How to Pass a Plateau in Weight Loss
Your first thought when the number on your scale becomes static is, "Where did I go wrong?" You are faithful to your diet, rarely cheat and never skip an exercise session, but your weight loss has come to a halt. Do not blame yourself; this is normal for many dieters. You have reached a weight-loss plateau, the point at which your body experiences a reduction in its energy requirements.
Instructions
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Learn what caused your plateau before choosing the appropriate method for getting through it. In February 2009, the "British Journal of Nutrition" published a study of obese participants placed on a supervised program that included diet and exercise. For each of the study's participants, the researchers noted a reduction in thermogenesis following a period of weight loss. Thermogenesis is the metabolic process of calorie burning. Metabolic reduction leads to a resistance to additional weight loss, known as the weight-loss plateau.
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Rev up your metabolic rate and overcome your plateau by decreasing calories or increasing physical activity, according to MayoClinic.com. In addition to losing fat when you diet, you also lose lean muscle tissue. Any reduction in lean tissue creates a corresponding decrease in your metabolic rate, which slows down or halts your weight-loss efforts.
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Eat 200 fewer calories per day to establish a new metabolic balance. Do not reduce daily caloric intake if you currently consume less than 1,200 calories, as this will induce the sensation of hunger.
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Increase protein consumption. Lean meat, fish and poultry require more energy to complete the digestive process; they speed up your metabolism and increase fat burning. Substitute a protein-based breakfast, such as eggs, in place of cereal. Any alterations you make in your diet have an effect on your metabolic balance that can help you to overcome your plateau. Be careful not to exceed your calorie limit when making dietary changes.
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Increase lean tissue mass to speed up your metabolism and the number of calories burned. However, increasing muscle takes time and a serious dedication to strength training. Aerobic exercises, such as walking, biking and swimming, provide a much faster way to burn calories and get you past your plateau. According to the MayoClinic.com, an increase of 15 to 30 minutes in your exercise routine will provide the extra calorie burn needed to restart your weight loss.
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Tips & Warnings
Low-calorie diets that require the consumption of less than 1,200 calories per day slow the metabolism, halt weight loss and adversely affect your health. If you have been on a calorie-restricted diet and none of the above suggestions breaks your plateau, try consuming additional calories one day a week. The increase in the metabolic process needed to digest the extra food can give your system the boost it requires to get you back on track. Increasing food consumption, even though it is limited to one day a week, also increases the temptation to overeat, which must be avoided. Junk food and starchy carbohydrates increase the metabolism, but they stimulate food cravings. Avoid these foods and eat extra amounts of lean protein, vegetables and fruit.
In most diets, the plateau is a passing physical reaction to fat loss to allow your body to adapt to the changes taking place. Do not become discouraged. Don't resume your former lifestyle and eating habits and allow all the physical improvements and health benefits derived from your diligence and hard work to be lost. Be patient and continue your efforts at weight loss. Your plateau will soon resolve itself.
References
Resources
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