So it's happened again. You were making killer progress and out of nowhere, a plateau hits and stalls everything. We've all been there, and it gets frustrating to wait it out. While we absolutely have to do everything in our power to stay on track and keep moving forward during plateaus, something I've come to accept is they can also be a time for self-reflection and gratitude.
To get my stats out of the way, I'm a 5'10" guy who started at 120kg/264lbs and have been doing a combination of CICO and IF since last August. I've also done various sports/workouts in between but have had to stop temporarily due to other commitments (but I'm planning on starting again soon).
Whenever a plateau hit, it always threw me into a state of anxiety. "Is this it for me? Am I going to slip back into the person I was? Am I doing something wrong?". All these things used to swirl in my head and it just made the plateau period worse. Upon further reflection though, I realize that we often don't take time to fully appreciate what we've achieved so far because we're so focused on hitting that next milestone. It's good to have that kind of focus, but at the same time it's important to take some time to just enjoy and appreciate the body you've earned at this very moment.
I'll tell you what I mean. When I finally dropped below 100kg for the first time in half a decade (going from a 3 digit weight to 2 like most normal people), I was too focused onto getting out of the obese range. I didn't take the time to fully soak in the fact I was no longer 100kg or above. When I finally got out of the obese range, I was now focused on hitting onderland rather than celebrating the fact I was no longer obese for the first time since my preteens. When I finally hit onderland, I was onto getting out of the 90kg range. You get the picture.
Somewhere around the time I finally got out of the obese range, I hit a major plateau that lasted a month. That's when the idea to take it slow and just get used to my new body and life came. I started looking at the things I could do with a new sense of gratitude. I no longer had to shop for XXL t shirts. I no longer needed 40"+ waist pants. I could walk to places without feeling winded or sweaty. When I stated my weight to people, I no longer got stares but instead just a raised eyebrow occasionally (still heavy for my height but not that much anymore).
Now I'm at another plateau at 88kg/194lbs and I'm reflecting on the things I can do now. No longer need XL shirts, my jogging pace has gone up dramatically, I can eat small meals and no longer feel like I'm restricting myself, when I state my weight, no one bats an eye anymore since I'm now at a normal-ish weight, and in general, people no longer look at me as "that fat guy over there". Overweight? Sure, sometimes, but most people only see me as a normal looking guy now. I still have not gotten used to these things, so that's why I think plateaus should be used to better adapt to this new life of ours. Sorry if this was a bit lengthy, but it's been on my mind for a while and I needed a place to vent.
Remember, the body you have now was once a dream to the old you. Live out that dream a little.
TL;DR: When you hit a plateau, don't beat yourself up over it. Instead, use it to reflect on how far you've come and adapt to the new lifestyle more casually.
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