I admit it… A little itty, bitty, teeny, tiny, minuscule plateau hits and I get all worked up watching every thing I do. I start questioning whether I did anything wrong. I read every ounce of my food journal, checking, remembering, recalculating, over and over. I check my measuring spoons against a second set to see if they are accurate. I get on the scale each day, looking down out of only one eye, and throw my hands up in the air.
Old habits die hard. After all, I was conditioned to think that way. I got this way through years of conditioned behaviors met with negative reinforcement. You are on some program, and all of a sudden weight loss stops, and the people who are supposed to help you, instead say it’s your fault. They say you aren’t writing it all down. Are you sure you are really measuring and not just guessing? Are you sure you aren’t secretly cheating and just not saying so?
Unfortunately, in my case, a lot of this conditioning comes from nutritionists I worked with. I remember one appointment where again I had brought a journal of foods I ate while following South Beach. Six weeks worth of writing things down. She told me that I had gotten “sloppy” about writing things down, maybe I had not measured precisely, had I accounted for all snacks? Did I carry this book everywhere with me to be completely sure I was accurate. Despite my promises that I had followed all the rules, I was met with rolling eyes, shaking heads, and notes jotted in a folder, while I sat there like a kid caught cheating.
So it is natural thing for me now, that when a tiny stand still phase comes along, right away I am analyzing absolutely everything I do. The first time it happened, I had my weekly meeting with Dr. Jack on the phone. I waited for what was going to be said. I sat there pencil in my hand doodling boxes all over a sheet of scrap paper, one of my defense mechanisms. And I waited.
What is funny, is that Dr. Jack did the total opposite. He said to me words, that I have come to understand hold so much meaning, “Chris? Are you really listening to me? I want you to really listen to what I am going to say. This is important for you to understand.” What follows is always an explanation, some insight and advice about what “we” should do. There is no criticism, just good solid information and advice.
He reminds me that weight loss comes in cycles. That every person’s body goes through daily hormonal changes and that you can’t judge weight loss by day to day fluctuations. Instead he clearly explains to me that I have to look at an overall picture, is the trend down? If it was up, then I would have to look at things and see what might be wrong. And then he quickly reminds me that what might be wrong has nothing to do with me personally, just things we should be careful of, monitor together. But, not one single time has he accused me of lying, or not measuring, or getting “sloppy” about my journal. Instead he tells me what a great job I am doing, and what great success I have had.
I couldn’t help but worry for the last week or so, as things all of sudden had slowed to a snail’s pace or a dead standstill. I didn’t like it. It was a hard to just be patient and wait. I spent a lot of time, going over my journal, double checking. I definitely had not done anything that jumped out that said, “You messed up.”
My best friend told me, “You worry about it too much.” I am sure there is a lot of truth in that statement. And he doesn’t know the half of it. It’s true though. You worry about it and then your stress level goes up. That is counter productive to weight loss. You just have to just do what you are supposed to do and be patient.
Yesterday, things finally got moving again. All that worrying was for nothing. Dr. Jack reminded me that there are little things I can do that can help to jumpstart things, kind of unstick my metabolism a bit. Surprise it!! Kind of like a sneak attack! And again, instead of criticism I am always met with positive comments, great compliments on what I have done and kind words about my progress. Can you get that from a book? How about from a computer program?
I think that sometimes the most important thing I have to do is accept that this is how my body is, it isn’t my fault. It’s a natural cycle. I didn’t do anything wrong. I just have to give it time to just catch up. After all sixty three pounds since October 5th? When I couldn’t lose five pounds in five months?? And symptoms of a chronic disease that have totally disappeared? Yeah…… I have to relax!!! It is just an itty bitty plateau…. this too shall pass….