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What Is A Plateau In Weight Loss?
A weight loss plateau is very frustrating and at times discouraging. You haven’t yet reached your desired weight and yet you want to stop here because you’ve hit this plateau!
So, what exactly is this phenomenon and how to actually break a weight loss plateau and get back on track???
The very first stages of a diet is essentially your body flushing out water through the carbs stored in your body all these years.
Since water is easier to be flushed out of the body, you lose weight rapidly.
You may have noticed that when you started dieting, weight loss happened quickly and the amount you lost was huge.
After your body has gotten rid of the majority of excess fluids in your body, that’s when your metabolism will start its process of burning actual fats.
As a matter of fact, your body dealing with actual fats is what slows down your weight loss. And as a result, you hit a plateau.
But don’t stress out! Getting past a weight loss plateau is not that hard.
Don’t Give up Yet
According to The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition , even if you follow your diet plan to a T, you’ll more likely hit a plateau after six months of dieting.
I second that statement because I reached a plateau in my weight loss program around that same span of time.
You will know you’ve reached a plateau when you’re stuck at the same weight for weeks even if you’re still following properly your diet plan.
In fact, it’s this consistency in your diet that will bring you to this plateau. Simply because your body is now getting used to what you’re subjecting it.
You may not realize it but as your body loses weight, your metabolism is also changing and will require a boost in order to bust through that plateau.
This is something natural indeed and you don’t have to give up on your weight loss goals.
Your metabolism just needs, what I like to call a little “confusion” so it can reboot and starts shedding pounds again.
10 Tips To Break Through A Weight Loss Plateau
Try Intermittent Fasting
As I said a few lines before, the first thing you want to do is to “confuse” the system. When the body gets used to a diet, it will find itself comfortable and will sit around that same weight even if you’re eating properly or exercising.
And one of the best ways to trigger this confusion is to change the course of what you’re doing…
That’s when intermittent fasting comes into play. This will definitely be the game changer!
Fasting a few days per week will do the job believe me!
When you fast, you will deprive your body of its usual calories. Thus, fewer carbs, less protein, less sugar. And guess what will happen!
Its main source of energy won’t be glucose or carbs. Your body will have no choice than to take its energy from your fat storage and you start losing weight again.
Therefore, switching your body’s main source of energy from glucose will be one of the best and effective ways that will break your weight loss plateau.
If you want to know more about Intermittent Fasting and how you can accelerate your weight loss, click here!
Try Some Exercises
Another efficient way to get past your weight loss plateau is to exercise. If you’re already exercising, then you should do more.
Working out is extremely important if you want to either accelerate your weight loss or break a weight loss plateau.
Again, the body gets used quickly to the things we make it do. To get it out of its comfort zone, you just have to shake things up.
And when you start doing exercises, your body will definitely react to that and help you break your weight loss plateau.
Consume More High-Protein Foods
During a weight loss diet, it’s natural that your body will lose some muscle along the way.
And we know that protein is crucial for maintaining muscle mass.
Eating the right foods with the proper protein is another way to help you break a weight loss plateau.
High-protein foods will help you build and maintain lean muscle and this, in turn, will promote weight loss.
Below is a small list of foods that are rich in protein that can try to add more in your diet:
- Eggs
- Cottage cheese
- Chicken breast
- Oats
- Greek yogurt
- Broccoli
- Almonds
- Quinoa
- Tuna
- Milk/Soy Milk
- Fish
- Shrimp
- Peanuts
Get Adequate Sleep
Did you know that sleep in an essential factor that contributes to weight loss? Adequate sleep, i.e, 7-8 hours of sleep will play its part in promoting weight loss.
With that being said, another way of breaking your weight loss plateau is paying attention to the number of hours you sleep.
Here’s the point: when you don’t get enough sleep, you slow down your metabolism and when that happens, you wake up very hungry.
As a result, you will automatically resort to food, most of the time, more than you should eat.
Decrease Your Portion
As I said, even if you are following your diet properly, i.e, eating the right portion at the right time, you’ll definitely hit that wall.
Not your fault but it’s just your body getting used to that routine.
So what you can do to crush that wall is to cut back on your portions of carbs. Your body will feel that and it will start drawing more of its energy from your fat storage.
Increase Your Workout Intensity
If you’re both dieting and working out, there’s also a chance you hit a plateau in your weight loss journey.
Now, what you want to do to “confuse” and increase your metabolism to start burning fat again is to increase the intensity of your workout or add slight changes.
Track Your Macros
Sometimes when we get the hang of our diet, we start eating like a pro!
By this I mean that we are now used to the system and we don’t follow the beginner’s dos and donts.
But it can happen that we are slightly eating a bit more carbs than we should, or not enough protein without realizing it.
Getting back to basics can surely impact your dieting habits and help you break that weight loss plateau.
When you pay attention again to your macros you will be more alert of what you can decrease in terms of carbs or increase in terms of protein.
Remember that in order to get past your plateau, small changes are what will make it happen!
Include Fat Bombs In Your Diet
When my weight loss stalled, I started skipping meals which was not a good alternative in the long run.
So what I did was I looked for a few recipes of the best fat bombs I could include in my diet.
Fat bombs can really help you break your weight loss plateau because they usually are high in protein.
Consequently, they will keep you full for a longer period.
This will increase your metabolic rate and promote weight loss.
Manage Your Stress Level
It’s proven that stress has the ability to lower your immune system.
When your immune system is affected, so will your metabolism. This, in turn, will impact your weight loss.
Some people have noticed weight gain when they feel stressed or anxious.
That’s why it’s so important to be alert and learn to manage your stress level.
Drink More Water
A hydrated organism is a fundamental part of staying healthy and losing weight.
When you hydrate yourself, you eliminate toxins and one of the benefits of detoxification is that is helps losing weight.
So, another effective ways of breaking a weight loss plateau is to drink more water.
Drinking plenty of water will have a positive effect on many organs in your body that contribute to weight loss.
For instance, the heart rate, blood sugar level, and the metabolism are the essential organs in the body that can be regulated by hydration.
Bottomline
A healthy eating and good workout habits are keys to a continuous weight loss but no matter what, you will surely hit a weight loss plateau.
This is normal but you can do something about it to get past it by applying two or three of these weight loss plateau breakers.
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