Plateau?

I've been thinking about my little situation lately. What is my situation exactly? Well, I've been counting my calories religiously since October and I've been exercising religiously since October and I've been tracking it all religiously since October. Yes, I've seen results for my efforts. But the results have been lacking in the past couple few weeks now.

So what can possibly be happening?

Well, several things can be happening. I made a list.

• I'm not particularly fond of being PC so I'm just going to say it. Period time.
• Too much fat in my diet
• Stress
• Not enough calories
• Over training
• Plateau

Now if I may comment about the list.

• Period - I'm not convinced that I can blame the period. There's the water retention that we all like to blame for the extra weight on the scale and the extra tight pants one day when they fit perfectly the day before. Is there truth to it? Of course. But it doesn't last for 3 weeks. One week, maybe one and a half, maybe. So, perhaps I can blame the stupid gain last week on it but I don't see that I can blame the lack of movement the previous 2 weeks on it. No...there's got to be something else going on.
• Fat - Last week, I looked into my tracker at past trends and noticed that the scale did a temporary freeze directly after I had a day or two of higher fat content in my diet. I've been watching the fats a lot more closely this week and last and am hoping that I can start seeing things get moving again. I typically try to keep my dietary fat content to 25-29% of total caloric intake each day. Anything higher is too high for me and anything lower just isn't enough for our bodies to get the necessary nutrients for efficient functioning.
• Stress - In a post from last week, I was thinking that stress was to blame for the scale problems lately. I've just been stressed out about everything. I'm bored at work and so disgustingly underpaid for what I do and my education and my experience that it's just down right embarrassing. Marital bliss hasn't been too blissful. Family crap is probably my least favorite thing to deal with and it seems that we always have more family crap dumping on our lawn. I haven't been sleeping well. I haven't been very good about my daily self care things either. So I've been trying to bring more balance back into my life hoping that my body will relax a little and shed these pounds that I'm burning off. I'm definitely feeling better so we'll have to see on Sunday if it shows in the numbers.
• Calories - Now this is one thing I've heard from my accountabilibuddy multiple times. Feed the machine, feed the machine, feed the machine. Yes, it's true. I agree with that logic. Seems self explanatory to me. Here's the thing though. My RMR is far lower than the average woman of similar age and size. My RMR is 1,380. Then if you add activities of daily living in there, my maintenance metabolic rate is 1,683. The average woman of my same age and size typically ranges from 1,860-2,080 maintenance metabolic rate. I maintain my caloric intake at between 1,400 and 1,500 per day and I aim to burn at least an additional 400 calories per day through vigorous physical activity. After doing all the math, that should net me at least a 1 lb loss on a weekly basis while taking in plenty of calories to feed my machine. Have I mentioned that I'm only 5 feet tall? I'm 5 foot nothing here with a small frame. I really don't see how I should be increasing my caloric intake at all. Not with all the books I've read and professionals I've talked to. But, I'm puting it out there. What if I'm wrong? What if the books are wrong? What if the other professionals are wrong? What do you think?
• Over training - This is another one I've heard from my accountabilibuddy. I push myself. I'll admit it. I push myself hard. I work out 5-6 days a week and am always ready for more unless it's period time or I'm not feeling good or something. Perhaps I don't give my body enough time to recoup? Perhaps I push myself too hard? Perhaps I need to tone it down a little? I don't think so. Not in the slightest. But again, what if I'm wrong? It doesn't happen often but it has happened once or twice.
• Plateau - Now here's one that just occured to me today. I know, right? I guess I just thought that I wouldn't need to worry about a possible plateau situation until I got a lot closer to my goal. I mean A LOT closer. I've only lost 15 lbs so far, and have another 45 to lose. So, I pulled out my favorite fitness book to date and started reading up on plateaus again for a refresher course. Plateaus usually happen when your caloric intake is lower than it should be and your body starts conserving energy instead of allowing the efficient burn. Two options to combat this cause is 1) cut your calories even lower for a short time which could just dig a bigger metabolic rut for yourself or for some it can snap your body out of the conservation mode (unlikely) and 2) increase your calorie intake for a short time to encourage your body to start burning more efficiently. There are all kinds of different ways this can be done too. It can be an entire week of higher calories to encourage the metabolism to burn burn burn or it can be one day each week. You can cycle your calories or zig-zag which can mean lower calories for 4 days then higher calories for 3 days or some variation of that concept. Plateaus can also happen with exercise. If you don't have a lot of variation in your physical activity or you don't increase your intensity or weights periodically, your body can learn to be more efficient with the activity it's doing by burning less fuel to perform the same tasks. That's why it's so important to vary your activities and push yourself regularly.
• After reading the refresher, I have to say, I don't think it's a plateau either. I already do a calorie spike every week. I typically have 1,400 calories 6 days per week. Then 1 day each week, I end up taking in 1,600-1,700. And, I also experimented with higher calories for one whole week a month or so ago at the challenge of the accountabilibuddy. It didn't do anything. On the exercise front, a plateau is absolutely impossible for me. My workouts are never boring. That's the whole reason behind me choosing a different activity to do each month. It keeps me interested in exercise so I don't get bored and quit, and it keeps my body always working.

So....what do you think my problem is?

Period, fat, stress, low calories, over training, plateau, or something else that I've not even thought of?

Oh and I just have to share this with you because it was so good.

Grilled Hummus Sandwich
2 slices whole wheat bread
1 slice provolone cheese
1.5oz hummus (about 2tbsp)
1 tomato, thick slices
A couple fresh basil leaves
Fresh cracked pepper
Cooking spray

I sliced the tomato and grilled the slices in my favorite cast iron skillet then covered them with fresh cracked pepper. Spread the hummus on the bread and load the rest of the ingredients on top. Spray the outside of the sandwich with the Pam or whatever cooking spray you use and grill it to golden brown.

It was only 336 calories and tasted like a dream.