Plateau Must Go

Lookout Mountain, Denver Colorado June 30, 2011

I just got back from 3 solid weeks of travel and am heading out for another good bit of travel in a few days.  During my travels I did a pretty good job of regulating my intake of food and hopping on the hotel treadmill fairly regularly.

So I was disappointed to see the scale hasn't moved in those three weeks!  I think I have hit my first plateau on this weight loss journey.  I was seriously hoping to have lost around 5 pounds, so the fact that I basically lost none was a let down.

A little examination of the past weeks reveals that I really didn't do any weight training.  There were maybe two days that I spent a half hour to an hour with some free weights and crunches, but nowhere near the intensity I have been doing all year,  And if you don't do weight training, your metabolism slows down.  And if your metabolism slows down, you don't burn calories as fast.  And if you don't burn calories as fast, you can eat the same amount as always and not burn off the calories the same way.  Hence, the plateau.  It all makes mathematical and scientific sense.

I can still whine though.  So waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa call the waaaaaaaaaambulance.  There, got that out of my system.

I'm truly grateful I didn't GAIN weight during all this travel.  Though I had some measure of control over my food, the past week I was working from 7 am to 9 pm and our hosts fed us (which was appreciated) but the choices weren't always so good.  Plus they brought in baked goodies all day long.  Fresh hot bagels and muffins.  It's a wonder I resisted all but the last day we were there.  And on Friday I think I ate one of everything they had:  danish, bagel, peach muffin....that's what happens when I unleash the inner junkie.

Moving forward there are a few important things I need to really take away from this past month:

1. It's okay to take an occasional side trip on my journey.  That's why this is a lifestyle change and not a diet.  And speaking of side trips, that photo is from my recent Denver trip.  What a beautiful place!
2. You reap what you sow.  When I do both cardio AND weight, I have steady results.  Drop one or both of them and I flatline.  So to speak.
3. Setting actual numerical weight loss goals can be a positive or a negative.  I can say I'd like to lose 5 pounds in 3 weeks, but if I take a detour I can't bludgeon myself with it.  The numbers are steadily moving and a 3 week plateau, in the scheme of my lifetime, is really okay.

So what am I going to do differently moving forward?  Actually, nothing!  I'm going to get back on the schedule that was working so great for me...weights 3 times per week and treadmill anywhere from 2 to 4 times per week.  I just feel good when I do that, and I get results.

It was nice taking a little hiatus, but sorry, Plateau.  You've just got to go now.  :-)