So did Esther “end the party” and get off her plateau? Yes she did. Esther reported a 2 pound weight loss this week. She broke her month long plateau of 135 lbs and is down to 133! Total weight loss is 15 pounds.  She decided to buckle down and get serious again towards meeting her goal of 125 pounds. Yeah - congrats Esther! (pic is of Esther drinking WATER when out with friends)

My interview with Esther:

Martha: So do you feel like the “party is over” and you are back on track?
Esther: Yes, I have gotten back on track. My trainer was away for a while and even she got on my case when she saw how I did 2 weeks ago (with the 17 drinks in one week)!

Martha: Are you as motivated as before with regards to sticking to your eating and exercise plan?
Esther: The longer I do this for,  the more it has become my lifestyle

Martha: Did you check out any of my plateau tips? 
Esther: Yes -  I know for me if I add more cardio (i.e. spinning) to my week it will help break the plateau.  My trainer, Anastasia, is also changing up my exercise routine adding by adding in boxing to the mix and Jill, my pilates teacher, has added more challenging routines to our pilates sessions. I feel for me mixing up the cardio (not “mixing up the drinks!”) is key in helping me continue to lose weight.

Martha: Did you have any problematic situations last week? And what about the upcoming week?
Esther:  I had dinner with friends on Tuesday but I don’t think I did too bad. This weekend I have a family BBQ on Sunday but my Mom & Brother will be on watch. Next week I should be on track - I’m  going to Miami with my brother & niece and they are great coaches as well as strict hawks !!! Martha: Nothing like being in a bathing suit to keep you on track with your eating plan. I I know that your family has been supportive of you in the past with other BBQ’s and parties.

4 days of food records:

Tuesday August 5, 2008   
Breakfast   
1 cup brown rice   
1 piece string cheese   
iced coffee   
Lunch   
1/2 mixed salad w/ italian dressing   
shredded mozarella on top   
Dinner   
1 hot dog w/ bun mustard & ketchup   
1 serving french fries, small w/ ketchup   
diet soda 
  
Wednesday August 6, 2008  
Breakfast  
iced coffee  
natures valley cereal bar  
Lunch  
sm mixed salad, oil & vinegar  
1 piece string cheese  
Amy’s organic Vegetarian Lasagna  
Dinner  
2 roasted chicken thighs  
2 roasted chicken legs  
sm portion cole slaw (1/4 cup)  
  

Saturday August 9, 2008
Breakfast
iced coffee  
kashi go lean bar  
Lunch  
1 slice pizza  
Dinner  
4 glasses of prosecco  
2 cups pasta w/ butter & cheese  

 Sunday  August 10, 2008
Brunch  
4 oz turkey w/mustard  
& coleslaw  
Dinner  
Green Tea  
sashimi  
sushi
1/2 wasabi roll

My comments on Esther’s food records:1. She averaged 1250 calories - right on target!
2. Still too much alcohol (5 drinks), but improved from the previous week of 17 drinks -sorry to keep repeating this Esther … but it needs to be addressed
3. You did very well eating out. You ate a lot of “clean” food (i.e. sashimi, grilled fish) without sauce or oil
4. You allowed yourself a few treats such as a hot dog, fries and pizza, but still managed to lose weight because you were careful on other days. Just don’t make a habit of indulging in too many treats!
5. Your diet was a little low in fruits and veggies last week.

Esthers goals for this week:1. Same calorie goal of 1200-1300 calories
2. Let’s say 3 alcoholic drinks a week this week. 2 might not be realistic!
3. Work on adding in more veggies at night and at least one fruit a day
4. Need to increase your exercise. Same goal of cardio 3 times a week, trainer twice and pilates once. And as much walking as you can.
5. Continue with the “clean” foods when you go out.
6. Be careful when you are in Florida
7. Once again, try to measure the oil on your salads. An extra tablespoon a day can mean a 10 pound weight gain a year

Keep up the excellent work!

