Is it Burn Out or a Really Big Wall?
No matter what it is...I am fricken tired of it. It’s frustrating and pissing me off to no end. I hit 168. I am thrilled to be there. Really I am but I have been here for three weeks....AGAIN! And it sucks. I am determined to get past this wall though. In my hunting for my own “cure”, I found some fun stuff for you all.
First off, recognize that you have indeed lost some weight. Say you weigh 162 pounds and eat 1,900 calories a day. To lose a pound a week, you’ve got to cut between 500 and 600 calories per day. So you restrict yourself to 1,400 calories, and the weight comes off. But suddenly, after a few weeks, the scale refuses to budge. This is because with the weight loss, your basal metabolic rate has also declined, and where your body used to burn 1,368 calories per day, now it’s using only 1,080. At this weight, there’s less of you to move around, so you burn fewer calories working out. What this means for the newer you is that you are now burning about as many calories as you are taking in. Which results in what? A WALL. A big old ugly wall.
What you need to do to get past this wall is either take in less calories or find a way to burn more. Right? Here are some tips for when you are frustrated and staring at that ugly wall:
- Hang in there. Even though you may only be dropping a few ounces at a time, it’s still losing. Look at it this way - .3 ounces per week, ads up to 17 pounds per year. Not a bad thing.
- Look for places that your calories may be hiding. Low cal salad dressings. Fat free items. Fat free does not mean no calories. It also doesn’t mean that it is good for you. Remember that a half gallon of fat free ice cream is still a half gallon of butter, cream and sugar products.
- Exercise burns calories as well as builds muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat. Take a good look at your body and see what is really happening when that scale doesn’t budge.
- Give yourself a jump start with a new routine. Whether it be in your diet or in your exercise habits. It can kick start your body to move those numbers in a downward motion.
- Review your goals. Sometimes, it is easy to lose site of what made you hop on this crazy train to begin with. Refresh yourself and recharge your commitment.
- Make sure that you haven’t set your bar too high. If you are in your late 30’s, trying to get down to the weight you were in high school now, may in fact be a bit much. Look at yourself in the mirror and think about your goals. Also know that it is aok to rethink them. It is possible that you are at a perfect size right now.
No matter what, whether you need to push ourself harder or just find a way to be happy with where you are right now, the important thing is to listen to your body.
