The Dreaded Weight Loss Plateau

We’ve all been there – doing everything “right,” exercising (making an effort anyway), eating more fresh foods, and yet, nothing. No change. We anxiously weigh ourselves hoping for some result, but the needle won’t budge, or worse, it rises! You are on a weight loss plateau. That’s when most people just give up. What’s the use? This doesn’t work. Nothing works. I think I’ll try that new diet … or maybe skip breakfast … or?

Review Your Daily Habits

If your weight loss seems to have stalled, it might be time to reassess your daily habits. I promote the “non dieting” approach, which means you should eat what you really want to eat, when you really want to eat it. In other words, if you are hungry (key word: hungry), then you should eat something, but it doesn’t mean with wild abandon each and every time. You can eat until you’re stuffed but once you learn the real principals of non-dieting, you’ll rarely want to do so. If you give yourself permission to eat, you don’t have the same experience of deprivation and you’re behavior around food with change as well.

But, back to our stalled weight loss efforts. If you are no longer losing, and you still believe you have weight to lose (five, 10, 15 or more pounds), then here is my approach, and it may just work for you. Look closely at your eating habits. Here is an example based on my own life:

When I order at Dairy Queen (once a week habit, now perhaps four times a year), I still order a double-cheese burger with the works, and a family-pack fry. What is a family pack fry you ask? It’s a French fry order they think is big enough for the whole family, but I think is just right for me! My husband who always says he doesn’t want any French fries, then asked for some of mine (hey, I’m eating that!), now gets his own whether he asks for them or not cause I don’t like to share. I’m a bit of a French fry freak, I guess.

So now, I’ve come to the realization that maybe it’s time for me to let go of the belief that I must have a gigantic order of fries. Notice I used the word “maybe” in that last sentence. That tells me I’m not convinced, but I am willing to give it a try, so that is what I choose to work on. Since I just had a Daily Queen, it could be a month or two before I have a chance to see whether this works, but I will report when the time comes.

For now, here is my plan, and you can apply this to yourself by choosing one thing you eat, whether you eat it often doesn’t matter, but choose something you know you could perhaps either cut back on (times a week, quantity when you do have it), and make a small change. I’m not intending to quit eating French fries, but I am intending to become a more normal consumer and order a regular sized order.

I’m going to use EFT on my belief that I must have a huge order of french fries:

“Even though I think I have to have a family pack fry, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
Shortened phrase: Family pack fry”

“Even though I can’t imagine not having a family pack fry, I deeply and completely accept myself.”

Shortened phrase: “Must have family pack fry” – (said in a robotic voice with outstretched arms for fun)

“Even though I want to order the huge order of fries, I deeply and completely accept myself.”

Shortened phrase: “huge fries, love huge fries”

“Even though I always order the huge order of fries, I deeply and completely accept myself.”

Shortened phrase: “always get huge fries”

“Even though I’m the French fry queen, I deeply and completely accept myself.”

Shortened phrase: “French fry queen”

See how I play with the words? Have fun with it. I’m going to tap, today once an hour on this. Each time evaluating how strongly I believe I would order the family pack fry, if I were standing at the counter making my order. I’ll keep doing the tapping, until my belief is zero.

How is this helpful in a stalled weight loss? Easy, it is your habits that create your current size and shape. This is a habit I’ve kept for a long time, and this one small change, even though I don’t eat it often, will still add up to some weight off. It really works, and there is no pain, no trauma, no giving up my favorites.