Breaking Through...

For almost a month I have teetered back and forth between 336 and 340, not due to any real diet problems but mostly due to natural fluctuations of water retention. I have finally broken through that plateau and am down to 335.

This is the first time in my life I have tackled and broken through a weight loss plateau. It is usually a time of such stress and depression and frustration, and I end up giving into those negative feelings, giving into the instant gratification with the thought I am sacrificing so much! It's not paying off! Why bother? This was the point where I normally gave up, matter conquering over mind.

This time I actually got through it with calm, peace, and confidence. This time patience and wisdom won out. I have broken through with a sigh of satifaction and am ready now to move on to the next level.

I also used a different strategy. I did not get tough and restrict my calories any more through the plateau. My theory was that, if my body was trying to clamp down and hold onto energy, why not let it have it's energy. I still ate within reason-- below approximately 1800 calories a day (estimation), sticking to lots of veggies, fruits, whole grain carbs, etc., but I did not get desperate.

My next mini-goal is getting down 10 more pounds-- that's 325, that's 50 pounds lost, that's 1/3 of my journey complete.

Now that I have broken through the plateau, I think I might get a little stricter and bump up the exercise a little more to try to get to that 10 pound goal, I am hoping by the end of August. But if I may let a little optimism slide in.... maybe sooner?

I made all these Scott Cunningham Magical Weight-Loss Bath herbal bundles, I might as well use them and see what they can do when I'm not on a plateau.

On a funnier note, my darling husband-- who himself is another 3 pounds down mind you!-- is addicted to green smoothies now, and particularly loved the ones I made yesterday with lemon balm and stevia. He looked at my small potted plants on the porch container garden and I explained to him that I had never used them as much but if we used them every day our use would outpace the plant's ability to replenish. He has decided we need more plants-- more lemon balm, more stevia, and more other flavor mints like apple mint and pineapple mint and chocolate mint to try in our green smooties. I find it funny that all of a sudden he is interested in gardening.

But you think I'm going to argue if I get more plants out of it?

Yeah... right...