When I plateau

In the beginning,  I found that when I plateaued I would start to panic and I would frantically step up my workout and decrease my calories - cursing myself along the way.  It didn't help.  I had to get back to my confident place before I could conquer it.  I learned when the scale lingered I had to first take a moment and decide if I was willing to move on or was this where I would stay.  If deep down I knew I wasn't up for the "fight" then I would have to be okay with where I was.  If I was ready to keep going I would analyze where I was.  If "stuff" was going on in my life I knew that is where I really needed to work.  If I was injured or ill then I knew that was the problem.  Sometimes convenience is an issue and has to be addressed.  Like I said, if I had hit my limit then that was it - I would name it, whatever it was.  I stopped shaming myself and took on the real issues.  It is those "real" issues that make saying "no" to your favorite food painful not the taste so much and not so much the feeling of being full.  Food doesn't cure all the ailments but it is a great band aid:)   

Now, the issue is not plateauing but the cure is the same.  When I put on a few pounds I go through the same list.  Sometimes the real issue is something totally within my control.  I again ask myself if this is the new normal or just a phase.  As of yet, they have all been phases and I either wait it out or find a new motivation.  For example, I might download some new music to help me look forward to working out.  The fix doesn't have to last forever.  It just has to get me over the hump.  This is a life long process and I am more okay at times with that than other times but I keep on keepin' on and that makes all the difference.