I woke up totally frustrated this morning. I have been on a weight loss plateau for the past 4-5 months. When I started this journey (again!) Thanksgiving week of 2020, things were going well. I started walking at least 2 miles every day pretty consistently. I cut my soda consumption to only weekends. And I watched my calories on the Lose It app until I was tired of tracking it.

Weight was coming off. I lost 20 pounds fairly quickly. My clothes were fitting better, my back didn’t hurt as much, and I could easily go up and down the stairs.

Then, just as it has happened in the past, my weight loss came to a screeching halt. My body must be thinking that there must be some famine going on in the world or that my village is being pillaged so I have to hang on to every morsel of fat and calories that I can!

So this past Saturday I was going to get drastic…for Science!! I cut out all major white sugar products like candy and pop. If I crave sweets, I eat fruit. I have been drinking more water and tea. I am taking supplements and probiotics to clean my gut. And I am only eating eight hours between 12:30 and 8:30 pm.

So I woke up this morning, did my usual routine, stepped on the scale…it went UP!! Dammit!!

I was ready to just quit. Screw dieting! All this work I have put in is for nothing! I didn’t even want to go for my morning walk.

But I went for my walk anyway. It was a good thing I did. Walking gives me a chance to think, clear my mind, and sometimes God has a way to talk to me through the music I am listening to.

During my walk, I was thinking about the advice I was given from a good doctor friend of ours. He said, “How long did it take you to put on the weight?” “It is going to take you a while to get it off. It won’t come off in a few weeks or months. It may take years.”

I was thinking about how I gained weight. The Freshman 15, being newlyweds, pregnancies, the kid’s snacks, eating out, and easy meals all played a part in my journey. I also grew up during a time when you had to clean your plate before you left the table instead of listening to your body that you were full and satisfied. I still remember lunch at school and not being able to go out to recess until my plate was clean.

Then, right on cue, my playlist played Whitney Houston’s inspirational and upbeat song “Step By Step” (it’s a great walking song). Here are the lyrics that resonated with me:

Say baby, don’t give up

You’ve got to hold on to what you’ve got

Oh, baby, don’t give up

You’ve go to keep on moving

Don’t stop

I’m listening, God! Thank you!! It was the push that I needed to keep going on this journey. Of course, I am not going to see the results of my drastic measures in just 3 days! I need to keep moving forward and see in a week or two if I am on the right track to push me over this plateau and lose some more weight. I will keep you posted if I do indeed get over this hump.

So if you are in the same boat as me, do not give up. Keep going. Try something new or different and see if that gets the scale moving in the right direction. If you have any tips or suggestions, I would love to read them in the comments! Let’s go on this journey together and help each other along the way.