TWR 081: Three Questions to Ask Yourself When You Hit the Weightloss Plateau

Hey, girl. If there is anything that our toxic diet culture has taught us as we were growing up, it is calories in and calories out. Or even, “Move more, eat less.” Here’s the deal, we talk a lot about the “crazy train of dieting” on this show and this is exactly the reason why– these Tarzan-like statements that require minimal speech also require minimal thought and our brains can go on thinking that this is normal. That this is what it takes to actually get the results we desire. But have you ever thought to yourself, “If I am doing all of these things right, then why am I not seeing the results?” It can be frustrating as hell, and Amber sheds some light by giving us three questions to ask ourselves when we see a plateau in our wellness journeys.

First up, ask yourself, “Am I actually eating enough?” Wait a sec… How can I eat too little? Move more, eat less, right? Stay with me. Amber says that women over 40 grew up in a time when it was trendy to be on a diet of some sort– because of that, we have all heard the term “calorie deficit.” So, here’s what happens: we go on this journey and we see some results. Hell. Yes. But, the time comes when we hit our first plateau. Okay, so we do what we did the first time around and cut our calories again… and again, and again. The crazy train becomes a crazy vortex spiraling out of control. Eventually, our body adjusts and our metabolism slows. So, it begs the question– are you eating enough? If not, it would be a prime opportunity to get a coach’s help to guide you through the process to reverse this effect.

Next, ask yourself, “Am I stressed?” Amber points out that we are not just talking mental or emotional stress. That is certainly a factor here, but we are talking about physical stress on the body as well. To feel stressed like we are all familiar with is easy to recognize, but our physical body being stressed may be more difficult to gain awareness of so check for these things: Are you exercising too much? Amber has a great story about an avid CrossFitter to illustrate this point. Are you sleeping enough? The whole point of sleep is for our bodies to recharge, recover, and reset– so, naturally, if we don’t get enough sleep, we are automatically putting ourselves at a disadvantage. All this stress, whether emotional or physical, produces the hormone cortisol which definitely has a direct effect on our weight loss. 

Finally, ask yourself, “Am I giving myself enough time?” Let’s be real. We want more than weight loss, we want body fat loss. To do this takes time. You have heard this before, but how many of us actually listen? Achieving sustainable weight loss takes time and changing our mindset from fixed to one of growth. We are talking about a wellness journey lifestyle, not dieting.

Episode Resources

• Amber’s Free Intermittent fasting guide: ambershaw.com/fasting
• Get the Beauty & Gut Collagen+ by MindBodyGreen at shop.mindbodygreen.com and use code wellnessrevolution15 for 15% off

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