First of all, my apologies to my Fabulous Family Friday readers–I had a post I was working on, the links I wanted to use weren’t working, then my brain just wasn’t putting things together very well….so I am letting it perk and see if I can get my thoughts together better for this Friday!
Part of it also might be that I was nervous for teaching my first T-Tapp classes Friday and last night! (Both went well!)
So, what about that dreaded word–plateau?
Somewhere along the way we got the idea that when we lose weight/inches/sizes, once we start a “program” (dieting, way of eating, exercising, etc.) that we’ll just lose, lose, lose, lose until we reach our goal! And live happily ever after!
I don’t know who came up with that, but it is not reality. I’m sure it probably sells books and exercise programs, though!
The usual scenario, depending on how much we need to lose, is we get excited about the new _____ we’re going to try, and we get off to a great start. We’re encouraged by the continuing loss. Sure, we might not get into smaller clothes yet, but we’re headed in the right direction! We might get into the next size down–woo-hoo! Excitement!
But then…..it seems things slow down. What do we do? We usually cut more calories, change diet plans, exercise more (my body must be adjusting so I need to “change things up”), etc.
The problem is, we need to give our bodies time to regroup–to find balance. Fat stores hormones as well as toxins, so when you burn off fat, you will have some extra “garbage” to deal with.
In fact T-Tapp trainer Webra Price-Douglas said just that, about the body rebalancing:
A plateau is just allowing the body to balance, to regroup–to keep the benefits it’s gained.”
You can actually sabotage your efforts if you try to “step it up a bit” just because you stalled in inch loss!
Now there are definitely times we need to re-evaluate where we are and maybe change some things we’re doing. But please don’t immediately assume as soon as inch loss slows or stops you have to “do something” about it!
I have certainly experienced the truth of the body needing to regroup, balance out and do some inner healing before it showed on the outside.
I started at a 22W. Yes, I had some impressive losses in the beginning, but remember–I started as a More-to-Lose and so I had just that–more inches to lose!
My losses went like this:
January 2007 to August 2007–lost 4 sizes from a 22W to a 16 Misses
August 2007 to February 2008–lost over 40 inches but not ONE size!
March 2008–Lost 1 size, down to a 14
April–Lost another size, down to a 12
One YEAR later–down 1 size to a 10
One YEAR later–down 1 size to an 8
So you can see I didn’t lose lose lose lose and hit my goal in a few years. There were times I needed to let my body heal. I didn’t gain all that overnight, and I surely wasn’t going to lose it overnight, either!
And my weight loss has never been a good reflection of what’s going on inside! 
Considering I started at around 175 lbs. and now weigh somewhere around 145 (it fluctuates)…well 30 lbs. doesn’t seem to add up to an 8 size loss, now does it?!
I heard of one lady who was sharing my story with a friend who told her that was impossible–I hope she sends that friend to my blog! 
What if I had stressed about those “plateaus”? What if I decided I needed to cut calories and add more cardio?
I believe I would have had a big CRASH!
I know from experience that pushing yourself to go “faster, better, farther, higher” can send you into an adrenal tailspin. I decided in the summer of 2009, after 2 1/2 years of T-Tapp, that I was strong enough to bump things up a bit. I did a blitz of sorts, and I had bumped things up to a full workout every other day. Problem was, I decided to “do a few moves” on my off days. My “few moves” added up to about the same amount of moves in BWO+! I was doing 6 on off days, BWO+ only has 8!
Now there are some who do “short workouts” on their “off days”. But I would not advise that for long term, and especially not if you are battling any health challenges (adrenals, thyroid, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, etc.).
Added to my new “strenuous schedule”, I decided to address my eating and started cutting out snacks. Problem was, I couldn’t get enough protein in during my meals. Not enough fuel + overexercising = burnout!
My adrenals crashed–thankfully not a terrible crash, but I had a hard time getting out of bed and functioning for about 3 weeks. I don’t know if my hormones needed tweaking and added to the crash or the crash made my hormones need tweaking, but I had to have some changes.
Thankfully, I could at least do MORE Chair to keep the lymph pumping and was able to steadily get back to consistency without setting myself back.
I have probably gained a size back since my mom died in May of 2010, because I knew my adrenals took a big hit with her unexpected death. Maybe I erred too much on the side of caution, but I did not push myself at all. So I have gained some back. But that’s okay—I knew when my body was ready, I could get back to consistency and in time, it will come off again. I’m really not too worried about it.
I think this is the beauty of T-Tapp–you can lose, you can stall, you can maintain, you can back off—it is truly a workout for real life. I know many people enjoy watching The Biggest Loser. I haven’t actually seen it but have heard a lot about it through friends. I think it’s great these people are trying to do something for themselves, however–in reality, not too many of us can just take some time off our regular lives, hire a personal trainer and chef for a period of time to help us lose. And even if we could….at some point we have to get back to “real life”–and we can’t sustain that kind of dedication!
For me, T-Tapp is perfect–it works from the inside out, rehabbing as well as reshaping, and it works with real life–the real life of a busy mama!
But we have to be patient, and allow our bodies to heal, and we certainly need to fuel our bodies well (I think you probably have figured out I am not for deprivation dieting! ). This quote by Dr. Diana Schwarzbein is very important:
It is very important to match your energy input with your energy output. Any amount of exercise is too much if you are not eating well. If you do not eat enough food, your adrenaline/cortisol levels will be higher. Be careful not to fall into the trap of feeling good when you are using up your biochemicals because of adrenaline and cortisol. You will feel good initially and even feel stronger because of your higher adrenaline/cortisol levels. Eventually, however, you will burn out.
