We've all been there. After months of hardwork and effort, we step on the scale and....nothing. No movement. But you've been busting your booty working out and eating healthy, so what gives???
Here are 5 tips to help you bust through that frustrating plateau!!
1. Ignore the scale and pay attention to measurements instead. As we get in shape, we gain muscle where fat used to be and as we all know, muscle weighs more than fat. So keep track of your measurements and you may see that while the scale may not be moving, your body shape is changing and leaning out.
2. Eat more protein. Research suggests that shifting fat and carbohydrate calories to protein calories may help weight loss. But too much protein causes health problems – stick to 20% of your daily calories from protein. If you are eating 1500 calories per day, 20% is 300 calories – and at 4 calories per gram that equals about 75 grams of protein per day.
3. Add weights. One of the best ways to overcome a plateau is to increase your resistance or weight while exercising. Exercise both burns calories and builds muscle. The more muscle you have, the higher your Basic Metabolic Rate. Increase the resistance or weights while training and you will increase your muscle mass and metabolism.
4. Change your routine. Changing your physical activity routine, your diet or both can be a great way to overcome a weight loss plateau. Despite the lack of scientific support for this technique most fitness experts agree that it is worth trying. Alternate physical activities (both aerobic exercises and weight lifting) to work different muscle groups and keep things interesting! Try something you haven't done before. Bottom line, mix things up to get your body moving in a way that it is not used to!
5. Drink more water. Did you know you should be drinking half of your body weight in water every single day.Water is important for more than just hydration. When we are losing weight, water is generated in the body as a normal part of fat metabolism. This can cause unwanted water-related weight gain. The solution is not less water, but more water to encourage our body to excrete more water and reach a healthy water balance. Additionally, when fat cells shrink they release toxins that need to be eliminated by our liver, kidneys, skin and digestive tract. If we don’t drink enough water the toxins build up and may interact negatively with our hormones and cause increased fat storage. Drinking water also helps us feel full and regulate our appetite. I like to drink a glass of water before every meal.
To your health!
~F2
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