If you’ve ever tried to lose weight before, you may have hit a plateau. You didn’t change a thing, but suddenly your numbers stopped going down. The human body is incredibly adaptable and will do everything possible to maintain balance (homeostasis).
The plateau effect is the biggest motivational killer out there. Oddly enough, most popular diet books don’t mention the subject, unfortunately. I guess the concept doesn’t sell well.
The best thing to do when you hit a plateau is to make a change. Don’t make the mistake and hinder your chances of reaching your goal weight by doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result (Ben Franklin’s definition of insanity).
So what changes can you make?
1. Zig-Zag Your Calorie Intake
Zigzagging is the process of fluctuating daily calorie intake, while leaving the weeklyintake unchanged. For example, if you normally eat exactly 1,800 calories each day, you can mix them up. Eat 1,200 calories one day and 2,400 calories the next. This can be as simple as halving and then doubling a serving size, or adding a post-workout shake to the plan. It will keep your body guessing.
2. Change your exercise routine
If you normally do a lot of walking, try jogging, swimming, or even biking. Anything that changes the way your body works. If you’re doing a low-intensity cardio workout, try something a little more intense.
3. Strength training
If you’re not doing this as part of your program or lifestyle, then it’s time to start. Working your muscles will help strengthen bone tissue, increase lean mass, and ultimately increase your metabolic rate. The higher your metabolism, the better!
4. Modify macronutrient intake
Although it sounds complicated, it really is not. Once again, the idea isexchangeWhat are you eating? For example, if you are on a moderate diet that is high in carbohydrates, try to eat fewer carbohydrates and more protein. If you have a carbohydrate snack every day for breakfast, change it to a protein snack. Regardless of what you are constantly doing, try to mix it up.
5. Change the frequency of meals
If you are eating three full meals a day, start eating five meals a day with smaller portions. Eating more frequently can not only help you eat less, but it can also increase your metabolic rate.
Many dieters work diligently to stick to a fairly rigid diet, with three strength training sessions per week and up to seven intense cardio sessions per week. After 3-4 weeks, the fat simply stops coming off. The frustration is enough for anyone to take their meal plans, shred them, and throw them away in disgust. Angry and disappointed, many dieters stop thinking that “it doesn’t make sense.” Why go on a rigid diet with intense exercise if you don’t benefit from losing weight?
The plateau effect is the biggest motivational killer out there. The best thing to do when you hit a plateau is to make a change. Don’t make the mistake and hinder your chances of reaching your goal weight by doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. You have to deal with the blows; Hopefully the tips provided above will help you do just that.
