6 Ways to Break a Weight Loss Plateau

     If you've ever dieted, you've probably encountered the dreaded weight loss plateau. You think you are doing everything right, everything you did before to lose weight, and now the scale won't budge. It can be very frustrating!

The first thing you think of to lose weight is to start eating less. This seems counter intuitive but that is precisely what NOT to do. You don't want to start restricting your food intake even further, putting your body into starvation mode. That will start slowing down your metabolism even more!

Next, don't give up out of frustration and undo all your hard work. Now is not the time to pick up that pint of ice cream or give up exercising. That certainly won't help.

Here are some suggestions to deal with a plateau:

- Be sure you really are in a plateau. The scale is NOT the best indicator, your level of body fat is. Take your measurements. Calculate your body fat. You may be losing inches but not weight and that is a good thing! You might be losing fat and increasing muscle which is more important than pounds anyway. We have been brainwashed into believing the number on the scale is all-important, especially us gals.

-Only weigh yourself once a week. Don't torture yourself by weighing yourself any more often than that.

- And make sure you aren't aiming for an unrealistic goal for your bone structure and age. If you are 40, do you really need to get back down to what you weighed in high school? Is it even wise or healthy?

You remember that definition of insanity, "Doing what you've been doing and hoping for different results" So if you have decided you are stuck in a plateau and it really is reasonable for you to lose more weight than you already have, you'll need to shake things up a bit and make some changes.

Boosting your metabolism is definitely is the key to breaking out of a plateau.

- Change your exercise routine. Whatever you normally do, do something different and do more exercise. If you usually do yoga take brisk walks. If you usually walk, lift some weights. Always make sure to include some strength training which is the best exercise for boosting metabolism,. One fitness professional I know tells his clients to exercise more AND eat more to break a weight loss plateau!

- Review what you are eating. Keep a food journal for a week to keep yourself honest about what you are actually consuming. You might find you've been cheating in small ways that can add up. If you normally eat 3 meals per day, switch to 6 smaller meals. Make sure you eat some protein at each meal and snack. Eat known metabolism boosting foods. And never skip breakfast!

- Some additional lifestyle change include get plenty of sleep. Lack of sleep increases fat storing hormones. Reduce stress as much as you can, which also increases fat storing hormones. Increase your general activity level. If you sit at a desk all day, get up and move around at least once an hour. We all spend a lot of time waiting. Do some stretches instead of just standing or sitting there. Do a few extra good walks each week.

Do all of these thing to speed your metabolism up, and your weight loss plateau should be history.

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