stuck in a rut

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2/11/12 8:52 P

Hi Emma,

Same here, 4 weeks - 9 lbs and nothing this week. I know that mine is due to lack of sleep which lead to lack of energy to exercise as hard. Also, i didn't drink enough water ; some days none. I thought that keeping my caloric intake right at my set goal would some how even out things a bit but i was ,unfortunately wrong. Maybe you should consider some of theses things. Hope this helps you.

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2/11/12 7:44 P

Hi Emma,

CONGRATS on your success so far. The one lesson I have learned on my own 7 year journey is that weight loss is NOT a linear process. In other words, there will be some weeks where you may lose, others you may remain the same, and yes, others where you may gain. But this does not mean you are doing anything wrong.

Our weight is not a static number, but more like a vital sign. Just like your blood pressure, heart rate and body temp will vary throughout the day, same is true with your weight. Because our bodies are largely made up of water (the fitter we are the more water we retain), any deviation in our diet, hydration, workouts, even hormones can lead to a shift on the scale.

Know that all changes within the body must begin at the cellular level...all the way down to the fat cells need to release the free fatty acids, to the muscle cells making bigger and more numerous mitochondria-these are the organelles within the cells-to give us energy.

It isn't uncommon to see a slight upward shift in weight when we start exercising, or add a new training regimen and eating better. For one the muscles are making more mitochondria which allow for extra glycogen-stored glucose in the cells- therefore, your body hangs on to more water to help with the cooling off process for exercise and for helping process energy. Your muscles will also have an increase in blood volume in order to have better availability to oxygen and removing waste, especially lactic acid. These things coupled with eating higher fiber foods, such as fruits and veggies can show a gain, when in all reality it is just a shift in fluids.

Hang in there and TRUST THE PROCESS!

Coach Nancy

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2/11/12 5:40 P

I've been going strong or 4 weeks now. I'm down nine lbs, which is amazing! However this last week I lost no weight at all, it even went up a bit. I'm staying with in my ranges, and exercise hasn't changed. So I've reached a plateau off sorts. So what do I do next? Do I keep doing what I'm doing and hope I keep losing, or do I need to switch things up a bit and add more exercise?? I really don't feel I can eat less since I'm at the low end of my calorie range. Diet wise I need to up the protein a bit, but that's the only thing I can think of. What do you suggest?