Pushing Over the Plateau

Inge and I on a Piedmont Plateau at Ranch 63, Montana

The above photograph was taken by our trail guide on a plateau in Montana. We spent a week at The 63 Ranch near Livingston, Montana. We rode through forested mountain passes, along rocky ridges, over grassy plateaus, and through the flower bedecked valleys between, constantly awed by the beauty that surrounded us. Every night I braved the fall chill to stare in awe at the Milky Way, which shone brilliantly in black skies unsullied by city lights. We drove cattle twice, encountered moose and bears, and once I cast flies for trout in Mission Creek. Daily we ate hearty ranch fare and nights we slept in a rustic, but comfortable, cabin. Inge and I both rate the 63 Ranch experience as one of our best vacations and we hope to repeat the experience soon. If you're interested you may visit my 63 Ranch Flickr Photo Set to see more pictures of the beauty we encountered.

But I put this photo here to relate to the topic of plateaus because I have plateaued for two weeks in my weight loss goal bouncing within 2 lbs of 184 lbs. I set the goal to be at or below 180 lbs before my daughter arrives to visit from Germany on March 23rd. However that date rapidly approaches and I am not certain I will reach the goal before she arrives. I believe I may be able to reach it while she is here - if I can manage the self control to withstand the feasts Inge will put on in honor of her (and her beau's) visit.

Recognizing my stagnation, I set out yesterday and today to go dinner-to-dinner (about 24 hours) on a severely reduced calorie regimen, but not to fast. I wrote about fasting earlier and decided that I would rather avoid the discomfort and grouchiness I get by the end of the fasting period.

Therefore, I decided to try a new approach to pushing over the plateau - low calorie nibbling. Yesterday I started the day with a single-egg ham, cheese, and bell pepper omelet of 210 calories. For lunch and snacks I brought one ounce of beef jerky (80 cal), one tomato (22 cal), and 16 green grapes (~64 calories) to work. I nibbled on the grapes twice - late in the morning and around 3 p.m. and I ate the jerky and tomato for lunch. In all I consumed 376 calories dinner-to-dinner. By dinner time I felt hunger, but the day's light nibbling appears to have prevented the usual fasting induced grouchy or irritable moods. I ate normally for dinner with the good fortune that our dinner of beef and bean burritos with salsa facilitated good portion control.

Today I ate two small slices of bacon and one fried egg for breakfast, and plan to eat a lunch of an avocado, a tomato, and 16 grapes for a dinner-to-dinner total of 596 calories. (Avocados contain a lot of calories!) I hope the two days of nibbling helps bust through the plateau. However, a future hazard exists because I will be camping out with my brother this weekend which almost always leads to calorie bombs in the form of drinking three beers instead of just one. Maybe I can maintain some self control while camping?

Nah! Sometimes it's necessary to let loose and have fun!