Wednesday, September 23, 2009

A Little Less Scale Stagnation, A Little More Action Please

I am feeling really frustrated with the scale this week. I had a decent loss the day after my last weigh-in, but the three days following that have barely showed any change in number at all. I feel like I am getting a pretty good combination of my exercises and have even added in a step video (without the use of a step) a couple of times. I’m fairly confident that the problem is not my activity level.

Looking at my food intake for the last few days I see that I have been less concerned about my oil and margarine portions, and I remember thinking last week that it would be easy to add in calories using these substances to top myself up to a more typical caloric range. I have pretty much put that issue to bed, but figured that being less reserved when using these products would allow me to sit closer to the average intake of a low calorie diet while having no real impact on my weight loss. Was I wrong?

One other thing that I have been doing differently is that the last couple of nights I have eaten my last snack even though I wasn’t feeling particularly hungry. I was doing this to avoid having my body go into the starvation mode that I have been warned about, but now I’m wondering if it is just a needless adding of calories. Is it enough of a change to bring my progress to a virtual halt?

I am not looking forward to this Saturday’s weigh-in. I know that I will still have a loss, and I am pleased with that, but I have been enjoying consistently higher drops thus far and am sure that the scale will reflect a much slower rate this time. I will make the effort to return to my previous use of oil and margarine over the next couple of days and see if that helps. I just wish I would see a bigger loss this weekend than the one I am expecting.

6 comments:

  1. Hey girl! Thanks so much for the comments, especially during the really rough time I've had lately...and thanks for the Honest Scrap award....I feel very honored that you chose me. That makes me feel so good. Thank you! :)

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  2. Do you measure your fats and oils? Which may be a dumb question, but when I let my guard down I kind of stop measuring every little thing thinking I can eyeball it. It doesn't usually work in my favor though.
    And also, if you're not really feeling hungry when it's snack time, try skipping it for a few days and see what happens. Good luck with weigh in day. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Though I know you can do it!!

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  3. Hi there :)

    I know its discouraging. Try to put it in perspective. You've had really higher than average losses to date. Averaged over the time you've been losing, have you been losing 1-2 lbs a week?

    As you lose, your body becomes accustomed to less calories and your activity, which is why as you lose weight, your body needs less calories. I'm not telling you to eat less!!! I'm just explaining why your losses may taper off to a 1-2lb week rather than what you've been seeing to date. This isn't a bad thing, it means your body is adjusting and the weight will stay off.

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  4. We need a new picture!

    I think part of this whole deal is accepting that the scale may or may not reflect the good changes we're making. I am the world's slowest loser but I am happy that I've figured out how to eat so that I'm not always scared of putting weight back on. I try not to get into a fight with the scale (though it's a good thing we don't keep a hammer in the bathroom).

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  5. I am definitely an eyeballing type of gal when it comes to approximating what I am eating, so, yeah, I need to watch that. I will be doing another picture in a week and a half, by the way! I figure the first weigh-in of every month is a good time to do updated measurements and progress pics. Yes, definitely a good thing to not keep a hammer near that blasted device!

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  6. When I felt that things were slowing down a bit too much, or completely stalled out, 9 times out of 10 it was the fact that I had allowed extra food to creep in.

    It sounds like the fats/margarines may be the culprit for you. And just a couple hundred extra calories a day can make a big difference in the rate of the loss.

    I have to say that you have done an amazing job with your weight loss! And I can tell that you are pushing yourself forward with regards to exercise. That's wonderful!

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