Weight-loss Plateaus and Pitfalls | PhitZone

Work through your weight loss plateau

weight loss plateau

Guest post by Alia Haley

As it happens with most things in life, there is a method to everything .

The same strategy does not work all the time for long. A shakeup is sometimes needed.

The same holds true even for losing weight.

Conversations often revolve around the activities to undertake for losing weight.

When people keep a check on their diet and put in effort in the form of regular exercise, results are clearly visible. Weight loss does happen in such a case, but after a while the efforts fail to deliver.

For the same kind of diet and the rigors of physical activity the body weight tends to stabilize at a level. In common parlance this is termed as the weight-loss plateau.

This should not be worrisome though. Your diet chart and exercise regimen need a shake up for you to start getting better results for your efforts.

Tweak your exercise regimen

Go beyond the usual routine. The same kind of exercise for the same duration will cease to yield results.

Try something completely new or add other forms of exercise to your routine. If you have been jogging for a while now, move to cycling or swimming. Prepare an exercise schedule that juggles between the different forms of exercise.

These work different muscles in your body. Using different muscles makes the metabolism faster and helps you lose weight by burning the body fat.

Incorporate weight training in your daily workout. This helps build muscle. Remember that the muscles boost body metabolism and hence facilitate weight loss.

Add bursts of intense activity to your work out.

Faster running or cycling every five minutes for duration of 40 to 60 sixty seconds will increase the intensity of your work out.

Try to go beyond what you can accomplish with ease. Push your body a bit harder every few days. Do not go too far though for too much exercise can cause injury.

Change your dietary habits

Reducing the calorie intake as per the dietary requirements is an essential but slashing the calorie content to the extent of starving oneself goes against your efforts for losing weight.

The body metabolism becomes slow and manifests itself in the form of a weight-loss plateau. There are many food products such as vegetables that are low on calorie count. These help avoid hunger pangs that make you binge on food.

Try to keep refined carbohydrates off your diet as much as possible. Use whole grains. Take ample amounts of fruits and vegetables for carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.

Add protein rich foodstuffs to your meal. Avoid meat that is rich in fats. Take lean meat such as chicken.

Keep changing the contents of your meal. Do not stick to the same stuff on a daily basis for long.

Losing weight does not require a herculean effort in case the effort is well directed. Just add variety to your weight loss regimen and the task of losing weight in itself will become a source of enjoyment rather than being an activity that has been forced upon you.

Alia Haley is a writer and blogger who happens to be a health buff. Her lifestyle includes healthy ways to improve mental and physical sustainability. She writes on beauty and information at weight loss exercises.

Photo: Daniel G

• Holiday Aftermath (0)
• Resolution Madness (2)
• 5 Holiday Waistline Survival Tips (3)
• The Key To Achieving Big Goals (2)