How to Break Out of a Weight Loss Plateau

Author: Renee Kennedy

How to Break Out of a Weight Loss Plateau by Renee Kennedy

What is a weight loss plateau?

You are on a diet, but you reach a period of time (two or more

weeks) where you can't seem to lose any weight. Your weight may

actually fluctuate 3lbs up or down, but you can't seem to break

below this range.

You can experience a weight loss plateau for different reasons:

1. You are consuming too many calories for the amount of

calories that you are burning off. 2. You are not consuming

enough calories; your body defends itself by slowing down your

metabolism.

First, you need to determine if you are experiencing a plateau

or if your weight is in a state of normal fluctuation. Weigh

yourself once per week. If you have not lost any weight after 3

weeks, you've hit a plateau. Remember, people lose weight at

different rates. If you've lost even one pound after three

weeks, you are still losing weight and probably don't need to

change anything. The closer you get to your goal weight, the

harder it will be to lose weight.

Second, if you are experiencing a plateau, look at your current

diet and exercise patterns. The NutriCounter can function as a

measurement tool to see how many calories you are consuming each

day. (http://www.nutricounter.com) It will also help you

determine if you are eating the appropriate amount of

carbohydrates and protein each day. You should also keep an

exercise journal that will help you determine how much exercise

you are getting each day.

Here are some patterns that you may need to break. (Note: before

trying any of the methods below, get your doctor's advice. This

is especially important if you have special dieting needs.)

1. You should be eating at least 1200 calories a day if you are

a woman and 1500 calories per day if you are a man. If you

restrict your calories too much your body will start stockpiling

fat because it thinks you are starving.

2. You may try to break a plateau by decreasing the percentage

of carbohydrates and increasing the percentage of protein that

you intake each day.

3. Another common recommendation is not to mix your protein and

carbohydrates. If you have a protein breakfast, wait 2-3 hours

before resuming your balanced meals.

4. Generally speaking, you should be exercising no more than 1

hour per day. However, ask yourself if your fitness routine is

intense enough? Simply walking around the block for 15 minutes a

day may not be enough for you. Each person is different. Also,

walking around the block may have been an excellent exercise

when you first started to lose weight, but it may not be enough

now that you've hit a plateau.

5. If you have recently added a fitness regimen to help you lose

weight, you may experience a slight weight gain for the first

few weeks, especially if part of that routine involves weight

lifting. This can be a very frustrating experience. If you are

engaged in an intense workout regimen, it may help to measure

yourself with a measuring tape, rather than the scale. You will

be putting on muscle and muscle will burn more calories than

fat, but it's also heavier.

6. If you are already on a low calorie diet and you are sticking

to it, then it is not recommended that you cut out any more

calories. Increasing your activity is really the key to breaking

out of a plateau. However, if you are "supposed" to be on a low

calorie diet but you are not sticking to it, well, the answer is

obvious: you need to stick to it.

Come and visit the NutriCounter web site for more information on

how nutrition and fitness influence weight loss, diabetes,

pregnancy, heart disease and more! http://www.nutricounter.com

About the author:

Please email renee@napuda.com if you use the article. Please

include the entire article.

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How to Break Out of a Weight Loss Plateau

Article : How to Break Out of a Weight Loss Plateau