Dear Kayla,
I’m in my mid 60s. I have chronic injuries in my knees and feet. I LOVE, LOVE to walk. However, because of previous weight gain and injuries, I’m unable to walk longer than a half hour at a time, because it’s too painful. Thanks to you, I have started walking again in my house. I have lost 70 pounds with fasting, and have been walking daily. My new goal is to walk several times a day in smaller increments: a half hour in the morning, then more in 15-20 minute additions. I’m trying to up my step goal. Do you think this will help me lose weight? I still have 15 pounds to lose to get to a normal BMI. I have been at a plateau for several months. My starting weight was 230 pounds, and my current weight is 158-160. Thanks for all your encouragement!
Signed,
L37M37
PS: I’m a dirty faster too!
Dear L37M37,
First off, congratulations on your incredible 70-pound weight loss with dirty fasting! Thank you for sharing your story, as I know it will inspire others who are in a similar situation. I’m happy to hear that house walking has helped you. Now, let’s talk about those last 15 pounds and whether or not increasing your step goal will get you there.
The last 15 pounds tend to be slow. Really slow. When I went from 158 down to 142, it took me about a year, at an average of about 1/3 of 1 pound per week. If I hadn’t been watching my 7-day average trend over time, I think I would have assumed I had reached a permanent plateau. I personally believe that our bodies slow down the weight loss to a crawl once we approach a healthy weight, and that it’s important to listen to it.
As I talked about it last week’s newsletter, a slightly overweight BMI seems to be preferable as you get older, so staying right where you are might not be a bad idea. But you know your body best, so listen to it. If it’s telling you that it’d be better to drop 15 more, you can do it. The question is, will upping your step goal get you there?
Well, more steps will mean more calories burned. And your plan of adding in shorter bursts is a great plan to get more steps. Walking more can also put you in a more positive frame of mind, which can mean that you don’t eat for comfort, which means you’re more likely to eat the right amount of calories. But you mentioned that you have pain when you walk, and I don’t want you to make yourself miserable. You’re the best judge of whether the additional steps will be a healthy challenge to set and overcome, or a punishment. Listen carefully to your body. If you find the additional steps too painful, try setting challenges to overcome in other areas: your finances, your creativity, hobbies, etc.) Another thing to be aware of: the increased steps may increase your appetite, and if you eat more, the scale will stay stuck.
All that being said, if you’re truly at a plateau (meaning your average over the past several months has not gone down by say, 1.5-2 pounds), then eating a bit less food will be the most effective lever to pull. Being in a caloric deficit is the only way to get your body to lose weight, and the scale will only start moving again once you are. If you decide to lose those 15-pounds, I have no doubt you can do it. You’ve shown perseverance in all you’ve accomplished so far. Just continue to be patient. On the other hand, if you decide to enter maintenance, let me be the first to welcome you to the club!
Sincerely,
Kayla
PS: If you’d like more help navigating plateaus, click here to download my free Weight Loss Plateau Flow Chart!