The 12 Best Foods To Eat When You’ve Hit A Plateau

The word ‘plateau’ might as well be a dirty word. It is the most irritating and frustrating thing that can happen on your weight loss journey. You’re doing everything right and then all of a sudden, it stops working. But don’t let yourself get too down, plateaus are entirely common and entirely natural.

Registered dietitian Keri Glassman explains, “Any time you drastically change your routine in a way that results in a calorie deficit, you’ll start to lose weight. But as your body gets smaller (and used to its new routine), you need fewer calories to function. The end result: you have to eat even less (or burn even more) if you want to continue to downsizing.”

But, did you know there are weight loss promoting foods that can help you bust through this dreaded stage? Have a look at this list, stock your fridge, and kiss that plateau goodbye!

Dates And Cherries

Deprivation diets create havoc in our brains. It is natural to want something we aren’t supposed to have. When we deprive ourselves, our brains read it as stress and the body craves junk. This doesn’t mean you should give in, however. Try a healthy snack like dates stuffed with almond butter or cherries sprinkled with cocoa. These yummy snacks will prevent you from eating the entire contents of the office vending machine.

Eggs, Almonds, Chicken, And Yogurt

Research has suggested that a high protein diet will prevent you from losing your lean muscle mass and keep your metabolism humming. Basically, if you are working out regularly, you might need a protein hit to keep your muscles healthy and your fat burn potential high. Glassman says, “Try adding a hard-boiled egg to the side of your cup of oatmeal in the morning, 15 almonds to your a.m. snack, or an extra scoop of chicken to your salad at lunch.”

Raspberries, Apples, Broccoli, And Artichokes

Fiber is your key to feeling full. It takes longer to break down so it keeps you satisfied while helping your digestive system work properly. But, did you know that fiber can increase your insulin sensitivity which will help keep your body from storing the odd sugary treat as fat? Try throwing fiber loaded foods like raspberries and apples into your breakfast dishes. Then try veggies like artichokes and broccoli at dinner.

Grapefruit

If you’ve been at a plateau for a while, you might consider making grapefruit your pre-dinner appetizer. Glassman says, “eating a snack high in water content and low in calories, like grapefruit, has been shown to reduce the number of calories you consume in your next meal.” One study revealed that by eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice, participants ate 25% less and lost 7% of their overall body weight. Try to make it your habit to have half of a sectioned grapefruit before your dinner. If you sprinkle it with cinnamon, you will not only take the edge off the tartness, you will get the blood sugar stabilizing benefit of the cinnamon.

Chili Powder

The heat in chili peppers is caused by capsaicin which has been shown to turn inactive white fat into metabolically active brown fat. Having an increased amount of brown fat helps your insulin sensitivity which gives you energy and prevents you from storing fat. Glassman suggests you, “sprinkle a little chili powder on your eggs in the morning, top off a deviled egg with a dash of it, add it to a stir fry, or even mix a little in some lemon water for a spicy kick.”

Are you ready to stock your cupboards?

What are your favourite plateau busting foods?

For creative ways to use these foods, check out the BodyRock Meal Plan!

Source: Prevention

 

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