It's becoming a theme now that my weight has gotten lower that I am very nervous before each week's weigh-in (which happens every Monday night), worried the scale won't show my efforts. Worried that if it doesn't, I'll lose momentum or feel that sense of diet futility I've felt before. It is hard to tell if plateauing is a real thing to be concerned about, or if my fear of not losing is more a mental game, that since I'm now down to the weight I was when I got married (OMG!), that it feels like anything further will be difficult and/or impossible.
Using myfitnesspal to track my calories has been a godsend. I actually almost enjoy the process of logging my meals (I know, I'm weird) and find it really motivating. And based on my food diaries online, I was really good with my food intake all week, eating a little bit more (like up to 50 calories more a day, per my Jenny Craig consultant's recommendation), but also being sure to get in an average of 10,000 steps a day. I even (gasp) cooked Sunday night. Using a Cooking Light recipe, I made a pork tenderloin with plum sauce with a heaping side of steamed rainbow chard and another large side of steamed green beans (funny how I've grown to love green veggies). It was absolutely delicious (Magpie and Will both loved it too), and low in calories to boot. We were home this weekend and didn't eat out at all, not even a Starbucks the whole time. So there wasn't much estimating of portion sizes and no hidden extra calories.
But all those facts didn't make me confident that the scale would show good results. Add to my anxiety the fact that I think I'm ovulating today and I wore a different outfit today than usual, thanks to the snowstorm (yup, it's probably on the obsessive side, but I typically wear the same dress on Mondays to eliminate that particular source of measurement error).
So again when the Monday evening weigh-in time at Jenny Craig arrived, I covered my eyes just like last week, fearing that my weight had stagnated, or, please no!, actually gone up.
And damn, but despite thinking I'd done everything right, my fears were confirmed.
This week, my weight WENT UP 0.4 pounds.
UGH.
So here's where things are at overall, as of today:
Weekly Weight Loss
Starting BMI just after Thanksgiving = 25.2 (officially overweight)
Week 1: - 4.4 pounds (back into normal BMI territory, less than 25!)
Week 2: - 0.8 pounds
Week 3: - 3.6 pounds
Using myfitnesspal to track my calories has been a godsend. I actually almost enjoy the process of logging my meals (I know, I'm weird) and find it really motivating. And based on my food diaries online, I was really good with my food intake all week, eating a little bit more (like up to 50 calories more a day, per my Jenny Craig consultant's recommendation), but also being sure to get in an average of 10,000 steps a day. I even (gasp) cooked Sunday night. Using a Cooking Light recipe, I made a pork tenderloin with plum sauce with a heaping side of steamed rainbow chard and another large side of steamed green beans (funny how I've grown to love green veggies). It was absolutely delicious (Magpie and Will both loved it too), and low in calories to boot. We were home this weekend and didn't eat out at all, not even a Starbucks the whole time. So there wasn't much estimating of portion sizes and no hidden extra calories.
But all those facts didn't make me confident that the scale would show good results. Add to my anxiety the fact that I think I'm ovulating today and I wore a different outfit today than usual, thanks to the snowstorm (yup, it's probably on the obsessive side, but I typically wear the same dress on Mondays to eliminate that particular source of measurement error).
So again when the Monday evening weigh-in time at Jenny Craig arrived, I covered my eyes just like last week, fearing that my weight had stagnated, or, please no!, actually gone up.
And damn, but despite thinking I'd done everything right, my fears were confirmed.
This week, my weight WENT UP 0.4 pounds.
UGH.
So here's where things are at overall, as of today:
Weekly Weight Loss
Week 1: - 4.4 pounds (back into normal BMI territory, less than 25!)
Week 2: - 0.8 pounds
Week 3: - 3.6 pounds
Week 4: out of town so no Jenny food and no weigh-in (Christmas travel madness!)
Week 5: - 4.4 pounds since last weigh-in
Week 6: - 2 pounds
Week 7: - 1.6 pounds
Week 8: - 1.4 pounds
Week 9: + 0.4 pounds (!)
Grand Total So Far: 17.8 pounds lost (BMI = 22.3)
So I'm still processing the shock and disappointment of this.Trying not to make a mountain out of a speed bump. Hoping I won't take this as evidence to give up.
I've done really, really well the past nine weeks. All through the Christmas holidays, plus traveling. I don't know what happened today. I don't even have some major splurge to blame this on, or a bread crumb trail of small slips. I was really good this week, actually.
