One question you will find yourself asking eventually is, “Is My Diet Still Working?”  This is an inevitable question you ask whe you stop making big losses over the course of a week.  i got on the scale today and only lost 1 pound since last weeks weigh in.  i was a bit shocked.  I got off the scale and got back on and it read the same.  I had some coffee went to the bathroom and repeated.  Not much change.  I was sort of disapointed since I was so good and didn’t order a pizza on Sunday when it sounded like a really good idea.  Then I sat back down and started to ponder everything that it could be.

Was it that I had too many calories?  Was it I didn’t get enough exercise in?  Was my body reacting to the diet the way it has in the past?  These are all good questions that needed some answers.  When you stop losing it is good to ask these questions.  What is bad is when you decide to say screw it and give up before you know the answers.  I was damn near ready to do just that and declare a cheat day and start off with a big bowl of frosted mini wheats.  I didn’t though.

I started to think back about what i have been doing.  i wasn’t eating more than normal, in fact I think I am eating fewer calories which poses its own weight loss problems.  My knees have been killing me so I haven’t done the exercise bike, which might have contributed to the lack of weight loss.  I was prepared to accept that a pound or two difference day to day isn’t unheard of, even during weight loss.  This is why I use a weekly weigh in rather than daily.

I sat pondering all the posibilities and then it hit me.  I was thirsty.  Not only was I thirsty yesterday I had quite a bit of salt in my diet and didn’t have a lot of water, not even my normal amount.  After some extra water today I reweighed myself tonight and despite eating more than 3000 calories have managed to lose four pounds.  I mark this as a five pound week and feel good about it.

The moral of the story is before you just give up on losing weight try and figure out why you aren’t losing and do a little testing to see if it makes a difference.  Don’t be afraid to start weighing food, keeping a detailed log of your day, or consult with someone who has been there.

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