Academic

Plateaus

By Gordon Smith, Christine, Hurt, Vic Fleischer, Fred Tung, Lisa Fairfax, David Zaring

If you haven't heard, StickK is now live and accepting contracts. StickK founder and Yale economist Dean Karlan suggested that I try a "maintenance contract" to consolidate the progress I have made in losing weight, but I still have at least 30 pounds to go. And I am not feeling the need to take a contract out on myself just yet.

Just this morning, I had one of those experiences that every successful loser cherishes: I broke through a plateau. Weight loss plateaus are a well-known phenomenon -- you change your diet or increase your exercise, lose a few pounds, and then get stuck. If you have been doing things the right way -- i.e., making incremental advances -- chances are that your plateau is simply a new equilibrium. Moving off the plateau is a simple matter of adjusting the critical variables (diet and exercise).

Over the past six months, as I have shed almost 35 pounds, I have hit four or five plateaus. They usually last a couple of weeks, though this last one has kept me in the same place for three weeks. In each instance, it takes me awhile to realize that I am not making progress and awhile longer to calibrate my diet -- less sugar and fat, more fresh veggies -- and expand/intensify my exercise. Eventually, however, I break through.

There is a life lesson in that, I think.

Full post as published by Conglomerate on January 22, 2008 (boomark / email).