Finally broke that plateau!

Here I am again, after a few weeks of craziness! As soon as I said I had broken that plateau before, I hit another one! I bounced between 190 and 192 for a good two weeks, but this morning, the scale said 187!

HW: 226
SW: 212
CW: 187
GW: 150

I was totally not expecting today to be the day the scale finally moved. Right now, I'm at my parents' house for a few days (to visit). I think what did it is that I just eat differently when I'm here. Not necessarily better or worse, just different. Here, I eat more oils rather than sodium, because my dad cooks a lot and frequently uses oil. He also makes more meat and vegetables, whereas at my apartment I eat more starches and pre-packaged food (because I eat a lot of meals on campus). Of course, at both places I try to stay on plan. I think my change of pace I got here has helped me. Maybe I just needed something different.

It was so frustrating to go through that plateau, though. Every morning was a disappointment. When I felt down in the dumps, I tried to think about how far I've come. I think about how heavy a 20-lb bag of dogfood feels, and remember that that's the weight that's come off my body (not to mention the pressure that's been taken off my joints!).

Also, some good things happened, even if I was stuck for a while. My body is getting stronger and more toned. It's by no means perfect, but my body looks, feels, and performs better than it used to. I have a waist now! Weird. Also, today when I was at the gym, I decided to try out the treadmill. I walked for 2 minutes to warm up, and then decided to jog at 5 mph. I moved up to 5.5, then to 6 mph. I ran for a total of 8 minutes without stopping or collapsing (hah). I didn't jiggle as much, and my knees didn't hurt like they used to. 8 minutes may not sound like a lot to a marathon runner, but it's a lot for me.

A few things I've learned since my last post: plateaus only last forever if you forget about your past efforts and lose sight of your goal. Drinking sabotages weight loss!! (That contributed somewhat to my plateau. I'm cutting back for sure.) Sipping on water constantly throughout the day does wonders. Change up your exercise routine, otherwise your body gets bored. Keep your muscles guessing, and you'll see better results. And most of all, never lose faith in yourself! I hope I never do.