Call it a Switchback.

Switchbacks: trails with very sharp turns. trails that wind, making them less steep than a strait trail.

I spent this past weekend in the mountains. As a person who finds peace at the water, I never understood the draw of the mountains. As a person who loves new ways to workout, I understand the draw of the hike. Saturday I spent 90 minutes hiking around with no distractions...no people, no ipod, no cellphone.

As I enjoyed the fresh air, the rustle of the aspen leaves, the blue sky and beautiful views I thought about switchbacks and plateaus.

During weight loss you experience periods where the scale doesn't change. I know this because my scale hasn't changed since August. These periods are called plateaus and are frustrating to the point of tears. I shed some just last week from the frustration. You think you are doing what you need to be doing and still, the scale does not change.

As I was hiking, I was winding through switchback trails. I knew I was going up the mountain but the switchback made the climb up a more manageable incline and I really didn't think I was going that far up. Then there was a clearing. The trees broke, I could look down to where I had climbed from and I saw how far I had come.

Maybe they shouldn't be called plateaus in weight loss, but switchbacks. You know you're doing the work but you don't see the results but then, all of a sudden, the trees break and the scale changes.

This week I reached the top of this switchback and the scale went down.