25 And at a Plateau

I'm at a plateau with my weight loss.

Definition of a plateau = a period or state of little or no growth or decline:
I want the decline.

For the past 4-6 weeks I've been hovering around the 25 pound weight loss mark.

I really want to lose another 15 pounds.

So this morning I started looking around the web for some

reputable information and found this article on WebMD.

It is not word for word, but the ten ways and a little excerpt to

help explain the step.

10 Ways to Move Beyond a Weight Loss Plateau **

1. Imagine You: Healthy and Vibrant

"Visualize yourself dancing at an upcoming celebration in a fabulous black dress," Tallmadge tells WebMD, "and then apply that vision every day to stay motivated."

2. Understand Your Weight Loss Personality

Oblivious. If you tend to not pay attention when you eat -- maybe you're a TV snacker? -- you need to avoid such situations if you want to control portions.

Uptight. "If you are highly anxious, you will probably have more difficulty," Przybeck says. "Those who are anxious, nervous, and depressed might eat to feel better."

3. Record Every Food Morsel You Eat, Taste, or Lick

Track the time of day and your feelings when you eat to discover problem times and emotions that cause you to binge eat. Recognize your eating triggers and find healthier foods to satisfy your hunger or better alternatives than food to cope with your emotions.

4. Beware of 'Calorie Creep'

A key reason for a weight loss plateau is eating more than you think. It's easy for portion sizes to creep up, and before you know it, you end up eating more than your plan prescribes. That's why it's important to weigh and measure your food to understand proper portions

5. Watch Restaurant Overeating

At restaurants, rich foods and supersized portions can sway even the most determined dieter. Especially if you eat out often, look at restaurant eating as a chance to practice good portion control.

6. Eat Low-Fat Protein to Manage Hunger Pangs

New findings show that a high protein diet can help squelch hunger. Protein foods work by suppressing ghrelin, a hormone secreted by the stomach that stimulates appetite (yes, it triggers hunger!).

7. Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

8. Push the Envelope Past That Plateau

To keep your muscles guessing -- and performing the ultimate calorie burn --vary your physical activity. And push the envelope to power past that plateau!

For example, during your 30-minute treadmill session, include a few intervals at higher speed or at a higher incline (climb hills if you're walking outside). Sustain this higher intensity for a few minutes, and then return to your comfort level. After you recover, do it again -- and again. This will help you burn more calories and blast through the plateau.

Also make sure your routine includes strength-training exercises (like weight lifting), which help counteract muscle loss due to aging. Building and preserving muscle mass is a key factor in reaching a healthy weight, as muscle requires more calories to maintain than fat.

9. Wear a Pedometer

Put the pedometer on first thing in the morning. Then make it a point to be more active: pace while you talk on the phone, take the dog out for an extra walk, and march in place during television commercials. Each 2,000 steps burn roughly 100 more calories, so aim for 10,000 steps daily for weight loss.

10. Try Yoga to Avoid Stress Eating

Stress eating is bingeing on food -- homemade chocolate chip cookies, salty chips, a handful of this, a fistful of that -- to soothe your inner emotional turmoil, not your real hunger. Studies show that yoga lowers levels of stress hormones and increases insulin sensitivity -- a signal to your body to burn food as fuel rather than store it as fat.
　

** Taken from a WebMd Weight Loss Article


 I'm going to choose two to work on this week and try adding another step next week and see if I can work myself past this weight loss plateau.

I'm already using number 7, eating more fruits and vegetables and number 3, tracking what I eat, although I need to be more diligent (getting lazy about it).

So what I've decided to do is work on number 9.  I have a great pedometer that I purchased at Weight Watchers and I wear it when I walk, but haven't tried using it all day to track how active I am.

And number 8, using the interval method of training, and adding some weights.

Wish me luck, say a prayer, leave a word of encouragement.   26.....27.....28.... 29.....