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Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Day of the scale 3
It's a day earlier than what I've planned it to be, but it's Valentine's Day today, and though we only plan a nice meal at home, it'll involve wine and some sweets (the healthy kind), so tomorrow's weigh-in won't be.... hummmm... so accurate, right? ;-)). So, here are the numbers for today's stats:
» 2 lbs lost since the last weigh-in (Feb. 1, 2007).
» Starting Weight: 187 lbs, Current Weight: 159.2 lbs, Goal Weight: 130 lbs.
» 27.8 lbs lost in 14 weeks (48.77% of the amount of lbs I want to lose), an average of 1.98 lbs loss per week.
» 29.2 lbs left to goal.
So... the last two weeks were bizarre in the sense of a yo-yo weigh-in. I put it up there in the right column and on the progress charts only ones every two weeks, but there're times when I weigh myself every day like I would do if I was maintaining. And I saw the scale jump up and down almost every day for the last two weeks. Fine, I understand that's normal, and there are few reasons (beside over eating) for that to happen (TOM was here during this time) so I'm not too pumped up about it.
But, few days ago I figured I needed to shake my body out of its comfort zone, give it a boost of a sort, surprise it so it would go back to losing. So, I did a 3 day cut-the-calories routine, where I ate less calories than I should've, less veggies and fruit than I should've, less fat than I should've. It helped to push the weight down a bit, but hell... 1) I didn't empty my digestive system since Sunday, and that is not right at all! I probably slowed down my metabolism, and that's the opposite of what I was aiming for... not good. And... 2) I felt hungry for the first time since I've started this round 14 weeks ago, and couldn't stop myself from binging last night (even though it wasn't much in calories, and only on healthy stuff, but still).
The self evident conclusion: Slowing my metabolism by cutting calories and feeling hungry by doing that should not be on my agenda any more, so this pitiful attempt to overcome the plateau wasn't successful!
I don't feel bloated for some strange reason, and I did take in enough liquids on those three days, but somehow - I'm not happy with the way my body reacted to this nutritional change, so that's not going to be an attempted solution in the future.
But the question still remains: How do I take my body out of the weight loss plateau?
Kim Roach's article, Five Ways to Break Through a Weight Loss Plateau, might have the answers:
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1) Tighten Up Your Diet - Keep in mind that a diet does not mean restricting your calories to dangerously low levels. The key to a successful nutrition program is to eat fewer processed foods and center your diet around whole foods that are in their raw, natural state. To reach a new level of fitness, you may just need to clean up your diet.
Most people do well on a diet composed of 50-55% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 15-20% fat. However, a drop in carbohydrates with a corresponding increase in protein can often help break through a plateau. Some people are more sensitive to carbohydrates, making it beneficial to limit this particular macronutrient. Increasing your protein intake will also have metabolic advantages.
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Ok, restriction is out by default from now on, since I know that doesn't work. I should try increasing protein intake though I think I do have enough, but hey... I'll try it... nothing to lose if I lose, right? ;-).
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2) Increase Your Meal Frequency - Having 5 small meals a day can immediately rev up your metabolism. Every time you consume calories, you give your metabolism a boost. Women should aim for 5 small meals per day while men should aim for six. Eating 5-6 smaller meals per day will help you reach new fitness levels.
These frequent meals will also control your cravings and prevent binges.
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I'm doing it already, so nothing's new here. Moving on.
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3) Increase the Duration of Your Workouts - When you're working towards fat loss, cardio should be one of the cornerstones of your training. For optimal results, each session should be a minimum of 30 minutes. However, if you find yourself hitting a plateau, increase this amount incrementally by five to ten minutes at a time. It is best not to go beyond 60 minutes in a single workout.
By increasing your cardio time in intervals, you can bust through a fitness plateau and find which session yields the best results.
4) Increase the Frequency of Your Workouts - If you are already performing cardio workouts that last 45-60 minutes and are still looking for ways to increase your results, it's probably time to increase your frequency. You should always start with at least three days per week of aerobic exercise. If you find that your routine has hit a plateau or you want to increase your rate of fat loss, begin to add one additional workout per week until you reach six or seven cardio workouts per week.
You can also use a training technique known as double cardio. Performing cardio twice a day can be used for short periods of time to break through a plateau and get extremely lean. These two-a-day workouts will provide you with an incredible boost to the metabolism and enormous calorie burn. However, keep in mind that this is not a long-term plan. It is only used to bust through a plateau or reach a new peak in your fitness level.
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Ok, I'm already doing 2 sessions of one hour at least 4 times a week. It seems she doesn't endorse it for the long run. Hummmm.... I have to look around and see what others think.
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5) Increase the Intensity of Your Workouts - To reach a new level of fitness, you may just need to push yourself a little harder. Increase the intensity of your workout and you will immediately find yourself burning more calories in the same amount of time.
If your heart rate is 120 push it up to 130. If you've been doing 30 minutes of walking on the treadmill, why not start some jogging. If you've been doing 30 minutes on the elliptical, why not try some high intensity interval training to crank up your workout.
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To recap: I already work two hours a day on most days, so adding more time didn't make much sense, so of course I needed to boost the level of effort I put into my treadmill walking. First I raised the % of incline for a longer time, and managed to go up to 50 minutes on 5% incline and 2.9 MPH, and the rest of the 2 hours were on 1% incline and 3.2 mph. I don't like jogging, though... somehow I don't feel comfortable doing it on the treadmill, and I think I don't really know the right way to breath. So, I should boost my walking again. Ok, in a need of some thinking how to make my body spend more calories. Maybe it's the right time to start the dumbbells routine.
That's it for now... I'm off to spend V Day with Joe, who took the day off to spend it with me. If you celebrate the day... have a good one! *s*.
Lorien @ 02:20 pm MT
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