Subscribe To This Site
Weight Loss PlateausHow to Move Beyond ThemIf this has happened to you, just relax, you are doing fine! Even if you are not losing weight for the moment your body is undergoing different processes from the good work you’ve already put in. You will resume losing weight soon. Why Do We Reach Weight Loss Plateaus?
Energy is needed for keeping vital bodily functions going (pumping the heart, expanding the lungs, etc.) and for moving you around.After you have been cutting down on calories for a while the body mistakes that for famine and it slows down your metabolism. You don’t lose as much weight anymore. This is why so called crash diets don’t work; the body simply goes into starvation mode and uses as little energy as possible. The body doesn’t want to use excess energy on moving you around either. As your body becomes fitter you can feel that exercising becomes easier; you don’t feel as tired anymore. The easier it gets, the fewer calories you burn. Congratulations, this means you are getting fitter! When you become slimmer your body needs less energy as well. So there is actually no reason to feel disappointed, you’ve done a great job! The amount of calories you were eating at the beginning of your weight loss program might be exactly what’s needed to maintain your new weight. And of course, there is the always the case that you might be underestimating your caloric intake. We often eat more than we are aware of. Eating what your children left on the plate, snacking while cooking, or eating in front of the TV adds calories that we don’t think about. Studies show that distraction makes us eat more than we would otherwise. What we drink can contain a lot of calories; for example, one can of soda contain as many calories as two apples. How Do You Move Beyond A Weight Loss Plateau?Lowering your caloric intake and increasing your exercise is one solution. Only remember that the body is a complicated piece of machinery and losing weight is not as simple as counting calories. Don’t panic, you have lost weight for some time and that shows you can do it and that the program works. You just have to be patient and trust the process. Keep track of everything you eat for a couple of days and see if you are eating more than you think. Are you eating while you are being distracted by something else, like watching a movie, reading a newspaper? Do you eat what your children (or someone else) leaves on the plate? You are not a garbage bin. Serve smaller portions the next time. 
Are you drinking your calories? Too many mocha frapuccino with extra whip, caffe lattes made with full-fat milk, or soda and beer with your meals. Stick to water and count your caffe latte as a dessert.Do you tend to snack while you cook? Try chewing a gum, every time you want to put something else in your mouth you have to remove the gum. To lower your caloric intake even more you have to learn more about low calorie foods and explore products and tastes to see what you like. See where you can find alternatives to your current food choices. Don’t go so far as being hungry; you only risk giving up the whole project. As you are getting fitter exercise becomes easier and increasing your exercise might actually feel good. It can be a kick to be able to perform the exercise better. Just take it slowly; too much exercise can lead to burnout and loss of muscle tissue. The easiest way of dealing with a weight loss plateau is just simply taking a break. Don’t try to lose weight for a month or so. There is life after weight loss. During the break you can start to get a feeling of what your life will be when you are not focused on losing weight anymore. Soon your body will realize that famine is not the case and when you go back to your program you will start to lose weight again. If you’ve already lost a good amount of weight, I’m sure your life is easier, take time to enjoy it. Buy new clothes! Give yourself credit for how far you have come since you started, don’t punish yourself for still being far away from your goal. There are some periods of the year when taking a break comes naturally, like over the holidays. Deciding to use them as planned weight loss plateaus helps you get around the frustrating feeling that nothing is happening and that will make the weight loss process so much easier. And who wants to be on a diet over the holidays anyway? 
With you on the weigh, Eva
|
