According to the running total of calories burned which I keep, I should have lost three more pounds over the past two weeks. Unfortunately, the scales don’t say the same. Once again it appears that I am at a standstill at 193 pounds.
I find it ironic that the last time I was at a plateau was right after school let out for the summer. I was quite frustrated about not losing any weight as my workout time was increased threefold. Yet for five weeks I lost no weight even though the calorie count said otherwise.
Now that school is back in session I am at a plateau once again it seems. I’m still exercising at least an hour every day and eating healthy. On top of that I am on my feet all day long teaching and walking around the classroom. So what gives? Why do I keep hitting these plateaus?
Could it be that our bodies need time to adjust to major changes in our lifestyles? Or is it something else altogether? Mrs. Betty, a lady at our church, has recently lost 50 pounds herself. She has been such an inspiration to me as she has trouble exercising due to nerve damage in her feet. Yet she perseveres and exercises while lying in her bed or sitting in a chair.
Unfortunately, she has also hit a plateau. Even though she is quite frustrated, like me, she is not giving up. In fact, she told me she was leaving after church to go to a town about an hour and a half away to purchase an exercise bike, as they did not have one in stock here locally and she didn’t want to have to wait for one to come in. Now that is determination!
When times are difficult the easiest thing we can do is quit. When we hit these plateaus we could think, Well that’s it. I guess I’m through losing so I’ll just quit. Keep in mind that we are not a failure until we quit. If we continue to persevere we will be blessed and be successful in the end.
Even if I have finished losing all the weight that my body will allow me to lose I am so encouraged by how much better I feel physically that it reminds me that I don’t want to ever go back to how unhealthy I was before.
To have the energy and all over stronger physique that I now have keeps me focused on remaining healthy. And if I happen to lose a little more weight along the way then I will certainly count it all joy.
Pearls are formed when a grain of sand has irritated the muscle. Therefore, it is through great pain that a beautiful pearl is created. Dear one, even though this weight-loss process may be painful and frustrating at times, please keep in mind that the joy, strength, and better health on the other side will be so beautiful. Continue to pray and visualize yourself in becoming the beautiful healthy person, or pearl, that God created you to be.
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