The Secret to Breaking Through My Weight Loss Plateau

I had such a productive week! It has been quite some time since I felt like my food choices and exercise were in sync with my weight loss plan. I ran three times this week, and I met my goal of going to the gym four times. I am also back to my pre-Christmas weight; in fact, I am down to 211.8 pounds. Overall, I would call this week a huge success!

I am five miles down in my goal to run 20 miles in the month of January. It took me a year to be able to get up on the treadmill and pound step after step of a glorious mile. But you know what? I did it. I do it. And I'm on my way to becoming a better, more consistent runner.

This week I even broke through my mile plateau! Somehow, someway I ran for two miles straight. Seriously, I'm not sure how it happened. When I stepped on the treadmill I had mentally prepared myself for a longer run, but I didn't expect to hit the two-mile point.

If you had told me last year when I was disliking everything about running and dreading getting on the treadmill that 12 months later that I'd run for a nonstop two miles, I'm fairly certain I would have laughed. Even as short as a week before reaching two miles, I probably would have been skeptical.

Where is my point in all of that? If there is anything that I have learned in my weight loss journey it is that gratification may not be instant, but if you keep going for your goal, you will make it.

Unfortunately, we live in an "instant" world -- in an "I want it, I need it, must have it now" type of world. Equally as unfortunate, weight loss is not instant, and neither is going from couch potato to runner. There were times when I gave up on running and thought that I would never run again. Thankfully, I had some wonderful friends that supported me in my quest to become a runner.

Another great thing that happened this week is that some of my friends online saw my goal to run 20 miles in the month of January. I now have three other friends who have joined me in my running challenge by setting their own mileage to run.

That leads me to another point. Something else that I've learned is to not keep it to yourself that you are working on leading a healthier lifestyle. If people don't know that you are trying to lose weight or trying to improve your physical fitness, they can't support your efforts. Honestly, had it not been for the handful of friends that pushed me when I needed it, I know that I would have long ago given up on running.

I have had a great and, most importantly, healthy start to 2011. I'm encouraged by the numbers I saw on the scale and even more so by the numbers I reached on the treadmill. Even if it takes me to the end of this year, I know I will reach my goal of being able to run 3.1 miles (a 5k) because I am now consistently putting forth the effort that is needed to reach my weight loss and fitness goals.

After decades of dieting only to gain it back, two That's Fit readers have decided to finally rethink their relationship with food and exercise over the next year to move toward a lifetime of fulfilling, healthy living. Come by every week as Ashley and Lee share their successes and challenges as they tip the scale.