(<--was me then---> is me now on the left) After losing 100 pounds, I hit the dreaded diet plateau. I knew it was coming but still wasn't prepared for the frustration. I couldn't seem to get those last 15 pounds off for love nor money. And you know what, I'm still struggling with it 3 years later. BUT (and this is a big but, not big butt, lol, but I digress...sorry, I'm done butting now). Anyhoo, here's what I've found.I am discouraged about not being able to get the rest of the fat off. But not so frustrated that I want to keep up that ruthless diet I was following. And I discovered that for me, that wasn't even healthy weight loss logic. Here's why.
I'm the classic Type A overachiever. Not that I achieve that much (at least in my own eyes). And that too is part of the problem. I derail my own vision by my harsh self-criticism. I'm never satisfied with my progress. Which is kind of depressing and stressful AND which causes me to retain fat (both anxiety and depression put the body in survival mode which includes storing fat.)
So I'm learning to put things in perspective. I am still losing fat and toning, even after 4 years and several times totally ditching diet. I've gained a small amount back (which is normal) and taken some back off. My clothes fit differently and I can wear smalls and size 4 pants. Best of all, those new healthier, leaner food choices have become habit.
Reading a post in SparkPeople was encouraging, too. It talked about what I've always thought, that we're too number-focused and scale-focused. Maybe even too BMI focused too. According to my BMI, I'm still slightly overweight. But if I wear small clothes. I have dropped 15 dress sizes, have far less fat, fewer bulges, and my clothes fit well. That's what I need to focus on, not those micromanaged 20 pounds.
Probably, the person I have to convince about this is me. Thanks for listening. I hope it helped. Like Red Green says, we're all in this together. Do you have any thoughts on weight loss? Share them in the comments or contact me. <3
