Plateau? Lets break it together!

I have reached a plateau since beginning this diet in January - I started at 171 lbs and i am now hovering between 150-152 and i am 5'5".

I definately need some motivation to get over this hump. Who wants to join me???

I have 15 lbs more to go, and I can not wait to rid myself of them.

Let's share our strategies and support - weigh in once a week on fridays and blow our plateaus to shreds!

Anyone Game?

bigmommah - congrats on the loss! 

I weighed in at 149.4 thats a loss of .4 since last week. Yippee!

Went to the gym for my free personal training session today. It was so awesome i let them talk me into buying 3 of them for $90. The trainers actually stretch you when they are done working out... meaning all i did was lay there and he did all the pushing etc for me... AMAZING!

I'm excited to head to the gym tomorrow for my first workout on my own.

hharris - yay to size 4's! yippee!

Way to go bigmommah!

Burnyh - the last 5 lbs are going to be hard, and don't feel bad for splurging every now and then! You can do it!

That is great Msm.  You really have just been peeling the pounds off. 

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, I saw 169 on the scale for the first time this morning! It'll probably be gone in the morning, but I don't care (I do really, but I'm convincing myself I don't) as I finally saw it. I thought it was a myth!

Awesome princess!

That's so exciting! You're doing great!

Thanks, MsMeg :D I was bold and ate a creme egg, but it only put me 19 cals over my goal calories, so I don't feel TOO bad (though if the 160s go away again, I'll curse it :)) AND I resisted a piece of wedding cake my mum brought home this evening!

I find that the days i don't drink very much water, my weight will bounce up again, and of course if i eat too much salt.

I always make it a goal to drink 100+ oz of fluid each day... usually 24 oz of it is ice tea with splenda and the rest is crystal light to go packet

I measure my water in pint glasses, which I think are 16 ounces (I'm a metric gal).  Lately I've been going through about 6 pints at minimum, and this happens to correspond with the weight shift downwards. So, I've no idea if it's linked or not,  but I think I'll be keeping it up if possible! I know if I drink too little water, my body tries to keep as much as possible, which upsets my scale number, but too much seems to keep itself flushed on out!

Anyone else seeing cracks in their plateau? If so, got any tips or thoughts on what might have worked?

I'm finally chipping off some of that last 5 pounds!!! Down to 127.2! I tried alternating calorie intake for a bit... 1200 one day 1400 the next and back and forth... I think it helped!

I've also been ignoring the "breakfast, lunch & dinner" mindset and the socially-constructed "eating times" like noon for lunch, 6:00 for dinner, etc. I've found that just eating when I'm physically hungry, regardless of the clock, helps me feel fuller longer and makes it easier to ward off hunger pangs. Before when I'd think at 4:00 "hmm it's too early for dinner I should wait until 5", I'd just end up eating more dinner!

Also, if anyone eats diet meals... I wash the little trays they come in that have dividers and use them for portion control. I fill the biggest section with veggies or fruits, and the smaller sections with protein or a small treat.

Hope everyone is seeing progress!

 I weighed in at 148.6 today which means i lost about 1.2lbs this week!

I went to the gym yesterday and today and did an hour of cardio each time. I need to get myself a strength training routine to stick to as well - i don't want to be "Skinny Fat."

I've been snacking a lot this afternoon had 2 of the 100 calories bags of popcorn, some yogurt with blueberries and 1/4 cup fiber one mixed in, an apple with 1tbsp reduces fat pb and a single serving cup of strawberry applesauce.

If i pare down what i eat for dinner i'll just be slightly over my target calories, so i'm not feeling too bad about it :)

I've only drank about 1/2 of the water i'd like to drink today, so i am off to hang out on the couch and drink water!

Hope everyone has a great night!

Wuhoo, congrats guys! I'm also paring away the pounds, The scale has suddenly started liking me, I saw 167 this morning! Anyone else now nervous to get their hopes up, in case it all goes away and you're left feeling worse than before?

When i get on a roll, i expect that there will be a tad bit of it gained back - as much as 3lbs of it, but i tell myself that 3 lbs is better than all 20 of it!

All of that extra 3lbs is usually water weight anyway, so it will eventually come off again and then some! Keep your head up.

A positive attitude is important in weight loss!

Congrats on your loss! Thats awesome.

Wow! Congrats Msmeg and Hookem :) Sounds like you're both doing great!!

I had a productive and destructive weekend... On Sunday morning I actually saaw 131.5 on the scale! :D Wow! Awesome!