Inner healing, toning up….these don’t show up on scales or a tape measure!
Let’s be patient with ourselves and not stress out over a “plateau”–it really isn’t a bad thing, after all!
Happy Tappin’!
A few threads you might find interesting:
The Tape Measure Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story!
Results of T-Tapp that You Just Can’t Measure!
A Plateau Is *Not* Always a Bad Thing! (Similar content to this post)
Tags: balance, inner healing, plateau, regrouping, T-Tapp
I have found some really useful information on here. Well done! I look forward to reading some more of the articles on here and hopefully they will help me with my work. Thank you Paul
Thank you for this post! I am new to T-Tapp and was feeling so discouraged today that I went to the forums to get encouraged and found you there. I started doing some of the exercises that are free from the t-tapp website on Feb11, 2011. I ordered the book and then added some of the BWO from the book to the best of my ability (it’s tough without the DVD) and did OP/HF and Hoe Downs from the DVD included with the book. I ordered the BWO+ and SATI as soon as I got the book (appreciated that 30% discount) and it arrived soon and I began the Instructional #1 on 2/23). I did the Instructional for 5 days and then started the BWO+ on 2/28 (I do better at a tempo ~ plies are harder in slow motion ~ I can’t think about it too hard or I can’t get the arms right). I assume the 14 day bootcamp was to start on the 1st day of doing the BWO+??? Today is therefore day #11. I have lost a total of 14 1/2″ (but no clothing size). This last week I only lost 1″ and I’m really discouraged about that. This is my bootcamp ~ seems like in all of the success stories people are losing large amounts during bootcamp. I did start my period today and I am bloated ~ how much does this change my measurements/success??? I have a couple of concerns/questions ~ one, am I right that instructional doesn’t count in the bootcamp? I’m kind of wore out and am looking forward to every other day off and am wondering since I have been doing some t-tapp for 27 days in a row, maybe I would see more success if I went to every other day (my first 2 1/2 ” loss came from just a few exercises and then the next 6″ came from the same plus a few days of instructional). Question two is regarding a 50% coupon I just receive off of any DVD workout ~ I’m not really wanting to spend more $ since we are on a fixed income and homeschool but I figure it is wiser to buy now with the discount ~ what do I buy? I am considering BWO #2 to therefore give me the TWO or HTF since my abdominal/tummy/hips is my biggest issue. I am not a MORE to lose but not a LESS to lose either (I would like to lose up to 4 sizes (am a 14 or 16 right now) and the scale is a scary # ~ but I’m willing to ignore that # if my jean size shrinks). I need the shorter workouts but could probably do longer from time to time. I you wouldn’t mind emailing me regarding some of my questions/concerns I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks so much for your encouragement ~ it was exactly what I was seeking this morning ~ which is a real blessing (especially since I should be sitting with the kids and doing school right now instead of being on the computer).
Angie
Welcome, Angie!
Yes, I agree–starting with the book is a bit difficult!!! The Instructional actually can and does count as a “bootcamp”. A bootcamp is as much about establishing mind-to-muscle connections as it is learning the moves. Typically, you’d take a few days off, measure, and then start your regular routine.
Losing 14 1/2 inches is GREAT! But the inch the following week is not a problem–as I posted in this post, your body probably needs to rebalance a bit. That is just about exactly what happened to me–I lost 13 or so inches over a few weeks, then hardly anything for 5 or 6 weeks! You really are doing better than you think!
The large amounts during bootcamps depends–if you have more to lose, you have a greater amount of inch loss, or if you’ve been sedentary, or not challenging core muscles. You basically did a “bootcamp” between the book and Instructional 1! So you DID lose a lot, dear!
If you happen to be a combination body type (which I am) you may not see a size loss until 22 or so inches. I even went 6 months losing over 40 inches but no size loss! However, in the 4 months following that time, I dropped 2 sizes with minimal inch loss–go figure!
TOM can definitely mess with results, but just hang in there and stay consistent. It’s a journey and the overall picture is what you’re after! Sometimes we do get discouraged in the day to day and week to week…but when those days and weeks add up, it’s really lovely!
Scales–please do ignore them!
Unless you have a medical condition where you should be monitoring weight (can’t think of any, but might be a few), just hide those things away. As you know from my own story, I’ve lost 8 sizes–gained 1 back since my mom’s death, but have only lost around 30 lbs.! I quit letting the scales dictate my joy a looonnnggg time ago!
Like you, I need the shorter workouts, too! I would go ahead and get the second part of the Total Workout with your coupon so you have it, but don’t feel rushed to do it. If you really can’t swing it money-wise, don’t stress about it. I hate letting those wonderful discounts go, but sometimes you just have to! But if you can get the second half, go ahead–it’s the “meat and potatoes” of T-Tapp!
I think we ALL want to work on our middle areas! LOL! But to be honest, until you understand the muscle activation standing, you will lose it on the floor and not get as good of results as you’re seeking. I’ve been there!
Here’s a link for Michelle’s curl the core tips–actually I’ll give you two. The first one has curl the core and setting up the T-Tapp Stance, and the second has similar curl the core and shoulder/hip alignment tips. I’ll also e-mail this to you to be sure you get it!
http://forum.t-tapp.com/showthread.php?70493-❤♫❤.•*¨-*•..¸COMMIT-to-be-Fit-Week-1¸.•*¨-*•.♫❤♫ First post is hers
http://forum.t-tapp.com/showthread.php?67330-Very-discouraged-need-help!/page3 Michelle’s post is #30 at the bottom of the page
HUGS to you as you travel on this journey! And feel free to ask more questions if you need to–either here, e-mail me or PM me on the forums!
~Trisch