Oh oh, I’ve hit a plateau!
Last month, I experienced a weight loss plateau which both confused and frustrated me for a while. I can’t even consider what I experienced a plateau since I did not stall at a specific weight. Keep in mind, I haven’t stepped on a scale since December. I have been paying attention to how I look, feel, and the way that my clothes fit to measure my progress. So imagine my frustration, when I actually noticed weight gain in the mirror and felt my clothes fitting tighter.
Despite the setback I continued to push through and gave it my all at the gym especially during training. I also started to sense that my trainer felt discouraged by the results or lack of results he saw. Yet, neither of us brought up the concern. Of course, he asked me about my diet but we left it at that. Weeks after weeks, he pushed me harder and I kept getting bigger. I started to think to myself, maybe the exercises are actually causing my muscles to bulk instead of creating toned and lean definition. Still, we carried on each session with more vigorous workouts which I performed with enthusiasm and to my full potential. Yet, I kept seeing unfavorable results.
Eventually, my trainer had enough and decided to bring it up. He said to me, “I don’t understand, how come I’m not seeing a big difference since we’ve been training together. I’m trying everything I can and you’re working extremely hard. This is not making sense to me”. I looked at him with the same face of disappointment to match and voiced that I didn’t understand what was happening either.
I wasn’t eating any later than I have been, and I wasn’t eating any more junk food than usual. So, I really could not understand what was happening. Then, it came to me that I had been eating cheese a lot for the past couple of weeks.
Now, I should have known better than to consume so much cheese but I had a good reason for doing so. Listen here! I’m actually lactose intolerant, yes you read right, which means, I must stay far away from dairy products. But, I have been eating small portion of cheese at a time and noticed that I didn’t have the usual symptoms of stomach-ache and diarrhea. So, silly me thought, yay I’m cured, I’m no longer lactose intolerant. To celebrate, I started eating cheese every chance I got, I guess to make up for lost time not eating cheese. As you should know, I started to experience shortness of breath during the same time I started consuming the cheese but ignored the sign. I actually attributed the shortness of breath to the hot weather. That was STRIKE 1! Alongside that symptom, I kept feeling bloated and full quicker. Again, I blamed the weather. STRIKE 2! The final straw I would say came when I kept experiencing both shortness of breath, bloating, and also extreme fatigue. STRIKE 3 and I was out! I knew it had to be the cheese, so I cut it out COMPLETELY!
Last week, as soon as I arrived for my session, my trainer almost lost it. He exclaimed in excitement, “wait a minute, what happened? Just last week, you looked bulky but now it’s like you’re a whole new different person. I’m so confused but damn excited to see this change. Wow”. I explained to him the harm I was doing to my body by eating cheese and ignoring the symptoms of my body communicating to me.
His exact words, “This is more like it, right on time for summer. Now I can take your body to the next level”. I’m READY!
In the end…
I’m still lactose intolerant.
That cheese, I mean, my greediness could have killed me.
Best of all, I’m back on track and my trainer couldn’t be more happier.
As a piece of advice, always watch what you feed your body and pay attention to the various ways your body responds to certain food and activities. Being fully aware of your body’s reaction becomes very crucial when attempting to change or improve your diet. If you’re on a weight loss or weight gain journey, good luck and keep on pushing. YOU GOT THIS!
The journey continues…
Introvertedly Quirky 