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2006/02/27, 06:33 AM
You’ve been religiously logging your time at the gym. You’ve rearranged your lifestyle so that you can eat your mini-meals 6 times a day. You actually know what your neighborhood looks like because you’ve been doing so much walking. And yet the scale won’t budge. It looks like you’ve hit a plateau.
Plateaus are the enemy of weight loss. They are unfortunately both frustrating and inevitable. It can be quite discouraging to be cruising right along with your goal of losing weight only to have everything halt to a stop even though you haven’t changed a thing.
Fool your Body
Our bodies are extremely adaptable, which is great for survival but much less convenient when it comes to weight loss. We are forced to outsmart our own biological processes in order to reach our goals – it hardly seems fair. So what can you do to get back on track?
If you’re the patient type, you can just wait it out and eventually you’ll start seeing losses again. However, if you have at least one impatient bone in your body, this is going to be a difficult task. Fortunately, there are other options.
Change your Exercise Program
You may need to get a bit creative here and allow yourself to step outside your comfort zone. The idea with this is to just do something different.
Plateau Breaker #1
If you’ve been walking, switch to biking, hiking or another cardio machine like the elliptical or stair-stepper.
Plateau Breaker #2
If you’ve been doing long walks, change it up by doing shorter, faster paced walks.
Plateau Breaker #3
Vary your strength-training program. Change your weights, reps and sets. Consider hiring a personal trainer for a session or two to get you started.
Plateau Breaker #4
If you’ve been doing cardio before strength training, switch that around.
Plateau Breaker #5
Play around with when and how often you take your rest days.
Plateau Breaker #6
Start a new activity. Take those tennis lessons you’ve been putting off. Sign up for that bikram yoga class you’ve been eyeing on your way home from work.
Plateau Breaker #7
Consider training for an event, like a half-marathon or cycling tour. If you decide to do an event, think about joining a charity group. You’ll raise money for a good cause and make new friends.
Plateau Breaker #8
Think about adding flexibility exercises to your current program.
Change your Eating Program
If you’ve been eating the same thing day after day, it’s time to make a change. Your body becomes used to a particular diet, no matter what it is.
Plateau Breaker #9
If you consistently grab a bagel on your way to work, try a protein shake instead.
Plateau Breaker #10
If you’ve been low-carbing it for a while, try adding back in some complex carbohydrates like brown rice and whole grain products.
Plateau Breaker #11
If you’ve been buying your veggies in the frozen aisle, pick up some fresh produce.
Plateau Breaker #12
Pick up a cooking magazine or recipe book for new ideas.
Plateau Breaker #13
Tinker with your macronutrients – if you typically eat a high carbohydrate diet, add in more protein and healthy fats.
Plateau Breaker #14
Make sure that you’re getting plenty of water and staying hydrated.
Plateau Breaker #15
If you’re counting calories, add or subtract a couple hundred calories. Try varying your calories each day to keep your body guessing.
Plateau Breaker #16
Try adding a “cheat meal” to your weekly regimen.
Plateau Breaker #17
If you aren’t already, try journaling your food intake. You may be eating more or less than you realize.
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