On Losing Weight: What to do when you hit a plateau

I think there comes a point in every weight-loss journey, when you stop losing weight. For whatever reason, things just slow down and eventually stop losing weight. At the beginning of this year, I lost the little bit of weight I put on over Christmas, and then... nothing. I was doing the same things, eating the same stuff, and nothing was happening. I know it is the most frustrating thing, I'm with you, kids. I got really disheartened, because I knew I still had a bunch of weight to lose, and it was just very frustrating for me. I felt like I was doing all the right things, making good choices, and nothing was happening.

In March this year, I started in a new job, but it became harder to lose the weight. I'd gone from being up and about and on my feet all day, working shifts and being able to fit it in the gym around my hours - to working in an office, sat down from nine to five, and being so sleepy in the evenings. I kept trying to go to the gym, but something just wasn't working anymore.

June rolls around, I realise I've gained about six or seven pounds. Not a lot, in the grand scheme of how much I've lost, but enough to make me feel a bit gross, a bit sluggish. In July I get the call saying my appointment has finally come up on the NHS waiting list, I'm off to get my gallbladder taken out, I can't exercise for about a month and spend two weeks lying around feeling sorry for myself. Now I'm starting to get back into a routine, and I feel horrible in myself, I wake up most mornings and I'm still tired and sleepy and lethargic. I'm getting back on track with my eating, but I want to kick start things. I'm going to New York later in the year and I want to be a bit lighter, a bit more free to do things.

So what now? I know that the gym I was previously going too, wasn't working for me anymore. It was a lovely place, but it's not motivating me enough, the hours don't suit me anymore, and I know that doing what I've always done, is not going to work anymore. When I was was (almost) 100lbs heavier, doing a bit more of any exercise or eating less than I had been doing would've made me lose weight, but now I am a lot lighter, I'm realising that this won't cut it anymore.

And so I found the most crucial thing to my weight loss journey, which is basically to...

C H A N G E   S O M E T H I N G

I mean, you made a massive commitment to kicking this shit off in the first place, didn't you? So why are you so afraid of change?! I'm mostly talking to myself here, by the way - I don't know why I was so terrified to try something new, I guess cause this thing I had been doing worked for me - it worked really well!
I had built up a security blanket around me, of how I got fit, how I lost weight. This was very much sticking to what was safe. Which is all good and fun, and I'm not knocking the method that I used - the way I lot weight really did work for me. But then I know I hit a point where I grew bored, grew complacent, and grew tired. Things slipped, I started reaching for more chocolate, dragged myself to the gym less...

So I decided to change things up a bit. Looking back at the periods of my journey that I enjoyed most, it was things like the month I quit sugar, the two weeks I went veggie... For me trying out running was an amazing learning curve, which I began to document right here on my blog! It also meant, trying to quit sugar for lent, which was semi-successful.. but even if these things aren't the most successful processes, you grow and you learn from it, and you take away things that work for you, and the things that don't.

For example, if you always use a meat-based protein in your meals, maybe try vegetarian proteins instead, and stick to that for a week - it makes you more creative in your cooking, makes you try food that you might not ordinarily go for.
Similarly, if you always use white rice, flour and pasta, maybe try doing brown flour for a bit, in doing this I realised brown rice was really nice, and some brown pasta is disgusting! I also discovered I really love beluga lentils and pearl barley. I was talking about this with my friend at work: you really have just got to find the thing that works for you, that you can get on board with.

This month, I joined a new gym. It's a big fancy gym, full of super-fit people, and proper gym equipment that scares me. But in a good way - I need this, the hours and equipment suit me better, but it does scare me. Even though I've done so much for my health, I will always feel like the fat girl, and I want to change this mindset. I feel like I've been wrapped in my blanket for too long, when it comes to losing weight - I want to get out there.

I think I'm quite old-school, in that the end of the summer feels like the end of the year: Autumn is around the corner and it always makes me think of new school years, and fresh starts. It's all good fun, is what I'm saying, and I think it helps kick start you when you're in a bit of an eating, exercise, weight-loss rut, and it helped me shift a few pounds. Now I'm wondering what I should try next...

For more of my On Losing Weight series, click here!

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on losing weight: tips for first time runners

I've been running on and off since January now - and although I've had to hold it in a bit recently, due to some health problems, it's something I was surprised at how much I loved.
I was posting updates in my couch to 5k weekly updates, but those have stopped and I now just run when I feel like my knee can take it! As a note: my knee was bad before I started running, but the running may have exasperated it. However, I think my tips are all valid! I was an absolute beginner, I'd never run before, outside of the gym - these are a few things that I wish I'd been told before I started running!

