If you’ve ever found yourself unable to get below a certain weight, I bet you can relate to this Code Red Rebel’s story:
“I did it! I’m back down at the lowest weight I’ve been. Weighed in at 167.8 today. Help me get past this hump! I get there and go back to the 170s every time. This last time the 180s…im down 20lbs in 26 days (with home study #s and inflammation in the beginning). Advice and motivation to stay on track welcomed please!”
So why does this keep happening?
What is it about getting below “that certain weight?”
Sometimes it’s a physical phenomenon called weight loss resistance, where your body has lost and gained weight so many times, it starts to resist dropping fat.
A few years ago I had a 1:1 client who, no matter what we did, couldn’t drop more than .2 pounds a day. That is WAY below the norm for a Code Red Rebel correctly following their customized nutrition plan, but this client’s body just didn’t wanna drop the weight.
But what I most often see with people who “can’t” get below a certain weight is that they’re scared of going below that weight, and usually, they don’t even realize it.
WHY they’re scared varies, it’s almost always for one of these reasons:
1 – Something traumatic happened last time they weighed where they “can’t” get below.
It might be divorce, losing someone to death, a sexual assault…whatever the exact scenario, it was something traumatic, and going below that weight triggers emotions around that trauma.
And they start sabotaging themselves (sometimes in ways they don’t even see) in order to avoid dealing with those emotions.
2 – They don’t remember ever being the weight they “can’t” get below.
Uncertainty is something most people have a tough time dealing with. That’s certainly true when it comes to your size.
If you don’t remember ever being the weight you’re struggling to get below – or you haven’t been there in decades – the uncertainty of being that weight or lower may lead to self-sabotage…again, in ways you don’t even see.
Being that lower weight is so far outside your comfort zone, you panic, don’t realize you’re panicking, then beat yourself up or get frustrated over your “stall.”
3 – If they’re close to goal, they’re scared of failing to keep the weight off.
If someone is “stalled” 5 or 10 pounds from goal, it’s rarely because their goal weight is too low for their body.
While not UNHEARD of, by far the reason is usually that they’re terrified of maintenance.
They’ve never been able to keep the weight off, so instead of getting to goal, they dance around a few pounds above…which, when you think about it, is them already maintaining. So they’re doing what they’re scared they “can’t” do.
It’s funny how fixation over a number on a scale can mess with a person.
On Code Red, the scale is meant to be used as a tool to track progress in a quantifiable way. Like a thermometer, it’s just giving you data. It’s NOT measuring your value as a person, which is, unfortunately, the messaging most of us get.
If you’re a Code Red Rebel who is following 100% of the foods, water, and rules 100% of the time, and there’s a weight you cannot get below no matter what you do, take a step back and honestly ask yourself why.
You’ll probably find that what’s actually “stalling” your weight loss is your mind. It’s playing tricks on you to try and protect you from something you’re scared of.
Identify what that is, and get some support or therapy if you need to. It’ll make getting the rest of your weight off a LOT easier on you.
Have you created your free Code Red Lifestyle™ network account yet? If not, here’s how to get your account!
1) On your computer, create your account at www.CodeRedLifestyle.com/App.
2) If you want the network on a mobile device, go to the App Store or Google Play Store and search for Code Red Lifestyle.