So I was telling you during the week about my Weight Watchers experience and how much I’ve been on a weight loss buzz since Christmas and I couldn’t be happier with the results. I've lost some weight I’ve been meaning to lose for YEARS, I’m delirah and excirah about it. I even wore a BIKINI for the first time EVER recently. (It was on Dollymount beach and I was morto but STILL!)
Anyway all was well in the world of weight loss until a couple of months ago. I had around half a stone yet to lose and I was looking forward to reaching my goal weight (and MAYBE celebrating with a take-away... don't tell ANYone).
Then suddenly I plateaued. Pre-plateau I'd been losing around a pound a week, slowly and steadily moving in the right direction. Post-plateau I’ve been up and down by a couple of pounds each week within the same 4 pound range, and it’s got me seriously considering whether my body WANTS to be any thinner.
Is there a weight your body just naturally gravitates towards? I picked my goal weight mainly because I liked the sound of it. It's 9 and a half stone, doesn't that sound like a lovely healthy weight I'd want to be?! I don't know why that particular number is so appealing to me, but it IS. Settling for anything heavier would feel like giving up.
The irony is I thought the Summer would be so easy: Nothing but salads and games of tennis and walking along beaches into sunsets hand in hand with my imaginary boyfriend. Don't people naturally lose a couple of pounds in the summer? Shouldn't this dieting business be all smooth sailing as long as the sun shines?
Advertised
Instead the beer gardens and white chocolate Magnums have been conspiring to crumble my resolve. (Mmmm… crumble.) Summer is just much more sociable in general. And sticking to weight watchers points at parties is tough! As is going for a run with a raging hangover while everyone else in the country barbeques.
I’m within a normal BMI range and I’m reasonable pleased with the way I look… sort of. Should I just accept that this is the way I'm meant to be?
Maybe part of the problem is that to date, my weight loss has been easy enough, I changed some bad habits, I wrote down what I ate and the weight came off - very straightforward. But this last half-stone is killing me. I know I should shake things up exercise-wise, you have to keep ramping up the intensity of any activity to see results. I love my running, but I'm not really challenging myself anymore. Plus after a run I feel I've really 'earned' that extra glass of wine.
I've also stopped meticulously planning my meals, which is lethal. Once I'm hungry I'll just eat the first thing I see instead of making a sensible choice. I'm not sure if this is down to my schedule changing or just sheer laziness. I'm just not inspired to sit down and work out a meal plan for the week. Back in January I would have had an excel spreadsheet menu on the go, plus I'd have calculated the weight watchers points for absolutely everything I consumed. Where did that girl go?
Advertised
I’m definitely fitter and healthier and much more aware of my food choices than I’ve ever been in my life. And I'm very please with the weight I've lost so far. My motivation just seems to have evaporated for some reason! It's very frustrating!
Help me out Beaut.ies! Has anyone else faced a weight loss plateau? And what can I do to regain my motivation?
