It’s been three months since I started this life-changing weight-loss journey at Align Private Training with Matthew Lister.
I’ve been flying high pretty much since Day 1, which was just before Christmas. Was I crazy to start a drastic diet and exercise program during the holidays, or what? Maybe, but better late than you know what.
I was delighted and excited to lose weight and inches.
Matthew R. Lister, founder of Align Private Training, is part trainer, part counselor, and part motivator.
And I love working with Matthew. He’s super motivational, and all these many hours, weeks and months later, I still like him a lot, no matter what torturous workouts he throws my way.
I didn’t even mind when Matthew confiscated my scale, for my own good, because I was getting too fixated on the numbers.
Even so, I guess it was bound to happen: I’ve hit a plateau. I’ve hovered around the 18 pounds-lost mark for a few weeks now. Yes, I’m still losing inches, but my weight is stuck. I hate this!
Of course, 18 pounds is nothing to sneeze at. The thing is, I wanted/expected more weight lost, faster. To me, it’s simple: I’m eating practically nothing, and I’m working out like an super athlete. Therefore, I imagined I should be losing something like at least five pounds a week. That’s not a scientific number. It’s just the number I thought I would have liked.
Plus, there’s a woman at Align — the one whose weight-loss inspired me to join — who lost 30 pounds in three months. And I think she’s nearly lost 70 by now. Wow! That’s impressive! And I know someone else at Align who had a weekend of missteps in the food department, and yet she still lost three pounds, which to me is the definition of unfair.
But what’s that line about comparison being the thief of joy? True.
I wouldn’t feel so frustrated if I had no knowledge of how others were doing. That’s an issue I’ve had my whole life: Donielle, pay no attention to what other boys and girls are doing. Take care of yourself.
I wasn’t planning on being a Wednesday Whiner, but Matthew always has a cheery, “Hi! How ARE you?” when I walk in each day. Wednesday, I just couldn’t fake it. I was feeling pissed at the plateau.
Part of what exacerbated my down mood was I’d just received the latest batch of photos from Brad Garrison, the talented trained photojournalist who’s documenting my transformation. I chose Brad specifically because I knew he’d select photos that told the story of my transformation, not necessarily the most flattering shots.
I warned myself that in the beginning, the photos would probably look terrible of me, but over time, I’d be so happy to see the before and afters, that I’d just get over myself and publish them, no matter what. Hopefully some day soon I’ll be glad to have those retrospective shots.
Right now, I’d like workout glam shots taken only from the most flattering angles.
I’m always shocked to see how much worse I look in the photos than I had imagined. (See the slideshow in today’s column.)
My sister, bless her heart, tried to cheer me up when she saw the photos. If I’m not mistaken, she sucked air a few times.
“Well, Doni, face it: That’s not exactly a flattering outfit,” she said.
Unflattering photo or not, I just thought I would have been so much further along with the weight loss by now.
I told Matthew that, and more (of course, I was working out while we talked. No down time.) All the while, he just listened, and then offered some perspective in the form of questions:
- Had my new diet and exercise kicked my former pre-diabetic condition to the curb? Yes.
- Had I lost 18 pounds? Yes.
- Did I feel better? Yes.
- Was I down nearly three sizes? Yes.
- Had I kicked the sugar habit? Yes.
- Was I stronger? Yes.
- Had I lost inches? Yes.
- Is my transformation moving in the right direction? Yes.
- Is my plantar fasiitis gone? Yes.
He was right, of course. About everything. As I worked out, I thought about the fact that all of Matthew’s clients have discouraging days from time to time. I know because I hear people say some of the very things I’m sharing with you today. No matter how many times he’s heard these same complaints, excuses, frustrations and fears, Matthew’s always at the ready with a pep talk. If I were him, I’d grow weary of giving pep talks.
Sometimes, I don’t even need to mention if I’m feeling crappy or discouraged, because I’ll hear someone else voice a similar concern, and I get the second-hand smoke effect, and Matthew’s encouragement blows my way.
He’s adjusted my nutrition plan a bit, so I’m having a few days in the week where slow carbs are reintroduced. Hello, oatmeal, nice to see you again. I’ve sure missed you.
We’ll see if that doesn’t knock some of those stubborn pounds off.
In the meantime, I’m going shopping for a more flattering workout outfit.
How about you? How do you handle plateaus? Any tips?
Click here to read the rest of Doni’s series, “The Weight is Over.”
