A weight loss plateau is awful. It’s frustrating. It’s draining on our motivation. We want to see the results of our hard work when we step on the scale! When we keep up our efforts week after week but the number doesn’t change, it can make us wonder why we’re doing it at all.
There are ways to break through a weight loss plateau, but they’re often not the actions we think they are. Many of us try to take on more extreme actions to try to force the weight to come off. We eat far too little or we spend too much time on workouts. Unfortunately, while this can seem successful at first – perhaps we’ll lose another pound or two – it can actually make the situation worse over time. In fact, it can increase your risk of weight gain.
Use these techniques to break your weight loss plateau.
1. Go over the very basics
Your good habits may have been sliding over the last while as you’ve become comfortable with your new lifestyle. Are you still hydrating enough? Are you eating all the fiber you need? Are your meals balanced, even if they’re within your appropriate calorie range? Are you getting enough veggies and are they in a range of different colors? Focus on getting the basics back under control to be sure it isn’t something simple holding you back.
2. Pay attention to your body’s signals while eating
When you decide to eat – or while you’re already eating – pay attention to your body. Listen to its signals that tell you when you’re still hungry. Register the feeling when your hunger has been satisfied. Don’t keep eating when you start to feel full. This may sound obvious and easy, but most of us don’t pay the slightest bit of attention to these signals. We eat when we’re hungry, and we usually eat far more than we need to feel satisfied.
3. Change up your workouts
If you’re doing the exact same workouts all the time, this could be why you can’t break out of your weight loss plateau. Your body is no longer being challenged as it was, and your mind is no longer stimulated by the workout. It could be time to add more types of exercise to the mix. Alternately, it may simply be time to give your workouts an upgrade so they will be more challenging.
