That Dreaded Plateau

Most of the time when weight loss stalls, it's because of mindset. Often my clients come to a "magic" number--a goal weight, a multiple of ten pounds, the number they weighed before pregnancy--and suddenly hit a plateau. Whether it's fear of success or fear of change, they begin to sabotage themselves.

It doesn't take much--a cookie here, some M&Ms there. After all, it takes less than one minute to eat a 150 calorie cookie. It takes 15 minutes of dedicated exercise to burn those calories. That handful of M&Ms goes a long way to holding you where you are.

Rarely, the plateau is physiological--hormones, et cetera, play their part. But most of the time, when we stall out physically it's because we stalled out mentally. But the great news is, we put the pounds on ourselves and we have the ability, always, to take them off as well.

What to do? Take a break and take a look at what's going on. Are you at a "magic" number? If so, what is going to happen when you cross that imaginary line? Will people expect different things from you if you are successful at weight loss? Will people treat you badly out of jealousy? What is the deeper fear that is blocking you?

Begin tracking your food again. Meticulously. Every bite that goes into your mouth. Figure out what you are doing to block your own progress. Likewise, review your exercise habits. Are you letting things get in the way of the 20 minutes on the treadmill?

Even if you can't or don't want to identify what your own pitfalls are, you can change something. Add five minutes to each workout. Increase the weight you are lifting (or start lifting weights now--strength training is the secret weapon to true, long-lasting, successful weight loss). Get a heart rate monitor and try to maintain exercise in your target heart rate zone.

Then, wait. When it comes to changing your body composition, weight is often the last thing to go. It can take four, even six weeks to see a change on the scale, even though your pants are getting looser and one of those extra chins melts away. This isn't a plateau, this is a normal transitional process. Trying a change for only a few days won't cut it. You must plan on focusing for three to four weeks, at least.

One of my favorite children's books is about a family going on a bear hunt. They hit obstacles (mud puddles, grassy fields, caves). Each time, they realize, "We can't go over it, we can't go under it, we can't go around it, we have to go through it."

The same is true for the slow, solid process of losing weight. There are no shortcuts. No tips, no tricks. You simply go through the process, one day, one exercise session, one cookie (less) at a time. But ultimately, exercise and food management will always work for you when you work for it.

Turn Off TV Week

This is national Turn Off Your TV week. For the most part, my family and I plan to celebrate it (though the kids certainly do not consider it a celebration).

I certainly agree that television watching contributes to poor health, obesity, and probably stupidity. That said, I enjoy it. I allow the kids to watch in moderation (tonight, for example, they are watching some documentary on gorillas with their father. Boy am I sorry I'm missing that.) We'll break the "rules" on Thursday, myself, for the new Grey's Anatomy episode.

Sometimes I eat cheesecake (and I don't even try to pretend that it's a dairy serving). Sometimes I stay up for hours reading a novel. Not every choice needs to promote health--just, oh, say, 99 out of 100.

Will having less screen time create the mental and temporal space for more creativity, interaction, affection and energy? Probably. But I have a problem with the "all or nothing" approach to cutting back screen time (promoters want us off our laptops and video games, too, of course).

Rigid rules are recipes for failure. If you really want to improve your life, you need to make flexible plans instead.

I really hope you join me this week and go relatively TV-free. Are there any shows you simply won't live without? Plan your screen time now, and use the free hours to dream, to play, to nap in a hammock (or to pack those winter clothes in the basement).

Swimsuit Season Sighs

Someone contacted me this week to teach aqua fitness at their neighborhood pool. Although I'm looking forward to the opportunity, I'm also dreading it. This means I have to go find a suit. I'll dig through the racks at Dillards looking for something that sucks me in, covers my stretch marks, lifts me up, and isn't black, or blue floral with a skirt.

I look forward to this as much as I look forward to having cavities filled. Nevertheless, I'm gonna literally "suck it up" and get the job done. And while I'm at it, I'll do some extra abdominal exercises.

Why? Because I want to swim. I want to be in pools. I want to flop around in the water. If I don't buy a swimsuit because I hate the way I look in one, I'll spend this summer on the sidelines (and I have spent many summers that way because I didn't want my cellulite out in public).

I come back to this again and again--often the only thing in the way of us enjoying our lives is our mind. Fear of how others will see us morphs from butterflies in the stomach to a solid brick wall. What three things would you do if you were rich, thin and beautiful right this very minute? Are there actual real-world barriers to doing what you want--or are you the only obstacle to your own best life?

I'm not advocating racking up credit card debt or squeezing into too-small pants (spare me the muffin-tops, please!) But most of our delusions aren't of grandeur--they are misplaced fears, usually involving what we imagine other people think about us.

Take a risk this week. Eat a new food. Buy hot pink instead of basic black. Fearlessness is a practice--so practice.

Getting Older Versus Aging

Yesterday my Grandma said to me, "You know what the worst thing is, Keri? It's not being able to do what you want." She was talking about the pain and debilitation she felt after her knee surgery, and that she continues to feel in her late 80's. Grandma always tells it like it is, and she described for me in candid detail the physical costs of aging.

And yet . . . I watch a TV spot about a 101-year old British plumber who is planning to run the London Marathon this month. He's lively, vibrant, clearly happy--and doesn't look a day over 86. He's gotten older, but he hasn't aged relative to his years.

Genetics play a huge role in longevity and health. But personal choices are more important. He will run the marathon in the future because he runs now (about an hour a day). Physical activity won't stop the clock, but it will keep you young. You want the fountain of youth? Lace up your shoes and go looking for it.