Is that ALL I lost this week?!!!

If you have tried to lose weight before, you probably uttered the dreaded "P" word-- PLATEAU. A plateau, otherwise known as the lack of weight loss after doing a plan for a period of time, is not inevitable, if you're working with someone who knows how to guide you.

But this post really isn't about how to beat the plateau. It's more about how to not freak out if you think your weight loss is slowing down. Many of my patients anxiously compare week to week weight loss numbers, calculating every ounce of lost weight since the last encounter with the scale. I encourage everyone to weigh themselves regularly, especially if you are attempting to lose weight. Once weekly is good enough in my opinion. However, I don't want my patients to get overly concerned about the week to week difference.

Why not? The patient's job is to focus on implementing the weekly plan; my job is to focus on making sure we have the right plan that gets results. Try as you might, you can't control the number on the scale. Even if you do the same thing every day from one week to the next, the weekly weight loss will be different. This is due to a number of factors that are out of your control like how much water you retained that day, various hormonal levels, and metabolic changes occurring as a result of your ongoing weight loss. Unfortunately, losing weight is not a linear process.

As long as the average weight loss remains good, you know you're doing the right things. And those are the things you should continue to focus on-- daily food journal, consistently meeting your exercise goals, and achieving a good eating structure.