I was reading the weekly newsletter from Coach Training Alliance and although it was about careers, I thought it was apropos to dieting. Here it is paraphrased:

“Embrace the plateaus of accomplishment. These can be natural resting spots. Do not confuse your current location on the path with your intended destination. This will only cause unnecessary stress because you are not there yet. Keep moving in the direction of goals, and enjoy the journey. You will be there before you know it!”

So you’ve been going along pretty successfully losing weight every week, moving along quite nicely with your exercise program and then wham, the ball stops rolling, the scale won’t budge and/or you can’t seem to go that extra mile. You may have been there before. You know how frustrating it can be, in the past, you may have quit at this point.

BUT, this time know that this is a CHOICE you can make! You can choose to stick it out, reinforce your VISION, evaluate what and how you doing each day to move in the direction of your goals. Take a good hard look at your patterns. If you stop using kj’s daily food and activity tracker, start using it again, now. Shake up your program a bit to jump-start your metabolism. For example, cut out refined carbohydrates and reduce your overall carbohydrate intake, while boosting protein and water. Change your exercise routine. If you’ve been walking every day for 40 minutes, next time every five minutes walk at a faster pace for two minutes. Start lifting weights to boost your calorie-burning capacity and/or join a Pilates class.

There is research that shows that taking a break from weight loss after a period of time may not be a bad thing. During this break maintain your new healthier habits. A conscious plateau may help stabilize your metabolism, give your body and mind a chance to adjust to this new you and help you get ready to embark once again on your journey to losing weight and reaching your destination.