So here you are being careful with what you eat and increasing your exercise in order to get healthier and lose weight and all of a sudden you just stop losing! Very frustrating. Weight loss plateaus happen to almost everyone when dieting.
A weight loss plateau is when your weight stops changing and the scale doesn’t seem to be going down anymore even when continuing to diet.
Why do you hit weight loss stalls?
Weight is lost when you expend more calories than you consume. When the deficit no longer occurs you hit a weight plateau where you are just maintaining the weight you are at.
The closer you get to your ideal weight the slower the pounds come off. Your body weight is tied to your metabolism. As you lose weight it actually gets harder for your body to lose weight. For instance, if you lose 10% of your body weight your metabolism can slow by 15%. A slower metabolism will slow your weight loss. Making it increasing harder to lose weight the longer you diet and exercise.
Calories Consumed = Calories Burned = Weight Loss Plateau
What should you do when you hit a weight loss plateau?
To continue to lose weight you need to either increase your physical activity or decrease yet again the calories you are consuming.
Tips For Breaking A Weight Loss Plateau
You need to change up some dieting strategies in order to trick your metabolism and get back to losing weight.
Breakfast and Metabolism
Do not skip breakfast. Eat a big breakfast. Make this your biggest calorie consumption for the day. Eating a big breakfast tricks your body into thinking that there are plenty of calories and will help rev up and jump start your metabolism. When you do this you must decrease the calories you eat at lunch and dinner. Your breakfast calories will be burned off by the time your metabolism slows in the evening.
Exercise
Change up your exercise routine and add a strength training component. Your body will adapt the exercise level you currently maintain. If you want to fool your metabolism you need to vary your workouts and try new ways to workout. Pick something new and add it to your regime like dancing, or bicycling anything outside of your norm. Lifting weights is an excellent way to increase muscle mass. Muscle burns calories! Lifting weights continues to burn calories even after you have stopped exercising.
Cut Back on Calories
Drink lots of water to keep your stomach full. There are ZERO calories in water. Be aware of any hidden calories in the things you normally drink. Do not drink your calories.
Keep a food log. You need to jot down everything you eat. You could be missing counting some calories in the condiments you have on sandwiches or the sugar you add to your tea.
Watch portion sizes. If you ever purchase those tiny bags of chips in portion sizes you understand that what we generally eat out of a big bag is a much bigger portion size. Read labels and be aware of portion sizes.
Eat high fiber foods and non-starchy vegetables such as, green beans, broccoli and cauliflower.
Eat protein throughout the day. Protein helps keep blood sugar levels even. You don’t want to have that no energy feeling.
Sleep
It is important to get a proper amount of sleep. For adults that should be 7 to 9 hours every night. When we don’t get adequate sleep our bodies want to eat to help us keep our energy up and this only leads to weight gain.
Consider a Trainer
If you are still having trouble losing weight consider a personal trainer. They may be able to customize a exercise and nutrition routine.
Even a little extra weight can be bad for your health. studies show that 10 pounds of excess weight increases your risks for heart disease, stoke, diabetes and cancer.
Sources:
https://blog.nasm.org/fitness/weight-loss-plateaus
https://www.houstonmethodist.org/blog/articles/2020/nov/5-ways-to-break-a-weight-loss-plateau-that-are-actually-achievable/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/weight-loss-plateau/art-20044615
https://healthsurgeon.com/calculate/ideal-healthy-weight/
