Don't Quit!

Couple of things:

You lose inches before you lose pounds. When it doesn't seem the weight is coming off, try on a pair of pants that didn't fit when you started. This is a nice gauge. Measure your waist, chest, thighs, and check out your butt. You'll be able to see it coming off before the scale "tells" you its coming off.

At the beginning of a diet, you lose a lot of water weight. This is the reason for these "plateaus" we experience. All of the sudden the weight loss almost comes to a stand still. Well, its not. It is just taking a little more effort for your body to burn the fat. Plateaus are like your engine "red-lining"... they mean you need to shift gears. Add a little more exercise or walk/ run a little more. My plateau exercises are things like jumping jacks, squats, crunches, side crunches, and of course rocking kata a little more (I'm a martial artist, too).

I've hit a little bit of a plateau but it's not bothering me. I am hovering between 234 and 236, but, I am also wearing a pair of 36's that I couldn't fit into last fall. I also had fajitas and a Dos Equis last night! Actually, the weekends are a killer as I almost take the weekend off the program simply because our family events revolve around food. But, as long as I don't make a pig of myself, I don't gain weight and I hit it again on Monday.

The program as it stands now is:

Shake in the morning and for lunch. I am adding two tablespoons of the protein mix into the shake to get the daily protein level up. I have a 2 liter jug of tea with me everywhere. You MUST have lots of water. I also take a couple of vitamin supplements, you'll have to ask K about all that. Also, the Vemma is a great way to get more vitamins in your body. I guess I am "cross-training" my programs with Herbalife and Vemma. Its working.

At night, a sensible dinner...when K or P doesn't want a margarita...

But, here's the killer: Don't eat after 7:00 or you'll just spin your wheels. If you have to eat after 7, REALLY watch it. Unless you exercise at night, you'll go to bed with all of that food just sitting in your belly. If you didn't know, that's how Sumo wrestlers gain their weight. They work out, then eat a huge lunch, then take a nap. They do this a few times a day. Doing squats and crunches before I go to bed always helps if I feel I've been naughty.

Summer's here and its getting pretty warm! Spend more time outside just milling about. The heat boosts your metabolism and forces you to drink more water. Cheers!