Diet and Exercise and Plateau! Oh my!

L2HS

Posted this under Motivation and Support but I think it may be more applicable here.

I've been overweight my entire life. For years, I would declare that I was "going on a diet" on a weekly basis. Every once in a while, while on a "diet", I would actually go to the gym. It never stuck. Therefore, I ballooned to 265lbs at my highest. I managed to lose 25 pounds for my wedding but promptly gained 5 pounds after the honeymoon was over. Does that make me a yo-yo dieter? This is my first solid, prolonged attempt at losing weight. What's at stake is even more important to me than looking good in a wedding dress. I'm working towards my ultimate weight loss goal at giving us a chance at a baby. Between my weight and diagnosis of PCOS, the odds are against us. Each pound lost tips the scale, so to speak. I don't want to minimize the work I've put in but I feel like it has come fairly easy so far. I started by slashing my calories until I became accustomed determining which foods are worth the calories. Once meal planning started coming easier, I began exercise. First I walked 30-60 minutes a few times a week. Now, I go up the gym 5-6 times a week with walks on my rest days. I feel like if I don't go some kind of physical activity, just looking at foods will make me gain weight. My husband thinks I'm way paranoid about it. I see it as a slippery slope that I can't afford to slide down. I keep thinking about things I've read where people lost so much weight but gained it back. I'm terrified that that's what ahead in my future. I'm afraid though, that I will burn out. I have too long of a journey yet to burn out now. I weigh myself daily because that's what keeps me going. I don't log my weight every day because my brain is telling me that it will fluctuate and that my psyche will take a hit if I have to log in a higher number. But doesn't always work because I know that my weight was higher than it was the last time I stepped on a scale. I've never experienced this dreaded plateau that I've read about but it scares me. Last week, I did pretty good with diet and exercise but only lost 1 pound. Is this the beginning of it? What can I do to get past it?

What should I do?? Should I continue on my current track? Weighing myself daily helps and hurts. Am I exercising too much or too little? Am I over thinking this? Someone help, please!

crazybookworm

First off, hello! Congrats to you for taking control of your health and life!

Secondly, do not be afraid of food. Remember, this is a LIFESTYLE not a diet(which is short term). Portion Control and moderation is key! However, if you struggle with emotional eating, or binge eating, perhaps keep the guilty pleasures out of the house until those issues are controlled.

Thirdly, you said you go to the gym 5-6 days a week, but what is your workout program? If you are generally doing the same workout every day, than your body will fall into a routine. Try to change up your exercise routine every 4-5 workouts. Change up intensity, add intervals, add/increase strength training, etc. It will keep you body guessing, and will result in a great calorie burn each time. You don't want that body to fall into a routine!

I hope this helps!

Good luck! You can do this!

AllanMisner

Throw your scale away and only get your weight when you go in to see a doctor.

Instead, measure your hips (at the largest point) and waist (at the smallest point). Get a ratio of waist to hip and write that down. You can also measure other areas you don't like just for additional data points.

Your goal after that is to lose fat and/or gain muscle. You'll see your waist to hip ratio improve which is a much better indicator of health than your weight.