Tips on How to Beat that Annoying Weight Loss Plateau in No Time
When working out and dieting to lose weight, there is nothing quite as frustrating as a weight loss plateau. Unfortunately, no matter how perfect your weight loss program is, this is often inevitable. When you’re losing weight, you also lose muscle, which can lead to a lower metabolism. With just a few tips, you can be back to losing weight and getting healthy. Before you decide to throw away all of your progress and just give up, try these simple but effective steps.
Focus on Strength Training
Although cardio is an important part of any fitness routine, it can also leave you feeling drained of energy and craving carbs. Cardio burns a lot of calories, which can lead to the false perception that you’re able to eat more food, leading to weight gain or a weight loss plateau. By alternating cardio days with strength and resistance training, you’ll shed more fat and build lean muscles, which leads to a smaller stomach and more energy for those high-intensity cardio days. Despite popular belief, the more muscle you have, the more weight you’ll lose.
Avoid Diet Mistakes
What they say is true: “Abs are made in the kitchen.” Although working out is important for your health and weight loss, you can’t work off a bad diet. Eating too little or too much can lead to a weight loss plateau. Try starting a food diary so you can monitor how much you eat on a daily basis. It’s important to eat less than what you burn. Popular calculators like the TDEE Calculator can tell you how much you need to be eating a day for your specific weight and body type to lose weight. Depending on your activity level, you may learn that you need to eat more. That doesn’t mean binging on Pizza and chips, of course.
Shorten Your Workouts
Going hard at the gym for hours on end isn’t always the best thing for losing weight. By switching to shorter, multiple workouts a day, you’ll find yourself feeling much more energetic, allowing you to be active your entire day. Instead of wearing yourself out at the gym then going home to sit on the couch for hours, you can work out for 30 minutes then go out and enjoy your day, in turn burning more calories. Be sure to stick with it and give it your all. Even a short high-intensity workout will have you burning calories for at least 36 hours later.
Go the Extra Mile
Perhaps one of the simplest ways to get past your weight loss plateau is to focus on being active even during your normal daily activities. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park further away when you go to the grocery store. Do yard work. It may not seem like much, but all of these little activities add up.
If you try everything and still can’t lose weight, it might be time to see your doctor. Breaking a weight loss plateau can be tough, but it’s always possible. If you’re having trouble, you may have an underlining condition causing an unwanted weight loss plateau. Your doctor will run tests to rule out any possible factor including thyroid disease, PCOS, and other conditions that cause weight gain. Any of these conditions can affect your weight loss plans.
Another thing to remember during your fitness journey is that all bodies are different. Although you might not be at the weight you desire, it could be the ideal weight for your body. People often shoot for the wrong goal only to realize that they’re right where they need to be. Contact ProHealth Medical Care to learn more about weight loss today!