Related posts

• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey:Progress Report #7 (0)
• Breaking Through Weight Loss Plateaus (0)
• Beware of Snacks at the Bar (1)
• Tips to Deal with the Dreaded Hangover (2)
• The Effects of Alcohol on Men vs. Women (1)

I bet Esther isn’t the only city girl who has hit a weight loss plateau. Plateaus are very common in the world of dieting. I am going to repost a post I made last year on breaking through weight loss plateaus to help motivate those of you are “have hit a wall”.

How many of you started a diet within the past month or so and have stopped seeing the scale move downward? You are being diligent with your diet and exercise plan and the weight loss has stopped. You are nowhere near your goal weight. One week, two weeks, three weeks (sometimes more) the scale does not budge. This is called a plateau and is experienced at some point by almost everyone trying to lose weight. Plateaus can be a very frustrating experience and can make you question your motivation for staying on the straight and narrow with your eating and exercise plan.

I get asked all the time “So why do plateaus occur? I have not increased my food intake or decreased my exercise”. Here are several possible explanations for plateaus.

A. Plateaus can occur after the first few weeks of a following a low carb diet. This is because your body initially lost a lot of water and now the body needs to “fix” its fluid balance. Keep in mind that it is difficult to lose more than 1-2 pounds a week of fat. If you lost 6 pounds the first two weeks of dieting, at least half of it was from water. Your body will hold back onto some water in the next few weeks. Therefore it is likely that you will not lose any more weight for 1-3 weeks. This is more like a mini plateau.

B. Secondly, the body does not always lose weight at an even pace. I have many clients who lose 2 pounds one week, no loss for 2 weeks and then lose two pounds again the following week. While this is not really a plateau, it can be very frustrating. I have no real explanation for this scenario (except that it happens!) Possibly a fluid balance issue again. You will just need to be patient and the weight will eventually come off.

C. Third, it is possible that you have become less diligent with your diet and exercise routine. It is common to lose a little focus after the initial  part of your weight loss plan. You may find yourself drinking an extra glass of wine or increasing your portions without realizing it. Perhaps you are not exercising quite as much as you did in the beginning. These small changes can slow or halt your weight loss.

D. Another reason for a plateau is that your body is adjusting to the new weight. My advice would be to stay focused with your diet and exercise regimen. It is common for dieters to get frustrated at this point and give up. What does it matter if I have this extra portion, I not losing weight anyway! If they had stayed patient for a little longer, the scale would have started to drop again.

Here are some tips for breaking through a weight-loss plateau

1. If you have stopped keeping food records (or never started!), it is time to start again. Weigh and measure foods. It is possible that your portion sizes are getting larger or you are unconsciously eating during the day.

2. Try to change your diet around a little. If you are eating three meals a day, try to eat 6 mini meals. If you are on a low fat diet, try a lower carb diet for a few weeks. If you are eating late at night, try to stop eating at 7-8 pm. If you are enjoying a glass of wine or two a day, try to cut out all alcohol for a few weeks. If you eat a light breakfast and a large dinner, try to reverse this.

3. Make some changes in your exercise program. Try one or more of the following tips:

- Add in another day of exercise each week

- Make your cardio sessions 15-20 minutes longer than usual

- Increase the intensity of your cardio sessions

- Try a new form of cardio (i.e. spinning, kickboxing, etc.)

- Work out with an energetic friend or personal trainer for a month

- Set a new exercise goal such as running your first 5 K race

- Add in weight training if you are not already doing so (aim for 3 sessions a week)

- Try interval training: increase the intensity of your cardiovascular or aerobic exercise by adding short bursts of higher-intensity movement, such as sprinting. These intervals should last 30 to 60 seconds and be followed by less intense exercise for two or three times the length of the burst. Start by adding one or two of these intervals to your routine, then increase the number as you improve your conditioning

- In addition to working out at the gym start walking more. Walking a mile burns approximately 100 calories

4. Focus on how much healthier you feel after losing weight rather than focusing on numbers on the scale. See how your clothes are fitting differently. I actually think that it is best for some people not to get on the scale at all as they tend to become obsessed with numbers.

5. Lastly, be patient. Plateaus will almost always break. The trick is staying motivated long enough for it to break!

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• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report Week 13 (1)