Plateaus

The Tibetan plateau.

Two weeks ago I went on vacation to a beautiful, sub-tropical island. People tend to gain weight on vacation, especially the frozen drink, beach with lounge chairs, resort variety, but I was determined to use my leisure time to step up my commitment to taking care of myself. There was a decent gym at the resort (I was a little wary of too much time in the sun) so I worked out every single day first thing before my husband and daughter were up. I didn't fall into the frozen drink trap (I don't like alcohol, so the sugar is the big enemy for me) and only had water with meals. All of us have heard the "don't drink your calories" advice, and I stuck to it. I didn't order any desserts except for the last night I was there, and then I shared it with my husband. Full disclosure: I've been guilty of moving my spoon from dessert to my mouth at twice the rate as my husband moves his spoon back and forth, resulting in a 70/30 ratio of dessert sharing, but I've turned over a new leaf with that. He even got the last bite this time!

I was pretty proud of myself when I got home. I couldn't wait to wigh myself. I stepped on the scale and…

I lost one measly pound. WHAT THE FUDGE? I hadn't had any fudge. I swear. I was irritated at first, but then I started thinking about two things:

1.) I FEEL really good. The whole time I was away I felt energized and with zero lethargy or bloating. I feel stronger and my clothes are a little looser.

2.) Plateaus happen. A great number of diets are derailed by plateaus. I know several of mine have been. I start feeling the "Life's not fair, I've worked my butt off and my butt's not off yet" feeling and then I start eating more and worse food almost out of anger. But who am I punishing with that anger? My father used to say about a great variety of trials and tribulations, "This too shall pass." This apply to plateaus. The plateau will pass, and then there will probably be more.

I got on the scale again this morning and another pound has dropped. When I got back from vacation, I went out and bought healthy food to restock my fridge and then participated in a 5K yesterday followed by a healthy picnic with my family, rather than throwing in the beach towel. I'm really glad I made that choice, rather than letting the plateau derail me.

If you've hit a plateau, even if it last for two weeks, don't quit, just stop and enjoy the view from where you are.

Love,

- Michelle :)