Maintaining a healthy weight comes with its own challenges! The process is not easy and requires constant efforts to achieve a target weight.
Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you can’t budge those horrifying numbers on the weighing scale. Enter, the weight loss plateau.
A plateau that hits during weight loss can be defined as the position when your weight stops moving.
It is a normal thing and mostly happens with almost all the people who are on their weight loss journey.
Though the plateau can be quite disheartening and annoying, you can, however, take some steps to beat the plateau and to accelerate the process of shedding your excess pounds.
Here is a list of strategies to combat the weight loss plateau:
1. Re-evaluate your habits
Pay heed to food and workout records to break this condition. Keep a tab on your weight loss rules or diet that you have been following throughout your journey and ensure that you haven’t stopped following them recently. Say, take a look at your meal portions or whether you have started relying more on processed junkies or not getting a proper workout. As per the health enthusiasts, the habit of off-and-on changing of rules leads to plateaus. Moreover, do follow a low-carb diet to control your appetite and curb hunger and make your weight move in an accurate direction.
2. Escalate the frequency of exercises
After a certain while during the weight loss process, your metabolism starts speeding down which could be a major reason behind the weight loss plateau. Progressing your exercise routine (frequency or intensity) can counter this effect. Make sure to include resistance training in your regime, aerobic exercises, Zumba and HIIT training to combat the slow metabolic rate.
3. Think outside your workout routine
Being active throughout the day is yet another effective way to fight off the plateau. Besides your workout routine, make sure to stay active during the whole day. Walk often, do some stretches in between work, clean your home yourself, or take small walks after your meals to rev up the process of digestion to amp up the metabolic rate.
4. Decrease your stress levels
Unmanaged stress can put a barrier to your weight loss process. Right from enhancing cravings to appetite, high-stress levels also accentuate your body’s cortisol levels which further escalates fat storage. Make sure that you control your stress levels by practising meditation, deep breathing and taking 8-9 hours of sound sleep in order to amp your weight loss process.
A plateau during losing weight can easily be overcome by incorporating some habits and tweaking your routine. Make sure that re-evaluate any new changes in your dietary pattern and add in more water and protein-rich food items for the best results.
