When dieting and burning fat for long periods of time it is extremely common to eventually hit what they call a weight loss plateau. A weight loss plateau is where you can no longer lose weight or burn fat as efficiently as you once did. A weight loss plateau can be extremely frustrating. When dedicating the week to eating healthy nutritious foods only to see all your hard work hasn’t even budged the scales can be discouraging. This article will teach you how to overcome the dreaded weight loss plateau and help you kick start your metabolism to help burn fat and lose weight.
How to Overcome A Weight Loss Plateau
Overcoming a weight loss plateau is simple once you know how. Let me show you a few ways you can overcome a weight loss plateau:
Count the calories in your diet. A lot of people think they are eating less than they actually are. This can give you a misleading idea about how many calories you should really be consuming throughout the day. Ensure you are consuming the right number of calories in order to lose weight (roughly 300-500 calories under your maintenance level) and weigh yourself once a week to ensure this is happening.
Check your dailly calorie needs on this online calculator and subtract 300-500 calories. This is the number of calories you should be consuming each day in order to lose weight and lose stomach fat. If you begin to stall subtract a few more calories from your diet. You shouldnt be venturing too low with calories or starving yourself.
Start losing weight gradually. If your the kind of person who eats a lot of junk food throughout the day, drinks alcohol several times a week and does not get in any meaningful exercise throughout the week then you can not just jump straight into a weight loss diet by dramatically cutting your calories and eating 2 meals a day. Sure this might might seem great at the time when you lose 2,3,4 or even 5 pounds in the first week (depending how overweight you already are) but you will hit a weight loss plateau a lot quicker.
Weight loss should be kept to around 1-2 pounds a week for most people unless of course you are severely overweight and obese. In this case it may be natural to lose more when first starting out. Consistantly losing more than 1-2 pounds a week can ruin your weight loss efforts later on as you will be losing valuable muscle tissue as well as body fat.
Losing muscle mass will impact your metabolism and cause it to naturally slow down. A slower metabolism will lead to your body burning less calories throughout the day and is one of the main factors when it comes to encountering a weight loss plateau.
Increase your calories for a week. Thats right, im telling you to increase your calories for a week and eat a little more than you usually would in your weight loss diet. You probably wont lose any weight during this week but think of it as a refeeding week to get your body back to normality and use to consuming over maintenance calories again. Consuming a calorie deficit for long periods of time can be hard on your body and it will try to adapt and maintain what it has due to the shortage of food and calories its getting.
If your looking to lose more weight you dont want your body to be adapting and maintaining what it currently has at this point so take in additional calories for a week. This will help rev your metabolism up (the rate at which your body burns calories) and keep you sane.
The mind can relax knowing you dont have to pay close attention to everything you are eating and you will feel more full and satisfied. After this week has passed be sure to hit your calorie deficit again and your body should reset itself to shed further weight and body fat.
Incorporate cardio into your routine. Incorporating some low intensity or high intensity cardio into your current routine is a great way to break through a weight loss plateau. Performing 20-60 minutes of cardio a day will help you burn additional calories and will boost your metabolism throughout the day, helping you burn off more calories even when your resting and doing nothing! Regular cardio is a great way to shed the pounds and lose stomach and body fat.
Not only does it burn calories for you, but if you are maintaining a calorie deficit in your diet, with the use of regular cardio 2-6 times a week you will be able to eat more. To get a flat stomach cardio can be one of the most powerful tools at your disposal!Cardio brings with it a host of health benefits and is great for maintaining a healthy and fit body. If you are new to cardio start off gradually and build your fitness up slowly. Go outside for a light jog and stop when you are feeling a little out of breath.
Catch your breath and set off again. Repeat this for as many times as is comfortable until you last around 10+ mins. Repeat this simple routine until you can run further with less breaks and for more time. Once you get fitter you can then try to run continously for 10,15, 20 or even 30 minutes. Try and progress in each cardio session and you will be well on your way to a fitter, stronger and healthier body.
Incorporate Weight Training into your routine. Weight Training is another great addition to anyones routine who is looking to lose weight and overcome a weight loss plateau. If your not a bodybuilder and are just looking to lose weight and stay fit then a full body weight training routine would probably be best. A full body routine should be performed 2 or 3 times a week with adequate rest periods between sessions (1 or 2 days) and hit each of your muscle groups. For example:
CHEST
Dumbbell/Barbell Bench Press (2 sets of 10-12 reps)
Cable Crossovers, Pec Dec or Dumbbell Flys (2 sets of 10-12 reps)
BACK
Dumbbell or Barbell Rows (2 sets of 10-12 reps)
Lat Pulldowns (2 sets of 10-12 reps)
SHOULDERS
Dumbbell or Barbell Shoulder Press (2-3 sets of 10-12 reps)
BICEPS
Barbell or Dumbbell Bicep Curls (2 sets of 10-12 reps)
TRICEPS
Skull Crushers or Close Grip Bench Press (2 sets of 10-12 reps)
Tricep Pushdowns (2 sets of 12 reps)
LEGS
Barbell Squats (2 sets of 10-12 reps)
Leg Extensions (2 sets of 10-12 reps)
Leg Curls (2 sets of 10-12 reps)
Calf Raises (2 sets of 10-12 reps)
ABS
3 sets of Ab Crunches
Adding weight training into your routine will burn more calories and elevate your metabolism for up to 24 hours according to recent studies! The good thing about weight training is that even though you are in a calorie deficit you may still be able to gain muscle mass if you are a beginner. The more muscle mass your body has the more calories your body burns each day as muscle tissue is more metabolically active than fat is.
Although the amount of calories burned may not be huge, every little helps. Weight training can help prevent a weight loss plateau as it provides the stimulus to the body to hold on to muscle tissue. This can help minimize the loss of muscle tissue during a diet and ensure more body fat is burned.
Add a cheat day or two. I know earlier on we touched on having a week where you increase your calories to above maintenance level for a week. This can work or you can choose to have a cheat day or two! This can be just as effective. During these days literally anything goes! eat as much as you want within reason and indulge in your favourite foods and deserts. If you’ve been on a calorie deficit for a while this cheat day or two will shock your body and kick start your metabolism again. Gently ease back into your calorie deficit after this and your weight loss will resume as normal.
I would probably recommend not weighing yourself for the week where you have your cheat days. Weigh yourself the week after and track your progress from there. Remember to weigh yourself first thing in the morning, on the same scales, in the same place, on the same day every week. This will help to track your progress more accurately and allow you to make changes to your diet if your not seeing the desired results.
