It’s very demotivating to hit a weight loss plateau. It is seeing the weight come off that keeps you working hard at eating healthy and exercising regularly. But when the effort doesn’t pay off, you mustn’t give up thinking you’ve reached as far as you can go. An extra push in something or a changeup is what you need to get off that weight loss plateau.
1 Sleep More
You can break through a weight loss plateau by some fairly simple means, getting more sleep being one of them. Lack of sleep slows your metabolism, making you more likely to binge-eat during the day. If you open your eyes in the morning feeling sluggish and tired, try changing your evening routine and go to bed an hour earlier than usual for a week. You'll feel better generally and will see your weight has fallen again when you step on the scale.
Frequently asked questions
2 Take a Break from Dieting
Everybody needs a break from repetitive tasks, including our bodies! Taking a few days off dieting, according to fitness experts, will help you getting past a diet plateau. That doesn't mean you can go back to munching everything that's not nailed down! Be sensible and return your calorific intake to the basic level required for wellbeing, which is 1,800 to 2,400 calories per day for most people. Do this for 3 days, then go back to your calorie-restricted diet. You should see a noticeable improvement in weight loss straight away.
3 Choose Different Workouts
Doing the same exercise every time you go to the gym will allow your body to get more efficient at that particular exercise regime, but you'll probably start burning less calories every time you go to the gym. (This is called the Law of Diminishing Returns.) Try different exercises, mixing it up every so often. You should see an improvement and break through a weight loss plateau that way. You could try a new fitness class or borrow a free fitness video from your library - there are hundreds to choose from. Look on YouTube for fitness inspiration or join a jogging program for a big weight loss boost.
4 Shake up Your Diet
You may be in a rut food-wise, eating the same food day after day. Not only does this lead to boredom and potentially overeating again, it will get your body used to becoming efficient at digesting certain foods. Switching to different foods may just help you to break off your weight loss plateau. Try adding different fruits and vegetables to your food routine, or change your eating schedule around, have 3 large meals instead of 6 small ones or vice versa. If you eat throughout the day, you keep your metabolism going throughout.
5 Add Strength Training to Your Exercise Routine
If you add some resistance or strength training to your routine you can get that scale moving again, because adding muscle mass increases the number of calories our bodies burn every day. You don't need to join a gym for this. You can use inexpensive lightweight dumbbells, even make your own out of water bottles for example. If you don't want to end up looking like the Hulk, you may want to use smaller weights and do lots of repetitions with those. Push-ups, squats, step-ups etc. need no equipment at all and won't make you looking bulky either.
6 Add More Protein to Your Diet
Various studies have shown that dieters can benefit from a protein-rich diet, which helps them to lose more weight by improving the feeling of fullness throughout the day - you could even start your day with a bowl of porridge and get the same effect. Add more protein to your diet and space your protein intake throughout the day, but be sure to decrease your carbohydrate intake and/or fats at the same time.
7 Breakfast like a King, Lunch like a Prince, Eat Dinner like a Pauper
The old adage is absolutely true! If you breakfast like a king, meaning a protein-rich breakfast, you can break through a weight loss plateau and have more energy for the rest of the day. Scrambled eggs, a protein shake, a protein-enriched cereal or slow burning porridge oats will all help you achieve your weight loss goal. The worst you can do is to skip breakfast completely.
It’s important not to be disheartened when you realize your weight loss has plateaued. See it as an impetus to change your routine and embrace new things.
Have you ever found yourself on a weight loss plateau. How did you overcome it?
