Plateaus are meant to be popped

I am seriously stuck on a frustrating plateau.

Remember my post from a while ago about Popping Plateaus? Yeah, I could definitely use that right now!

My weight is 178 lbs. That, in itself, is amazing. My starting weight last year was 222 lbs. That’s 44 lbs lost!!

But it’s hard for me to celebrate when I’m not where I would like to be. I forget about how far I’ve come. I know I’ve hit plateaus at every 10 lbs lost. I know I’ve gotten past every.single.one.

But I’ve been stuck here for WEEKS!

I had a call a week ago with the Wharton Clinic. I bemoaned my pound stuckage. The nutritionist was fabulous – we reviewed my food diary (which I loathe to keep but felt this was necessary). She noted that perhaps I’m using too much EVOO in my roasted veggies. I never measure it out, so I decided to start doing that to cut back. She also noted that when I eat nuts, they are salted. I told her, it’s all good – my blood pressure is low so salt is okay. She said yes BUT salt makes you retain water. Aha! Buh-bye salted almonds and peanuts! Then she said to just watch my portion sizes. She recommended I put my meals and snacks into an app like MyFitnessPal to check for calories. So I did.

Oh crap.

I’m supposed to be eating 1300 calories per day according to the Wharton Clinic.

I’m eating 1500-1700 calories per day. I am literally floored by how many calories are in food!

I immediately began swapping out foods for others on MyFitnessPal until I got it down to 1300.

As for exercise, I’ve got a plan I've been really enjoying! I’ve been walking 5k when the weather is nice. Otherwise, I’ve been inside doing Rick Bhullar’s walking workouts on Youtube, and I joined his private Facebook group (Get Fit with Rick). If you haven’t tried these workouts, I highly recommend them! They are an absolute blast and he is very positive and motivational.

I also recently purchased Holly Dolke’s Ultraburn program (HITT workouts). It’s a 90 day program, which sounds overwhelming. But it’s only 15 minutes of exercise per day, and some days are even rest days. So I walk everyday (outside or Rick’s workouts) and follow Holly’s program.

In only 2 weeks, my arms are already stronger using Ultraburn. I can do all the mountain climbers she says to do in her sessions! It’s quality time – I push myself more because it’s only 15 minutes. I have fit it in even on my busiest days. And once I do her workouts, I am motivated to continue on with a walking workout.

I know that victories are not just scale-related, but man, would I love to see that scale move a bit! I’m hoping that the food swapping I’m doing plus the workouts will pop my long-lasting plateau! I’m almost to my goal of 165 lbs. One pound at a time….