It’s frustrating when your weight loss comes to a stop even though your routine hasn’t changed much. That is a usual phase that happens to a lot of people and is commonly referred to as a plateau. Don’t lose hope, though. Getting stuck somewhere above your goal weight is not uncommon, in fact it is even expected.
A few factors fall into play when it comes to a plateau. Back when you first started your diet, the weight seemed to slide off, almost too easily. That’s because some of the weight coming off was actually water.
What can you do now? Surely not give up!!!
You could try looking again at your portion sizes and what you’re actually eating – extra calories often creep up without us noticing. Keep a food diary for a week or so to identify exactly what you’re eating – you might be surprised to find you’re eating more and snacking between meals without realizing.
Make small changes throughout the day, such as having a slightly smaller bowl of cereal for breakfast, thinner slices of whole meal bread for lunch, switching to dairy products that are even lower in fat, and so on. All the little changes add up.
Try to mix up the calories you’re consuming. One day, eat a few hundred calories less than your normal intake. The next day, eat a few hundred more. That way your body doesn’t know how many calories are coming in each day so it keeps working every day to keep up the calorie burn.
Try to compound exercises with moves that involve more than one joint, such as squats, lunges, and leg presses to activate more total muscle, increasing both calorie burn and strength.
Finally, don’t forget to drink plenty of water during the day; it is one only of the few things that contain zero calories, but also helps your metabolism to start its normal rate, burning calories again!!
