest. Possibly looking at using one or two meal replacements for a while might help you change things around.

The biggest area we need to work on however, is motivation. We do lose our motivation, and especially when the scale isn't moving. We also then tend to get quite careless with our eating and exercise. We must find a way to get back to that original enthusiasm we had when we started. The best way to do this is to write down the most important reasons for you to strive for a healthy weight. Without our own powerful personal goals right in front of us we will falter.

Les Brown, a well-known motivational speaker summarized the thinking this way:
1. It's possible. 2. It's necessary. 3. I can. 4. I will. 5. It's hard...but you can do hard.

An overused expression these days (but possibly relevant) is 'time to re-boot' our drive to lose weight.

This is not an easy journey, I'm well aware of that. However, I'm equally well aware that you can do it. Just never give up trying.

Dr. Doug