Hello, Plateau!

According to Merriam-Webster, a plateau is a usually extensive land area having a relatively level surface raised sharply above adjacent land on a least one side. According to me and millions of other lifestyle movers and shakers, a plateau is a period of time filled with frustration, rage, and disappointment. I'm sure a few of you reading this have been there before. You stick to your healthy eating and hit the gym on a regular basis only to get on the scale and see the same number over and over and over and over again. I knew that eventually in this journey that my body would become adjusted to the changes that I've made and that losing the last 20-30 lbs would be more difficult than losing the first 30 lbs. I was so excited to report in my last post that I had continued to drop weight throughout the holiday season. The week after my last post I didn't lose any weight. The week after that, you guessed it, I didn't lose any weight. Hello, plateau! I was beyond aggravated because at that point I had been going to the gym at least 5 times a week. I'm not a doctor nor a personal trainer so I consulted the always true and always faithful Internet (HA!) for more insight. Most everything I read told me I needed to mix up my workouts and EAT MORE. Whaaaat??? Mix up my workouts? Sure! I've been to the gym 2 times in the last 3 weeks. EAT MORE?! The week before last I cheated on days that end in "y". Guess what? I've crossed the plateau and returned to the hills! I'm fully aware that the path I chose is not what the Internet gods had intended but I figured what the heck, it was worth a shot. It seems that slacking off and then jumping back on board rejuvenated my metabolism and put me back on track to reach my ultimate goal!

As of my last post I weighed 232 lbs. Today, I weigh 228 lbs! That's 4 lbs down since my last post, 40 lbs all together, and 29 lbs away from weighing 199 lbs by my 30th birthday, June 18th. Can y'all believe that it's only 4 months away? It seems like only yesterday that I sat down and bared all in my first entry, hoping that maybe one person would read it. I was just talking to my sister, Jenny, earlier. She has just started Weight Watchers and I'm so proud of her! She was talking about how she likes that the meetings and weigh-ins help keep her accountable. I told her that this blog is what holds me accountable. But you know what? It's not the blog. It's you. This blog is useless if nobody reads it! I must once again apologize for the lack of updates. I've been working 50+ hours a week for the past few weeks and odds are that if I'm not packing Little Debbies, I'm sleeping! Thank you all so much, from the bottom of my heart, for helping me be the best me that I can be. I didn't take a selfie this week but I wanted to share a victorious moment that I had not long ago in the Old Navy dressing room...

Yes, those pants are entirely too long but they are buttoned and zipped! I needed new pants for work so I hesitantly tried on a pair of khakis at Old Navy. I was hesitant because I haven't been able to wear their bottoms for years. When I started my new routine I was wearing a size 24. Old Navy carries up to a size 20 in store and I CAN WEAR THEM!!! I was so excited that I had to take this ridiculous photo and I'll admit that I shed a few tears of joy. 

A few of you have told me that you love it when I do the "side by side" comparison pics so here's one for you since I'm without a selfie. The picture on the left is from Easter 2012 and the one on the right is from 2 weeks ago...

I hope you've all enjoyed this experience as much as I have, there is much more to come!