You’ve been losing weight successfully for two or three months and all of a sudden you have hit a plateau and the scale is at a standstill. The regimen that you have been using that helped you initially lose weight is no longer working. Your motivation and excitement are not there because your efforts are not producing the results that you were getting.
You may be wondering, “What is going on? Why can’t I lose weight anymore?” Well, after you’ve done a weight loss regimen for some time, your body gets used to the routine and begins to plateau because it is now no longer a challenge to the body. The body also loses less weight over time because your metabolism has decreased. So, the only way to jumpstart your weight-loss again is to change up the routine.
4 Steps to get over weight-loss plateau
Keep food diary.
1. It is easy to accumulate calories through overeating calorie rich foods, and even by overdoing the intake of drinks and sodas. The only way to know if you are sabotaging your weight-loss efforts is to keep a daily log of every piece of food or drink that enters your body. Keeping a food diary will show you visually if you are on target with your nutrition, or if you are curtailing your efforts by taking in something that is hindering your progress. Another way to jumpstart your weight-loss is to keep track of your calories intake.
Change Your Exercise Routine.
2. One way to get over that plateau hump is to either increase duration or intensity of exercise. For example, you may have been losing weight by walking a mile everyday and then noticed that you have hit a plateau. You can either increase your walk from one mile a day to two miles a day. If you don’t have time to increase you mileage to two miles a day, you can walk a mile a day, but you can change the intensity by walking up a hill or a hilly route. You can also choose to do a run/walk routine, which consists of you alternating between walking a few minutes and running a few minutes.
Reduce Stress.
3. Stress can not be avoided in today’s society, but it should be managed properly for the betterment of one’s health. When the body is stressed it will send a signal to your brain that you need to protect yourself, which causes the body to hold on to unwanted fat. When the body experiences stress, the stress hormone cortisol is increased and causes you to crave sugar and carbohydrates.
Water.
4. Increase water intake. The best way to remove excess water from your body is by drinking more water. Water retention is one culprit to weight gain. When you do not drink enough water, your body wants to hold on to what it has. Drinking more water also can make you feel fuller, therefore causing you to eat fewer calories.
You don’t have to stay stuck on that treadmill to no where. All you have to do is make simple adjustments to your routine to reboot your efforts of losing weight. Start applying these simple steps that will change up your routine and get you over that plateau.
Terry Jones is a writer for VH Nutrition, he is also a professional nutritionist and an avid triathlete. He has coached extensively on weight loss and how to lose weight before competittions.
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