Comments on: Did I Just Plateau? Why Am I Not Losing Weight?

By: Gina

Gina — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:36:27 +0000

Well written and well played. IMO, the largest goal in all of this is to stay healthy. You can lose weight by eating bread and drinking water a few times out. Since we are inclined to measure our success in pounds; we forget about the intangibles that may matter the same if not more: muscle mass, fat loss, heart rate, pulse, cholesterol count, blood pressure, etc. The overall question I think you should ask yourself is “am i healthier than I was before and am I still on track?” Tony Horton is a great trainer who brought to light “Muscle Confusion Principle.”

“A training principle that states that muscles accommodate to a specific type of stress (habituate or plateau, also called homeostasis) when the same stress is continually applied to the muscles over time, there one must constantly vary exercises, sets, reps and weight to avoid accommodation…” Per a website’s definition.

In other words our bodies become accustomed to what we are doing and will use regular routine exercises as a way of maintaining the current state or moving toward your goal at a slower pace.

By: Tracy

Tracy — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:23:00 +0000

Thanks a lot for your help Erika! I just want to make it right this time. I have said time and time again that “THIS TIME WILL BE DIFFERENT!” I’m so over that statement! LOL! However, I REALLY want it to be true this time. I’ve been “serious” before, but to no avail. I just want to get it right. I feel like I’m getting there “this time.” It’s not a task or chore anymore. I actually look forward to working out. I’m serious about modifying my eating habits without jumping on the latest fad diet bandwagon. It’s just VERY discouraging to feel like you are doing something right, but you get no results. I won’t say that I’m not getting ANY. I feel muscles in places that I’ve never felt them. My clothes fit looser. People have remarked that I look smaller. But those darn numbers on the scale…

By: Erika

Erika — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:09:08 +0000

Tracy, I understand! I think we ALL face this issue at one point in time or another… shocking our body with so little food so fast, that our metabolism shuts down and stops processing the fat on our bodies… which actually produces the exact opposite effect that we want!

I suppose this could be a new blog topic, but I actually eat about six times a day. Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner… and since I have a very late bedtime, I snack again. What should one eat during that time frame? I can offer suggestions, but only YOU will know when too much is too much. I can assure you that if you promise yourself that you’ll eat 6 times a day, seriously, you WILL hit a brick wall and eventually tailor your choice of foods because you’ll feel sick, lol. Hard lesson learned the right way.

I’ll blog more about it and see if I can help bring a little clarity to the topic.

By: Tracy

Tracy — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:54:24 +0000

Not eating enough. I’ve read a few online articles and determined that the body can go into starvation mode when the body doesn’t get enough calories to sustain daily activities. I’ve been so intent on not OVEReating, that I’ve been UNDEReating. Now, I’m trying to find the right combination of foods (or “model diet”) to eat daily so that I can stay within range.