Getting Past The Weight Loss Plateau?

What happens when you hit a weight loss plateau? It basically means that your weight loss has stopped. It stays as it is, not going up or down. So what can you do?

Almost everybody who is attempting to lose weight will, at some point, reach a weight loss plateau. It's very demoralizing and can make you want to give up when it happens. It doesn't matter what diet plan you chose either. It could be low carb, high carb, vegetarian, Mediterranean, etc. Any diet will do the exact same thing when you have the same way of eating and the same physical exercise routine every day of every week.

The key element on how to lose weight effectively is to keep your body guessing over the weeks and months while you're working on your weight loss. You can't just go on a specific strict diet for 6 weeks and not expect to hit a weight loss plateau.

What Happens When Weight Loss Stops?

When you hit a weight loss plateau it means that your weight loss has stopped. It remains as it is, not moving up or down. You become frustrated because you may have been on this same diet plan for eight weeks and every week, regular as clockwork, you have shed two pounds.

Suddenly there's no drop. No gain, but no drop, either. The next week, you're holding steady - and it starts to get frustrating because you're working so hard. You're eating right. You're exercising, and there are no rewards in sight.

Switching up your diet and your exercise routines is how to lose weight naturally week after week. A weight loss plateau can typically happen at any time. There's no set week it will appear, although if you look at shows like The Biggest Loser, they sometimes show up in week two.

The reason is due to the fact that when you go on an extreme or crash diet, that has the possibility to damage body, your body shuts down and hangs onto to whatever stores it has. It doesn't want to let go of the weight because it thinks you've gone into starvation mode.

Overcoming The Weight Loss Plateau.

In some cases you just have to hold on and ride out the plateau because your body will adapt and become more at ease with your diet and exercise schedule. But if it carries on and on and you start to become anxious, it means you have to do something to escape it.

That might mean choosing a new program or shaving a few more calories off (if you're at a safe level), or even boosting your physical activity to burn more calories and up your metabolism.

Don't forget that if you have hit a plateau it means you've already lost some weight. Sometimes maintaining weight is harder than losing it. It may be worth concentrating on your new diet and exercise habits for a few weeks, or even months, before trying to lose more weight. When people try to change too many things too fast, it can sometimes be too much for them and they give up and go back to their old ways and bad habits.

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