KIT YOURSELF OUT PROPERLY:

This doesn't have to be expensive, but get some decent gear. The first few runs, I wore my gym pants, some old trainers, a vest and a hoodie. It was fine, but I found problems, like my phone slipping out of my pocket, and my gym pants getting all muddy because they're not tight like leggings.. After a few runs, I decided to get sorted properly, so I bought a lightweight, warm and zip-up hoodie, with zip pockets (£20) and some running tights (£22). This stuff works a lot better, and even though I feel a little self-conscious in it because I'm not a ~serious runner~, I just stick on my headphones and put on some Queen Bey and I care a lot less. Go to a sports-wear shop, I recommend a place like Decathlon, H&M, Marks and Spencers, or even Tesco, because their stuff is relatively cheap, which is good if you're not convinced you're going to stick at it. I like Decathlon because they have a lot of menswear stuff, and I prefer things that DON'T come exclusively in pink (my pet peeve)!

DO YOUR STRETCHES:

I never really 'believed' in stretches, I'll be honest. I just figured a warm down was enough, but it really, really isn't. I found that running outdoors uses completely different muscles to the ones that I'm used to exercising, and when I don't do them after running, my legs and thighs are in agony the next day. I don't do them pre-running, but make sure I get a good blood-flow going by walking briskly to the place where I run. I do some hamstring and glute stretches, mostly ones I've found just by googling or on Pinterest.

BE SAFE:

I don't run on the streets, but I do cross them to get to my route, so be mindful of wearing headphones whilst out and about. Also, if you're running somewhere secluded, try and let someone know when you're going to be back, and where you are going, and if you run at night or very early in the morning, wear high-visibility clothing. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF A GOOD PLAYLIST:

Where I run is good because it's flat and straight and car-free, and mostly people free (just the odd dog walker, cyclist, other runner, or this one old guy that inline skates verrry slowly...), but it can get a little dull because I run loops of a track with no much to look at apart from the occasional red-kite or puppy that runs across my path. I've learned the hard-way that a bad playlist makes for a less than good run. I shelled out for Spotify premium in January, when it was 99p, for the offline tracks and I've been using it ever since. I went through all their recommended fitness and running playlists and found the tracks I like best and keep me going. They change occasionally when I get bored, but I need something good to listen to!

REPETITION IS JUST FINE:

Some weeks, I repeat the same runs. Before January, I've never ran outside, and I wanted to make sure I could do the runs properly before moving on to the next week. I know this means that the 9-week plan will be longer, but that's okay, I've got the time.

TAKE IT DOWN A NOTCH:

The first few weeks, I couldn't even run for 60 seconds. My first run, I only ran for about 4 minutes out of the 8, and had to walk the rest. Looking back now, I was definitely trying too hard. I was trying to out and out run, when my body just couldn't cope with that. I've run at the gym but outdoors, it feels completely different, so I needed to slow down. After a bit I slowed down to a slow jog, and this works better - it's gentler on my knees, hips and ankles.

ZERO CARES, ZERO REGRETS:

I am an incredibly shy and self-conscious person - I hate doing anything that involves me looking sweaty around people, I hate being laughed at or made the centre of attention.. But I've pushed my way through all these self-esteem issues, because sure, a few kids have shouted comments at me, but I just jack my music up and ignore them. Why would I let what they think bother me?

I know these things are all probably very obvious or silly to the well-seasoned runner - but they were things I didn't consider at all when I first set off on that first run on a grey January day...

For more of my On Losing Weight series, click here!

on losing weight: one year on, six stone lighter

A year ago, today, I made the decision to lose weight - I knew I'd gained a lot of weight over Christmas, so on the 1st of January I made a 'resolution' to try and get a bit fitter, but I sort of felt at the back of my mind that it wouldn't really stick. Stupid, I know. But then I had one of those 'light-bulb moments' - I was on a mini-break in Scotland with my friend, and I was struggling to keep up with her. I kept blaming it on my shoes, on the cobbles, on the Edinburgh hills, but really it was my bad health and I just wanted to be able to do the things that she did so easily. 

I've had a life-long struggle with weight which I've started to document here, but something about this realisation felt pretty permanent. I made a note to myself, on my phone, that I have saved to this day, on the 12th of January at 23:59PM, that was a little reminder of how shit I felt, about my health, and how I needed to do something about it.

The next day, I came home from Edinburgh and I joined my local Curves gym - I'd been there before, and I really enjoy the women-only nature of it all, and how it suits my lifestyle - a 30 minute work-out is easy to fit in, the girls there are so lovely and genuine, and there is just no judgement involved. I've ventured into regular gyms before, and I won't lie, I don't like being around men in that environment, it makes me uncomfortable. Me and my mum got out our recipe books, and sat down and made plans, talked about what we could have for lunch and how to keep motivated, how to make our own recipes healthier. I didn't stop baking, either, there's been plenty of that on this blog this year!