But whatever happened, the worst thing for me to do would be to throw in the towel and use this as an excuse to go way off track.
So I'm doubling down this week. Going back to eating more Jenny Craig food than I had been (and less carefully prepared and measured food on my own). Watching my sodium intake more closely.
And most of all, trying not to lose my morale. Mo, this is not a reason to give up. This is a small snag in the process. Stay with it.
I'm going to give it my all to stick with everything for the next seven days. We will see what next week's weigh-in brings.
Here's hoping the scale gets back on track soon, and that my motivation doesn't wobble in the meantime.
Mo
Grand Total So Far: 17.8 pounds lost (BMI = 22.3)
So I'm still processing the shock and disappointment of this.Trying not to make a mountain out of a speed bump. Hoping I won't take this as evidence to give up.
I've done really, really well the past nine weeks. All through the Christmas holidays, plus traveling. I don't know what happened today. I don't even have some major splurge to blame this on, or a bread crumb trail of small slips. I was really good this week, actually.
But whatever happened, the worst thing for me to do would be to throw in the towel and use this as an excuse to go way off track.
So I'm doubling down this week. Going back to eating more Jenny Craig food than I had been (and less carefully prepared and measured food on my own). Watching my sodium intake more closely.
And most of all, trying not to lose my morale. Mo, this is not a reason to give up. This is a small snag in the process. Stay with it.
I'm going to give it my all to stick with everything for the next seven days. We will see what next week's weigh-in brings.
Here's hoping the scale gets back on track soon, and that my motivation doesn't wobble in the meantime.
Mo
.4 is like a feather. Keep it in perspective and remember the body has to adjust to weight lost and sometimes will register a gain when all common sense says it shouldn't. You are doing great!
ReplyDeleteI swear my body creates weight out of air while I'm ovulating -- total opposite when I'm menstruating. Bet something similar is happening with you right now.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I have found to be very helpful is to take some measurements on the same days that you weigh in. You can document them on your app. You may find that your measurements may go down on weeks even when your weight does not. It is a good way to stay motivated and realize that your body is making progress and that sometimes change is not always measured by the numbers on the scale.
ReplyDeleteI agree that you're doing great! What is your goal (I don't mean the real number)-- is it 5 more pounds? At what point do you begin to think less about losing and more about maintaining your weight loss? You are doing great and I stand in awe of you parenting a toddler, considering another IVF, working full tilt boogie AND working to lose weight.
ReplyDeleteAnd BTW, I'd argue that a change in outfit could TOTALLY equal that .4 pounds. A pair of jeans weighs almost 2 pounds, so I'd chalk it up to different clothing. Either that, or building up muscle mass, but this might be to quick for that sort of gain.
Keep it up; you're doing great!
0.4 lbs is really nothing to worry about. That's like 170 g; a good BM would take care of it. ;D
ReplyDeleteI was on Weight Watchers for several months and, after a few weeks of consistent losses, the body does tend to "get stuck" through no fault of your own; I just think there are weights where our bodies are more stable than others and they like to remain there. So just keep at it and you will start going down again after a couple of weeks.
Hang in there!
mo,
ReplyDeleteyou are doing great...
don't let the scale get you distracted from the goal!
I have been on MFP for a year now, lost 30lbs (2lbs/wk) and managed to keep it off. you will too! you will!! you are too smart and determined not to.
thanks for sharing all of this- especially IF, ART & IVF patients, the long term weight gain can be a real issue over time... its just part of the process, and very relevant to our "issues" of IF, etc.
oh, heavens. i always weigh more when i'm ovulating. don't you?
ReplyDeleteHang in there! It's super frustrating to gain, especially on a week when you've worked so hard, but there are many things that could cause it. I agree with the others above that it could be the clothes or ovulating (or a combination of both). It was 1 measurement on the scale at just 1 point in time. Keep looking forward, and keep going!
ReplyDeleteThank you guys for your thoughts and encouragement. It makes lots of sense to take measurements to have an alternate way to see progress and to remember all the reasons (NOT related to my actual "real" weight) why Monday's weigh-in was wonky. So far so good - trying to be "very good" with my choices this week...we shall see what happens.
ReplyDeleteIn fact 0.4 lbs is nothing to worry about, considering that your body has lost pounds before. Good job! I think that losing extra pounds is a long and hard process. Visit this this weblink it contains a lot of articles and tips on losing weight in a healthy way. I'm sure one day you will be in a perfect form!
ReplyDelete