I've been hesitant in writing this post because I feel overwhelmed by so many success stories out there and feel a bit of an imposter by not really being one of them. Oh sure, I've lost some weight but given the amount of time I've been at it, it should've been a lot more. Last year there were plenty of times when I got sidetracked - but only two that really should've counted due to illness or injury that prevented me from working out. The other few times are when I got lazy.
And then 2009 came along and I told myself "No more excuses". Since January, I've lost 11 pounds but in the past few months I've been hovering between 204 and 202. Because I had become so frustrated at how long it was taking to lose weight, I stepped up the intensity and joined a gym in June. Three weeks later I injured my elbow which has not allowed me to use that arm for weights. And so it'll be another month or two before that's back to normal. And that's the Catch 22 - whenever I try to up the intensity of the workout ever so subtlely to hasten the weight loss (and I'm not talking wildly exotic stuff like trapeze manuevers or hauling car transmissions to the attic), I wind up losing ground because of some nagging little injury and have to dial back my workouts to just t-mill or elliptical.
I'm so frustrated at my lack of progress but will keep doing the minimal workouts until my elbow heals. But does anyone have any ideas on how to up the workout intensity without continually injuring this middle-age body of mine? I am really struggling with this plateau so any input you'd have would be most appreciated.
18 comments:
I'm sorry you are so frustrated. I totally understand!!
I don't want to knock the gym or anything like that - because I think gyms are great and wonderful!
BUT, I did lose all my weight by walking for exercise. Sure, I ran occasionally once I got under 200 pounds, but 98% of the time? walking.
So while you are waiting for your arm to get strong again, just really power walk on that treadmill. It will burn calories, and you can drop more weight!!
Keep up your great work - slow and steady is fine.
When I hurt myself, I always fall back to swimming laps. I hate it, but it's a really good exercise for all parts of the body without putting a lot of pressure on it.
Sorry about the stallout; here's hoping you find your mojo again soon.
Slow and steady? Maybe just some nice walks instead of more intense gym sessions? I wish I had something magical to say but I'm with you on this. The stall, the plateaus the weight, it's all a frustrating drain.
Remember, the tortoise won that race!!!
Well, I don't know your workout, but do you do aerobic/cardio exercise and, if so, how long?
I was stuck in a plateau last year for over two months. At that time, I was biking about 30-40 minutes 5 days a week. I finally upped my bike time to an hour, 6 days of week and started losing again. Nothing major, just about a pound on average a week (I "cheat" on weekends, so, uhm, there you go). I did some weight lifting, but I think the bulk of my exercise was cardio. How do you think your knees can take something like that?
Anyway, increasing cardio is key. I've read from the American Medical Assoc. and a sports medicine group that some people may need to exercise between 60-90 minutes for weight loss (not maintenance).
As long as you keep going, you are a success story too. You seem to focus on the exercise side of things...how's your eating these days? Have you tried any adjustments with that?
Keep going, Gigi. You're going to get there.
Gigi, Gigi, Gigi....
Okay - I get that you're frustrated. Slow weight loss sucks. But, you are LOSING, so that's a win for you. You weigh less today than you did at the beginning of the year!
That being said, as another comment mentioned, you talk about exercise, but what's going on with your diet? Are you tracking all your meals? Are you eating enough calories? At your weight and height (we're about the same, you know) - you should be eating at least 1,400 to 1,500 calories a day.
If you're injuring yourself at workouts that means you're doing too much and your body is telling you to step off, lol!
Show us your current diet and maybe there's something there that needs to be tweaked. You'll find your mojo again, it just takes some investigative work.
I suggest some kind of water exercise. When I first joined the Y I thought that would be an easy way to get started but I was surprised at how tough they were... I didn't know I could sweat in a pool full of cold water. It has the added benefit of no impact.
Gigi, girl, I know what you mean about feeling like an imposter. . . but hey, at other times we've been at the head of the pack right. . .? It's our turn to learn to appreciate the middle of the pack.
It's lucky you can walk--sometimes foot pain keeps this from being viable for me.
You can certainly ramp up your program using the elliptical and treadmill--have you tried intervals? Going as hard as you can (or a certain pace) for 2 to 5 minutes, then a slow down for 2 mintues, then fast again?
Also, my trainer had me walk on the treadmill sideways. . . turn the speed all the way down and hold on. . . get your feet moving comfortable and turn up speed slowly (you will never probably do this fast)--it keeps things interesting and works those inner thighs.
Also, do you monitor your heart rate? That keeps cardio a bit more challenging & interesting. . .
Hang in there! At least you're facing in the right direction! YOu get big points from me for that!
Sorry about your stall! It's slow and it sucks but you'll break through it. Hugs!!
Wow, you have really smart friends. Walking and taking a look at the food seems like a great plan. Sending good mojo vibes!
You can get thru this.
You ARE NOT an imposter! STOP THAT NOW!
I do not do anything but walk, once last I rode my bike. Big Whoop.
It's so important to keep your head in the game. Breaking 200 seems tough for everyone.
DO NOT GIVE UP! and never, ever, stop blogging....lol
I know exactly what you speak of. I face the same thing! Everytime I start an exercise regime, I always end up with an injury or a really bad headache (migraines) that it forces me to scale back or stop all together for a while. So this catch-22, I know all about it. Its not fair is it!
BUT. You can do it. When you cannot go to the gym... do something else like walk around the gym tracks or something, just keep moving. Jump on a trampoline (the small one, not the big fun ones) because it does build up your heart rate. Do things that doesn't require the injured part. You can do it. If you can, then I surmise I should be able to, too! ;-)
Im so glad you shared this as we have all been there!
I say let it heal entirely.
swim if you can.
walkwalkwalk. add intervals to your walking.
ONLY lift your lower body (be sure to rest in between sessions).
get a cheap hulahoop.
add in new things like yoga or pilates? check out some new workout dvds which focus on the LOWER PART OF YOU.
you know where to find me if you want more ideas.
xo xo,
Carla
I use supplements that really help me in keeping soreness and injury to a mimimal. Email me and I will show you what I use.
We all go through struggles and part of the blog to me is to talk about your ups and downs.
Keeping that weight off is a triumph, in my book. I'm in a similar place-- I am happy with the changes I've made, I certainly need to lose more, but I have other things I need to focus on this month and I decided that for the present maintaining is good enough. That said, I need to sign off and go walk the Appalachian Trail (about 2 miles of it total!)
I want to chime in for walking! Taking a 30-60 minute walk most days of the week has really helped my weight loss. I added in some strength training with elastic bands well into my weight loss, and, since I have a bad back, I have only this week started any sort of exercises aimed at my abs. They always aggravate my back pain, so I'm going very slowly with them.
Don't feel like an imposter! You are losing! Gradual changes are the ones that are more likely to be permanent.
Oh boy, well, I recently discovered your blog and have been reading some of the posts. I can sure relate to this one! I too tend to go too hard on the exercise and then get hurt and set back. Over and over.
I tend to want to push myself, but even though my nature is to push... nurturing my body means laying off the craziness.
What I'm learning is that while regular exercise is a good thing, going at it too hard isn't always the best for some of us. Mild activity counts. Actually, it counts for quite a bit of calorie burn if you fill your days with it! Think yard work, housecleaning, plain old walking, that sort of thing.
The important thing to know is that if you control the food intake, you can still lose, even if you are sidelined for a while.
Hang in there. You are no more an imposter than I am, and I've only managed to lose 25 pounds in a couple YEARS!
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