But they’re not the end of the world and should NOT deter you from your goal!

If you follow me on Facebook you probably already know about the “guessing game” that’s going on with my weight loss but if not:  I’m offering a prize to the person who guessed the correct date on which I FINALLY hit 199lbs.  I was at 203.6 when everyone placed their bets, that was January 10th.   The NEXT day I was at 201.4!  I had lost over two pounds overnight!  However the NEXT day…202.0! I GAINED .6lbs!   And I’ve been stuck there for three days now.

I am SO close to 199lbs…SO. STINKIN’. CLOSE!

This is the funny thing about weight is that it doesn’t always make sense and it isn’t always an indicator of how successful we are.  In fact, getting on the scale can actually lead to complete and total failure. It did for me, over and over and over again for well over a decade.

In the past, if I got on the scale and saw a loss and then the next day saw a gain and the next day no change at all, I would have assumed that what I was doing wasn’t working and would have given up.  Not only would I have given up, but I would have said, EFF it and gone to Taco Bell and gorged myself on too much food.  This is the vicious cycle that helped get me to 325lbs.  Crazy no?

One of the biggest things that gastric bypass has taught me is that my weight fluctuates and those fluctuations are NOT indicators of failure.  Over the past year I have hit MANY plateaus and the only reason they didn’t make me give up was because I had no other choice.  Due to my teeny tiny pouch I couldn’t just throw in the towel, run to Taco Bell and pity myself in a Nacho Bell Grande, Bean Burrito with Extra Red Sauce and Sour Cream plus a Beefy Crunch Burrito.  Nope these days I have to stick to my plan…or just eat half of a bean burrito. I do still love those things!

Anyway, my point is…Plateaus happen, they’re just part of the process.  No two ways about it.  It doesn’t matter how regimented you are or what diet plan you’re using, they happen.  In-fact, I am currently doing a detox cleanse- no grains, no dairy, no processed foods or sugar.  This is the HEALTHIEST I’ve ever eaten in my entire life and yet, here I am, stuck on a plateau for going on three days now.  Plus I Crossfit!  Have I mentioned that before?  Like FIVE DAYS PER WEEK!? …A time when I should be flushing all the crap out, literally and figuratively, I am stuck.  But the difference this time is that I’m sticking with it because I know that it will work.  I may not see the results on the scale tomorrow or the next day…or even the next, but I WILL see them and in the mean-time, my body is happy.  It’s getting tons of vitamins and nutrients and none of the garbage it’s become accustomed to over the last…35 or so years.  Actually, if you’re curious about what I’ve been eating, check out my food diary on My Fitness Pal!  I’m “imperfectlife”, find me, let’s be friends!

And for your view pleasure, in case you don’t believe my commentary above, here is a graph of my weight loss since one year ago today.  I had gastric bypass on December 19, 2011- so this chart starts about 1 month post op.  See all those plateaus?  EVEN AFTER HAVING MY GUTS REARRANGED?!

Each of those straight horizontal lines is a plateau AND more than that- those plateaus often included weight gain that I refused to track because I didn’t want to dwell on them. I kind of regret not tracking them now so you could see them but it’s too late for that.

Just REMEMBER that fluctuations are all part of the process, they’re going to happen… they do not determine your success it’s how you respond to them that does.

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