Weight Loss Plateaus – How to Overcome Them
Monday, March 22nd, 2010Shannon Clark asked:
If you’ve ever been on a diet program before, there’s a good chance you’ve experienced a weight loss plateau.
Weight loss plateaus are a very common thing because the body is so highly adaptable. Essentially, your body like to be comfortable and when you are trying to force it to do something it’s not comfortable with, it will fight back.
Dieting is no exception.
Once you start up on that low-calorie diet, first, weight loss will progress quite nicely. But, as the body sees what’s going on, it will begin to slow its metabolic rate, so that now it needs less calories to function, hence you no longer experience weight loss.
Not good.
So, how do you overcome this?
Here are some methods.
Boost Your Calorie Intake
One of the best ways to instantly overcome a weight loss plateau is to simply boost your calorie intake for about a week.
This will send a strong signal to the body saying, ‘Hey, it’s okay to speed up again – I’m not starving you!’
Once the body sees that more food is readily available, it will then speed back up it’s metabolic rate, so you experience a faster rate of fat loss.
Take note that you might gain some weight during this time, however it will most likely be mostly water weight and stored muscle glycogen.
This is nothing to get too concerned over because once you start up on your weight loss diet again, it should resolve itself.
Back Of Your Workouts to Beat The Weight Loss Plateau
Next up, another good thing to do is back of your workouts slightly, as this too will help you beat your weight loss plateau.
When exercise levels are very high, this too can send a signal to the body that it should be conserving resources.
When it does this, the chances are much higher that you will not continue to lose weight, plus, you could wind up injuring yourself greatly in the process as well.
Keep Calories Constant But Change Macronutrient Split
The next way you can help overcome a weight loss plateau is to actually keep your calories constant, but chance the macronutrient split.
For example, if you were previously eating a combination of 50% carbs, 20% protein, and 30% fat, try changing that to 40% protein, 20% carbs, and 40% fat.
You might find that this set-up works much better for you. Generally speaking too, a slightly higher protein content in the diet will help to speed up the metabolic rate.
Give In To Your Cravings
Finally, the last way you can help overcome a weight loss plateau is to simply give in to the cravings you’re experiencing.
While this may seem counter-productive – eat unhealthy foods? – it really does work. By cheating on your diet you help raise certain hormones in the body that play a very large role when it comes to fat burning, thus boosting your metabolism in the process.
Once this process occurs, you’ll find yourself in a much better position to continue losing weight.
So, next time you find yourself standing on the bathroom scale looking down at a number that just does not want to seem to move, consider these tips. Overcoming a weight loss plateau is definitely possible as long as you take the right plan of action.
Fit Yummy Mummy!
If you’ve ever been on a diet program before, there’s a good chance you’ve experienced a weight loss plateau.
Weight loss plateaus are a very common thing because the body is so highly adaptable. Essentially, your body like to be comfortable and when you are trying to force it to do something it’s not comfortable with, it will fight back.
Dieting is no exception.
Once you start up on that low-calorie diet, first, weight loss will progress quite nicely. But, as the body sees what’s going on, it will begin to slow its metabolic rate, so that now it needs less calories to function, hence you no longer experience weight loss.
Not good.
So, how do you overcome this?
Here are some methods.
Boost Your Calorie Intake
One of the best ways to instantly overcome a weight loss plateau is to simply boost your calorie intake for about a week.
This will send a strong signal to the body saying, ‘Hey, it’s okay to speed up again – I’m not starving you!’
Once the body sees that more food is readily available, it will then speed back up it’s metabolic rate, so you experience a faster rate of fat loss.
Take note that you might gain some weight during this time, however it will most likely be mostly water weight and stored muscle glycogen.
This is nothing to get too concerned over because once you start up on your weight loss diet again, it should resolve itself.
Back Of Your Workouts to Beat The Weight Loss Plateau
Next up, another good thing to do is back of your workouts slightly, as this too will help you beat your weight loss plateau.
When exercise levels are very high, this too can send a signal to the body that it should be conserving resources.
When it does this, the chances are much higher that you will not continue to lose weight, plus, you could wind up injuring yourself greatly in the process as well.
Keep Calories Constant But Change Macronutrient Split
The next way you can help overcome a weight loss plateau is to actually keep your calories constant, but chance the macronutrient split.
For example, if you were previously eating a combination of 50% carbs, 20% protein, and 30% fat, try changing that to 40% protein, 20% carbs, and 40% fat.
You might find that this set-up works much better for you. Generally speaking too, a slightly higher protein content in the diet will help to speed up the metabolic rate.
Give In To Your Cravings
Finally, the last way you can help overcome a weight loss plateau is to simply give in to the cravings you’re experiencing.
While this may seem counter-productive – eat unhealthy foods? – it really does work. By cheating on your diet you help raise certain hormones in the body that play a very large role when it comes to fat burning, thus boosting your metabolism in the process.
Once this process occurs, you’ll find yourself in a much better position to continue losing weight.
So, next time you find yourself standing on the bathroom scale looking down at a number that just does not want to seem to move, consider these tips. Overcoming a weight loss plateau is definitely possible as long as you take the right plan of action.
Fit Yummy Mummy!






