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So, you can’t lose those last 10 pounds, huh! Week after week, your pounds on the weight scale stays the same or even goes up a little?! Don’t fret! There’s a reason you’ve reached a weight loss plateau. You just have to find out why! I’ll give you some common reasons for weight loss plateaus in this article. Hopefully, you’ll find yourself among the many reasons.
So, here are some of the reasons that people reach a weight loss plateau:
1. Find out your basal metabolic rate—BMR (amount of calories you would burn if you did nothing all day). You will use this rate to set the amount of calories you need each day to maintain a caloric deficit (burn more calories than you consume). You also need to know your BMR so you don't eat too little and encourage your body to store fat!
2. Food fight! No, don’t have a food fight with someone! The battle you may be fighting with your weight loss plateau may be what or how much you are eating.
First, stick to your meal plan at least 90% of the time. If you exercise regularly, you will have weight loss success. Second, cut out sugars and processed foods! Just doing these two things will cut major calories and help burn fat off your belly. Let those sodas go! Third, try not to eat foods stored in a box or bag. These foods are loaded with calories and fat. Fourth, eat natural, whole foods like fresh fruits/veggies, whole grains, nuts and fish as much as possible. And, finally eat small meals every 3-4 hours to prevent binge eating.
Drink at least half your weight in water every day. So, if you weight 140 pounds, drink 70 ounces of water each day. Drinking plenty of water will help you eat less during the day.
3. Change your exercise habits. You may be over-training. You don’t need to exercise every day—5-6 days of exercise is enough. You need at least one day of rest. Over-training messes up your metabolism, causes injuries and a host of other medical problems.
Maybe you are not exercising hard enough. Cut down that 60-minute cardio session to 20 minutes of intense intervals. Research and my experience have proven that shorter, more intense exercise will burn more calories and fat during and after your workout.
Get off the cardio machines. They do too much of the work for you. When you have a choice, do your cardio "on land"---either outside or on the floor.
The same holds true for weight training. Instead of lifting weights for 2 hours, cut your workout down to 45 minutes of intense circuit training. If you want to burn even more calories, do 2 separate 20-minute workouts in the same day.
Or, you may just need to change your exercise routine. Doing the same workout at the same pace week after week will stall your weight loss results. Your body has the ability to adapt to your workouts.
Do as many compound strength exercises (with weights or bodyweight) standing up as possible (get off the machines). These types of exercises work major muscle groups and many times are full-body strength exercises, therefore burning more calories. Squats, deadlift, lunges, standing bentover rows, squat-to curl-to press and shoulder press are great examples. Full-body core exercises like planks, bridges, medicine ball chops and side planks work well also. Spend less time posing on "mirror exercises" like bicep curls, calf raises and triceps extensions.
You can break through your weight loss plateau! Just make the needed changes and watch the pounds melt away!
Mark Dilworth, Certified Personal Trainer
Her Fitness Hut http://herfitnesshut.com
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