3 Weight Loss Plateau Busters | Diet and Exercise | Real Life Fitness | PhitZone

Three weight loss secrets

Have you ever been stuck in a weight loss plateau? If you’ve ever tried losing weight, I’d bet money that you have.

Nobody likes it. These plateaus are extremely frustrating.

Sometimes it just makes you want to give up.

The absolute worst is when you are five pounds from reaching that goal, and then you stall. Now were talking frustration on a whole new level.

What if I told you a couple of secrets that can help jar your body just enough to get it working again? Would you be interested?

Silly question. Of course you would.

Let’s get something straight first. None of what I am telling you right now is guaranteed. Everybody reacts differently, and you may see differing results.

Obviously, if you have a medical reason for your body not responding, you won’t see a change. It happens, so don’t kill the messenger.

Shake it up

No, I’m not talking about shake weight. Change things up. If you’ve been doing the same training for a long period of time, do something radically different.

Maybe you’re a cardioholic. Cut it way back, or out all together, and pick up some weights. Go jump in on some pick-up basketball games a the park or YMCA. Go for a hike, or mountain biking, etc. Just change things up.

We are creatures of habit. Your body will adapt to your workout. By keeping it guessing, you will keep your muscles and metabolism off balance. That’s a good thing.

This same idea works wonderfully also with your diet, so be sure to take advantage here as well.

Gimme a Break

Don’t take a nap between sets. I’m talking about taking some time off from working out. Enjoy some time off.

You should be taking at least one day off per week to recover, but I’m actually talking bigger picture here, like an entire week off.

I prefer a 12-week rotation; train for twelve weeks, take a week off. Just be cautious to not let that week slip in to two weeks, etc. It’s happened to me, and it’s not a good thing.

Taking this time off will allow your body to rest and recover. Your muscles need to rebuild themselves, and this only happens during down times.

Zig and then Zag

This method may be a little controversial, but it works. It’s used by professional fitness models, bodybuilders, etc. to get rid of those stubborn last few pounds. I wouldn’t recommend doing this too often or for sustained periods of time. But if you need to drop a quick 5 lbs. for that upcoming wedding or beach vacation, you can do this for a couple of weeks. (Caveat-check with your doctor first).

It’s sometimes known as the zig zag method, or carb cycling. The idea is for two days to follow a low carbohydrate diet. On the third day, replenish with a high carb day.

If you go for more than two, three days max, of low carbs, your metabolism will slow way down, and negate any weight loss progress. That’s where the high carb day comes in. Your body will thank you, and so will those close to you. (going low carb can make you… shall we say cranky.)

There you have it.

Did you notice the common theme here? I just gave you three methods that keep your body from adapting, thereby forcing it to change, and keeping it from stagnating on that dreaded plateau.

Photo by Mike Vam

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