First, let me say I’m SO SORRY to all of you my Fierceling family and friends. I realize that I have been totally and completely Missing in Action. I’m sorry if I had you worried about me. I’m always honest with you guys, so I’m comfortable telling you that I lost some of my fire and passion for blogging. Writing my blog began to feel like a huge chore and didn’t feel fun anymore. It got to the point that I was actually dreading writing a blog post. I wasn’t sure how to inspire and motivate anyone with that negative mental attitude. In hindsight, I should have at least put a sign on my blog door saying, “I’m on vacation, Not sure when I’ll be back!”
Well Miss Carli Fierce is BAAAACKKKK y’all! I appreciate all the calls, texts, emails and messages that reminded me that it’s not all about me! Blogs have literally shaped my life, I wouldn’t have started this blog or even attempted running if it weren’t for other bloggers sharing their personal stories. Other bloggers inspired me to make my Couch to 5K training podcasts and have routinely helped build my self-esteem. So I can only hope that my journey through weight loss and fitness has encouraged you in the same way that others have helped me.
Running Into Shape.com is 5 Years old now and I’m in a great place with tons of new blog posts swirling in my head. I figured I would come back with a post about how I finally broke my weight loss plateau. Last year in 2013 I lost a little over 30 pounds. I am now down a few more pounds (36 Pounds lost) and currently at my lowest weight since 2011. It feels great! Here are five things I did to finally make that happen.
5 Ways I Broke My Weight Loss Plateau
1) Commit to a food plan. If you followed my blog last year, you know my trainer came up with an Awesome Food Plan, 2 Cheat Days (Eat Anything) the remaining days eat only whole foods (Veggies, Fruits, Lean meats, Whole grain). Well I got a little relaxed with the plan, I might eat a donut for breakfast on a non-cheat day or have a piece of cake or an order of fries another day, but mostly eating healthy in accordance to the plan. This was great for maintenance, but not for continued weight loss. So in order to jumpstart my weight loss, I decided to do no carbs for several days, before going back to the regular plan. After that, I went back to my regular food plan. I cooked several meals on Sunday for the week and I didn’t eat candy just because it was in the office, and no small piece of dessert, unless it was designated cheat day.
2) Get comfortable being an oddball and saying NO. When you’re trying to break a weigh loss plateau, you will have to say no to something that you’ve currently been saying yes to. There’s no way around that. You have to make breaking your plateau a priority, with no excuses. For example I really enjoy going out to restaurants to eat. Not just for the food, but I love socializing too. However, when it was time to get unstuck, I had to tell my co-workers and friends, no thanks, I’m having this delicious smoothie I made at home for breakfast, and I prepared a salad with fresh veggies. I’ll eat that instead of going out for lunch with guys.
You also have to say no, not just to food, but to any situation that might steer you in the wrong direction or discourage you. On the initial day my trainer chose for the big weigh in, I knew I hadn’t reached my goal weight loss yet. However, when I walked in the gym, all of the other trainers we’re excited saying “Today is the big day, you break your plateau!” I wanted to run and hide, because I knew that it wasn’t just yet. But, I didn’t panic and stress, I simply told Dan my trainer, “No, I won’t be weighing in today, but I promise you I will be ready next week.” He was supportive, and understanding. I knew if I stepped on that scale that day, it would’ve sent me on some crazy downward spiral over one or two measly pounds. Not worth it. My firm “No,” despite feeling immense pressure not to disappoint Dan and the others who wanted to support and cheer me on actually, helped me in the long run. That following week I was determined and I broke my plateau as promised.
3) Write it Everywhere. That week I wrote my future goal weight for the next weigh in everywhere. I had a post it note on my desk at work, one on the wall in my bed room and on my fridge in the kitchen. It seems excessive, but it was constant reminder. I didn’t let it stress me out, it wasn’t about the number itself. Instead, I used it as a great reminder of my goal. When I saw it, I asked myself, Do you have your next meal planned? Are you going to the gym tonight? Did you drink enough water today? What are you doing to get to the that goal weight next week?
4) Change Negative Thoughts into Positive Thoughts. Every time silly negative thoughts came to my head I’d reject them. They say, “You can’t necessarily stop the negative thoughts from flying over your head, but you don’t have to let them build a nest there.” For example, “I’ll never break this plateau” changes into “I’m planning my meals, I know my body, when I do the right things, my body will respond accordingly” ; “It’s not working” changes into “This is the strongest I’ve ever been in my life, it is working, and it takes time.” “I’m too fat” changes into “God loves me and I accept myself unconditionally as I am right now” (that one takes some work!) “I’m too fat” changes into “My weight does not define me as a person”
5) Stay Active. This goes without saying, I usually have to be in race day training mode or have my Personal trainer to stay motived and on a schedule. Find out what activity you like. On my Face Book Fan page I routinely ask you guys what you did to stay active, and its always so refreshing to read the things you say. Rarely do you respond, “I ran on the treadmill at the gym.” There’s of course nothing wrong with that, but its fun to think outside of the box. Go dancing, go swimming, go hiking. Although you can’t out-exercise a bad diet, (trust me, I’ve tried for years) it is still a very important part of the weight loss plan and you will look and feel so much better when fitness it a part of the formula.
If you are stuck at a weight loss plateau, even for a couple months like I was, you can break through it. If you have any other tips, let me know what you found helpful.
Glad to see you back! I’ve been training to run a 10K. It all started with your free podcasts. Have a great week!
So glad you are back and recharged. We missed you.
Congratulations on your jumpstart. It can get a bit hard sometimes and we are all human. I hope you are aware of how many people you have inspired around the world – just think of that when you do get a bit down 🙂 I have just got back to running again this week after a 6 month layoff, and my daughter is currently working her way through your program while she is training for a triathlon! Keep it up Carli!