Howeverr... Friday was my sister's birthday, which committed me to a full day of family and no exercise. and she chose to eat aaat... Outback Steakhouse. /sigh

I had about a loaf of bread to keep myself away from the cheese fries and a 9oz steak with vegetables and a salad. Went about 200 over my burn, but I'd been moving filing cabinets at work that day so I wasn't too worried about it. Saturday, my boyfriend came in from out of town and so we spent some time together :) I got my first paycheck and shopped for some new clothes :D It was fun learning to dress my new shape :) I've been stuck in old 9's and 7's except the pair of pants my sister gave me. Anywho, I was pretty good Saturday. Sunday however, bit me. I was good allll day... until I left to go to a music festival with the BF. We had dinner at Olive Garden before heading out where I expanded my day's calories to 2100... which was 400 over my burn! Yikes!

Oh well, though. It was really nice to sort of have a weekend off, and I'll be working my butt off this week to make up for it :) I was back up to 132.5 this morning, but I'm hoping to see a one-twenty-something within the next two weeks :D

my goal today is water water water!

The scale didn't like me this morning, but it was expected. Had quite a bit to drink friday night. Only got about 4(if that) hours sleep. Was lots of fun though. Saturday I worked then went shopping then to my nephew's birthday party. Tiny piece of cake. I think calories were about maintenance. Sunday was good for calories but not for sodium.

Today I run! Looking forward to it. Babysitter gets here at 3:30.

I've decided to focus on 3lbs goals. This 10 that  I have left is frustrating. So My first goal is 160(since the scale said 163 this morning). I can do it.

Hope I'm not too late to hop in! I'm totally stuck right now and need that extra drive to drop another 40 lbs. I started at 215 and I'm now down to 195 and pretty happy with the results so far. 

My body fluctuates easily, and because of my proportionate body type, I can never tell if I'm gaining or losing. I love working out and do it at least 4 times a week (and hard!). We have personal chefs at work where I get to have all of the fresh salads and delicious proteins I like, and I tend to eat well at home too. Sounds perfect, right? Perfect except for the worlds biggest sweet tooth.

I feel like I have zero self-control when it comes to avoiding the late night snacks and the sweet stuff. I feel like I've tried everything and now it's come down to just getting motivation from others, pure and simple. I know that it's the sweets that are keeping me at the same weight. 

I'd love to join you guys. My goal is 150 lbs. by next spring, any tips you guys have to help me along is much appreciated.

Oh man, i have the worst time with snacking. I just can't quit. I'm already at 1100 cals today and my target calories are at 1450, ugh. 

I have to say Julch - don't restrict yourself from the sweets too much or you will end up caving and eating them all the time like i am now. I was so good for so long and something just  broke inside me and now i can't resist! I have to find that strength again! Congratulations on your losses so far, you can make it to 150! Just have to be persistent!

Immom - 3lb goals are good, i should try that - i have 14 left to lose, though this morning the scale went up to 150 from 148 - argh. 

Hharris - don't be too rough on yourself for a nice weekend, you have plenty of time this week to work extra hard and be extra good!  Congrats on 131! I can't wait to get into the 130's.

Sodium is my biggest enemy, i don't know why, but i just can't keep that number under 2,400 for the life of me. Its nearly impossible i swear!

I went for my run. I fought wind, sun and rain in my 45 minutes. I ran my route backwards. It almost killed me! Steep up hill for the first 1/2 km then another 1.5km slight up hill. That is why that is the end of of my route! The rest of my run was good. I had to stop 5 minutes sooner than normal cause my heart rate spiked up to 170. I'm good with my heart rate at 160-165(where it normally is) but 170 is more than my body is willing to handle.

I have a question for all you who drink lots of water. So far I've drank 90ish oz. How do you not have to pee all the time?!

You just get used to i guess. It really doesn't bother me! I don't think i pee as much now as when i first started drinking more water. think my body got used to it. Now its more like once every hour or two.

Good job on the run, sounds challenging!

OMG OMG OMG! The scale and I did the Happy Dance this morning when it showed me 228!

Thank you everyone for your kind words and encouragement.  I am so glad to see the scale move for some of us and for those who haven't seen it yet, HOLD ON, A CHANGE IS A'COMIN!

Today I am going to drink more water and try to get a little more protein by having a boiled egg after I eat my Fiber One.

I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Imom - after 3 kids,  you have to pee all the time.   lol.  I don't know how everyone else handles it, but I have been taking 64oz of water with me to work all school year.  My bladder still has the retaining power of a 2 year-old.  I find myself racing to the bathroom during passing time which is not an easy task with 30+ students leaving my room, 30+ entering, and only 4 minutes to answer half a million questions and get my room empty so I can lock the door.