This week, the scale handed me a big goose egg. A big zero. Zilch, nada, no movement on the scale. 0000
Previously, I would have gotten ticked off at the scale, cursed my body for it’s sucky-ness (yes, that’s a word) and gone and ate a donut.Or 4. Ooh, or some cupcakes. Or french fries…
Not today though. This Emmie is determined to hit 60 pounds lost so I can move on to the next 60 pounds (and then the next 60, but I’ll stop now because this is getting depressing.) I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and tried to face the facts.
Has this happened to you before? Here are my tips on how to get over it already.
- Evaluate what you did last week: Ask yourself what was different from last week than the previous week when you lost weight? Were you under stress? Get enough sleep?
via TheTruthAbout... on Flickr
Change something in your routine? Change something in your eating habits? Don’t be defensive about it, just own up to it.
My reasoning this morning: “Damnit. My monthly girl visitor is here. I did everything else perfect. I ate good foods, I drank my water, I took my vitamins. I wasn’t stressed out, I got enough sleep and I should have lost weight.” - Re-evaluate and be honest. Really now. Let’s just call down a minute and think about this again. Did you own up to EVERYTHING when you completed step one? For reals? You’re lying. Think hard. Go meal by meal if you must. If you honestly did think of EVERYTHING in step one, good for you, you’re an honest unicorn- proceed to number 3.
My re-evaluation this afternoon: “Ok, so yes, my monthly girl visitor is here. Yes, I feel bloated. Let’s think, what else happened this past week. Oh right, I went to eat Mexican food for a friends birthday. I ate steak fajitas, but only that in the skillet, so that was good. But dang, I did split a pitcher of beer with a friend. Not the best choice. Saturday night I had a beer with dinner. Sunday, I also drank about 3 pots of coffee. Probably not the best choice. Also throughout the week, I ate some cheesy flax crackers with dip. Typically low-carb, but not when you eat an entire pan in 1 sitting. Bad choice.” - Plan: This can be easy once you are really honest with yourself in step 2. Figure out what worked before and do it again. What do you need to make you successful? Need to get more exercise in? Stock your fridge with good foods? Throw out your husband’s ice cream? Then do it. Remove obstacles, and create a plan for moving forward. Don’t let a bump like a goose egg stop your momentum.
My plan: “Well, didn’t have plans of going out this week, so any alcohol temptation should be gone. My fridge is stocked with yummy safe foods. I will not make any yummy cheesy flax crackers since I cannot control my portions. That goes for the dip also. I will moderate my coffee intake, and by next week my lady friend will be gone, so hopefully a woosh will come my way.” - Execute and check yourself: Sounds simple enough. Write down your plan for the week. Either at the beginning or end of the day, verify you met your objectives and that you didn’t stray from the plan. If you have a slip up, don’t beat yourself up, just start over.
My checking mechanisms: I have stored on my phone and in my Google Docs. I’ll check in every day to make sure I ate the right foods, drank my water, took my vitamins, avoided temptation and planned ahead. If unexpected social events arise, I will check my list before I go out, to remind myself of the parameters in which I can operate. It’s not rocket science, it’s just practicing a little discipline!
I really believe that the true measure of success is not how much the scale shows you did, but how hard you work to make yourself better. This week, I vow to be better.
What do you do when you encounter an unfriendly number on the scale?
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