Plateau, Good or Bad?
Ah the dreaded plateau. Its a blessing and a curse in the world of health and fitness. Blessings because once you get over that hurdle the results are exhilarating and a curse because when youre stuck its very easy to just give up. Hear me out on this DO NOT GIVE UP!!! Instead try these tips
1. Have a realistic weight loss expectation. 3, 500 calories equals one pound of fat. In order to lose fat you need to burn a total of 3, 500 calories which is why most experts suggest that a person lose one to at the most three pounds a week. The more you weigh the more weight youll lose in a week. That being said, dont weigh yourself more than once a week. If you need to burn 3,500 calories to lose one pound of fat thats nearly impossible to do in a day.
2. Look at what youre eating. This is where keeping track of what you eat becomes so important. Not only does it help you pinpoint foods that you should consider staying away from (dairy being a big culprit for most people) but itll also show how many calories youre taking in. Believe it or not if you arent eating enough you will not lose weight.
3. Change up your workout routine. If you are a runner consider adding some strength training into the mix. Try yoga if you typically do strength training. Try a gym class if you belong to a gym whatever you do, switch up your routine, confuse your body.
4. Drink water!!!! This goes without saying, flush out the toxins and get that salty water retention out of your body.
5. Look at pictures of yourself before you started working out. Do you look different? Celebrate it. Call a friend and tell her about it. Think back to the activities you could not do before you started working out. Can you do those same activities now?
Honestly, I think that one of the biggest things you can do when youve hit a plateau is stay the course. If its been months of healthy eating and working out consistently and you still arent seeing that scale budge please seek medical guidance. Other than that remember that this is a lifestyle change and this is your life. Its not going to happen overnight and because of that you have to stick with it even during a plateau.
What do you do to get through a plateau?
Yours truly,
Bert