But, somehow, all of it worked...

I say that like I shed 6-stone overnight, which I in no-way did, and I'm still losing weight now, still want to lose a lot more. But I'm still sort of shocked, I'll be honest, that I enjoy eating healthier and losing weight, that yesterday I willingly went for a run in the freezing cold wind with a bit of a hangover...

It's really hard work, but it's really interesting also, to see how your body changes and your strength improves, how your attitudes towards things change, and how you realise you can do a lot more than you ever thought you could. My first run yesterday was horrible and so bad, and I had to walk a lot of it, but I think about that first work-out I did when I got back from Scotland and how I was so red and sweaty and unable to move the next day, from something that is now just part of my routine... and I think maybe in another year, I'll be able to run a 5k. In 2 years I'll be to run a 10k, or more. In 3 years I could be so freaking strong, I could be a machine! Just kidding, sort of, but hopefully you get the point!

So, if you think that new years resolutions don't work, or that you could never make that big of a lifestyle change and have it stick, then maybe rethink that shit, because it's so fucking cool to know what your body can do and to learn your limits.

The rest of the On Losing Weight series can be found here!

[Side note: I know these pictures aren't the best before and after photos, but this isn't really about that. Also, this isn't even an after photo, it's just a photo of me, a bit less heavy and a lot healthier! And I know that these kind of photos can be triggering, so I apologise for that, too. I'm also making a very stupid face in the second photo, but I wanted to get this post up, and also, do you like my new sweater? Got it in the sale!]

on losing weight: workout clothes

I was going to write about maintaining momentum with your weight loss journey - about ways to keep you motivated. However, sometimes when you start writing, you realise that's not what your brain wants to write about, today.

So, workout gear. Obviously, you can go to to the gym in anything you want as long as it makes you go: sweats and t-shirts are just as good as the fanciest things you can buy - but in my experience, if you buy yourself some nice clothes or fancy trainers, it gives you a reason to go. Back in January I got myself some decent yoga pants (not the creepy see-through kind) and a fairly decent sports bra, I already had some trainers, but I felt like these were the important things. Everything else could wait, I thought, to see how well I'd stick this out. Over the last eight months, I have built up a collection of things that I thought I would talk about here...

Trainers: After six months of going to the gym at least four days a week I decided to treat myself to some proper trainers. I got myself some Nike Free Runs - which probably aren't necessary, considering what I use them for.. However, they stop me from turning my ankles over as much, and because they're cushioned, they're so comfortable. Plus, they're bright blue and fluorescent yellow. This shouldn't be a factor, but I basically live in an all black uniform, so injecting colour with shoes like this makes me happy. 

Leggings: Personally, I don't like wearing the super skinny kind of leggings, as I'm pretty tall and find that they're never long enough. I actually managed to find a pair similar to these from H+M, which I really love: they're long enough (which being almost five eleven is a difficult ask!) and fit really well around the waist and are made of a nice material. As a bigger girl, I know how hard it is to find comfortable trousers to fit you, so I would try anywhere and everywhere - I've found nice ones in Tesco, Marks & Spencers, TK Maxx, Decathlon, H+M, often in places that I wouldn't normally shop. Websites aimed at plus-size women actually have a pretty poor selection, I've found.

Tops: Like I said above, I used to just go in a t-shirt, most of the time, which I think is more than fine. As I've got a bit thinner, though, I've been enjoying more fitted, lycra vests, usually in bright colours or with bright trim. I also am guilty of wearing a thin vest over a brightly coloured crop top. This is where you can have more fun and pick really bright things, if you like that, or stick to tried-and-true black.

Sports bras: This is more of a tricky one to advise you on - as it's a personal thing about what kind of bra you need. I have fairly average size boobs for my frame, but that's still pretty big (a D cup) so I need something with a lot of support. I like buying those flimsy little brightly coloured crop-tops, but they don't have anywhere near enough support, so I would probably wear my regular sports bra underneath. John Lewis have a good selection of high impact sports bras, I know Bravissimo have them for the larger chested lady, and M&S have good affordable options.

Water bottle: A friend of my mothers jokingly made fun of me for having a 'fashionable' water bottle - but she is a serious-cyclist. I, however, am not. Going to the gym once a day doesn't require a fancy water bottle, but I do like to have a big one, as I get dehydrated easily. I like the Aladdin reusable bottles that you can find in places like Tesco (or sometimes TK Maxx) because they have the little fabric handle that is very convenient.


That turned into a long post! If you have any tips, feel free to share down below, I love finding new things.
For more weight-loss related posts, be sure to follow on Bloglovin, or check out my previous post on the subject here.