Plateaus cause a stall in your weight loss even if you don't change any aspects of your diet and exercise plan. As the scale goes down, your body loses both fat and lean muscle, which causes a slow down in your metabolism. The slowed metabolism makes it more difficult for your body to shed pounds like it did at the beginning of your weight-loss program.
Track Food and Exercise
If you don't already track your food and physical activity, a weight-loss plateau gives you a reason to start. Tracking your food and exercise gives you a true picture of the calories going into your body and the calories you burn. A few extra snacks here and there add up to a substantial amount of extra calories if you aren't keeping track. A food and exercise journal keeps you on track and allows you to look for weaknesses in your habits that could be facilitating the stall in weight loss.
Adjust Calories
After you lose a substantial amount of weight, you may need to adjust your calorie intake to continue losing. The daily caloric intake that helped you initially drop pounds may now be too high to sustain weight loss. The Mayo Clinic recommends dropping your daily intake by 200 calories as long as you maintain at least a 1,200-calorie daily intake. This decrease in calories helps to jump-start your weight loss again to get you through the plateau. If you cut your calories too much, you could cause the opposite result, causing your metabolism to slow and leaving your body without enough fuel.
Vary Exercise
Exercise aids in weight loss by burning calories to create a calorie deficit that is needed to drop pounds. If you do the same exercise routine every day, do a different form of physical activity. Each exercise uses different muscle groups and helps get your body going. Another option is to increase the intensity of your current workout. If walking is your regular form of exercise, add in a few minutes of jogging every mile. A strength training component to your exercise routine is another way to get through a plateau. The increased lead muscle revs up your metabolism to help the scale move down once again.
Tips
Weight-loss plateaus cause frustration and may make you feel like giving up. Even if the scale isn't cooperating, your lifestyle choices contribute to your overall health. Stick with your weight-loss efforts making minor adjustments to get through the plateau. If you want to maintain your weight loss, the healthy choices you make have to be consistent, even when you aren't losing weight. Consult with a physician or dietitian for expert advice if you cannot make it through your weight-loss plateau.
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