So for the past 4 weeks, I have been up and down within a 3 pound range of the low 230's. Never 229.9, but as low as 230.0 and as high as 233.8. . . . so I am declaring that I have it a plateau. At first, I thought it was my bad behavior with the New Year Holiday and the snacking that went on and on and on. . . . then I thought, water weight, all that dining out and eating spicy foods. . . then a lack of true dedication to working out. Some workouts were good, others had a "why did I even bother to go to the gym" kind of feel. But the fact is, for the past 4 weeks, my weight has remained the same.

So, I'm faced with the challenge of dealing with this. I went to my doctor today to discuss a bump I have on my forehead (turns out to be pre-cancerous cells - which he froze off). So while I'm lying down, getting the cells frozen, I asked if he had any suggestions about how to break a plateau. . . and he did. "Work out for 90 minutes every day, do more resistance training, use weights when you are on the treadmill." Of course, this was not the advice I was hoping to hear. . . I was hoping to hear, stop everything for one week, then get back in your routine and see what happens. Of course, that is the easy way. Doing nothing but what I wanted to do is how I got here in the first place.

This morning, when I weighed in at the gym, I thought having a pity party would be a good idea. But now that it is 3:30 in the afternoon, I'm no longer in a self pity mode. Yes, this is frustrating, and yes I recognize why I'm here. But feeling pity for myself or being frustrated with myself is going to burn more calories and make me lose this weight.

So. . . I'm back to looking at my original reason for losing weight. That Ac1 score of 7.3. More than being thin, I want to control my diabetes. More than looking good or eating my favorite foods, I want to lower my Ac1 score in April. By April, I want my BMI to be Obese and not Morbidly Obese. For that to happen, my weight would need to be 225. So I'm close, very close. This is within my reach. I can do this.

My plan. . . . eat 5-6 times per day (heavier in the AM and lighter in the evening), but maintain my calorie target. M-W-F do core exercises. T-Th-Sat lift weights. Do cardio every day and with the treadmill, use 5 lb hand weights. I am going to commit to this regime until I break this plateau.

I've written a sticky note to reflect my Ac1 score and the BMI weight I need to be and put it on my computer. This is my incentive. This is my goal.

Exercise is key to losing weight.
Exercise is key to managing my diabetes.
Exercise is key to managing stress in my life.
Exercise is key to my well being.