You've diligently followed your diet and watched the pounds roll off. You're able to wear all of the clothes you couldn't wear before and are proud of your newfound focus and discipline. But, at your last weekly weigh in, the scale didn't move at all and you still have fifteen more pounds to lose to reach your goal. What's happening?
Unfortunately, you've reached a weight loss plateau. This can be one of the most frustrating experiences a dieter encounters. It's important that you know what to do to break through a weight loss plateau and restart the weight loss cycle. Many people become discouraged at this point and lose focus. Don't let this happen to you! There are simple ways to deal with a weight loss plateau and recharge the weight loss process.
Here are some suggestions on how to break a weight loss plateau:
Use Exercise to Your Advantage
If you've lost weight without exercise up until this point, now's the time to dust off your exercise shoes and active. Exercise will help to jump start your metabolism so you'll burn more calories and break through your weight loss plateau. You'll want to do at least thirty minutes of aerobic exercise three days a week consistently. It's also important to do resistance exercise such as weight lifting to help to preserve and build muscle mass. With a higher muscle to fat ratio, you'll burn calories faster.
If exercise has been a part of your plan from the beginning, it may be time to shake up your routine a bit to break through your weight loss plateau. Your body can become accustomed to doing the same exercises on a daily basis. This means you need to design a more challenging routine to shock your body into restarting the weight loss process. Try doing interval training several times a week where you mix resistance exercises into your aerobic routine. Do five minutes of aerobic exercise, followed by several minutes of resistance training, Repeat this routine for a total of thirty minutes. Your body will respond to the new challenge by working harder to burn calories and fat.
Reevaluate Your Diet
Are you restricting calories excessively? If your caloric intake is below 1200 calories a day, you may be sending your body into starvation mode. You may need to eat more food for a short period of time to encourage your metabolism to operate at a higher rate. The timing of your meals will be important if you want to jump start your metabolism. Instead of eating three square meals a day, eat 5-6 smaller meals that are high in protein. It may also help to zig zag your calorie intake so that instead of eating 1800 calories each day, you consume 1400 calories one day and 2200 calories the following day. This can be a clever way to fool your metabolism into working harder.
It's also important to make sure you're not cheating on your original diet plan. Try keeping a food diary for a week. Write down everything single thing that goes into your mouth along with its calorie count. At the end of the day, see if your calorie count is within the proper range to promote weight loss. Be sure to include those little bites and nibbles you take through out the day and the samples you try at the grocery store. These count also. If you find you're exceeding your allotted calorie intake, make appropriate adjustments to help break your weight loss plateau.
Renew Your Motivation
When you reach a weight loss plateau, you can become discouraged. Now is the time to sit down with a pencil and paper and write out your plans and goals for achieving your target weight. Seeing your weight loss goals in writing can some times give you renewed enthusiasm for your exercise and weight loss plan. Review your goals every few days to make sure you're staying on course.
By following these steps when your weight loss stalls, you can break through a weight loss plateau and follow your fitness goals to completion.
