How to Break Through the Weight Loss Plateau

Learn how to restart your weight loss.

Weight loss plateau is a metabolic hurdle that many dieters face on their weight loss journey. Strangely enough, many diet plans and books do not even mention it. What is the best way to tackle this problem? Is reaching a plateau an inevitable part of any weight loss diet? Is it physiologically normal?

The truth is that hitting a weight loss plateau is a normal physical reaction. The human body is adaptive; it does not like to respond to prolonged, sustained signals that demand a response from it. This means that a signal that is initially sufficient to bring about a certain change in the body becomes inadequate to elicit the same response after some time.  So, while your diet may initially be successful at getting these first pounds off of you, it has little to no effect a few weeks after you have been on it. Your body's adaptation mechanisms have kicked in, and you are not responding to your diet as you used to. The good news is that effective ways to break through a weight loss plateau do exist.

Change Changes Everything!

While there are different methods to break a weight loss plateau, all the methods have one thing in common—change. Changing anything—from your eating habits to your exercise routine—can be the key to breaking your weight loss plateau. It's also important to remember that hitting a plateau with weight loss often means that your body is ready to take things to the next level.

Change Your Exercise Routine

If you're used to doing a low-intensity cardio workout, consider some high-intensity exercises. If you don't feel comfortable intensifying the exercise, then keep the same intensity but do something different. For instance, if you're generally a walker, try jogging, trekking or swimming instead. For many people, doing things a little different with their exercise is a great way to bust that weight loss plateau.

Change Your Eating Plan

Another effective method is to change your daily caloric intake while maintaining your weekly intake. By staggering or zig-zagging your caloric intake from day to day, you can "trick" your body into losing weight again. This could be as simple as going on half-portions one day and then doubling up the next day. You could also try reducing your meal intakes and supplementing them with small snacks instead. Don't forget, variation in menu can be a big help as well. Try new recipes to keep your meals exciting.

What If It Just Isn't Working?

What about those people who have tried all these tips and still haven't broken that weight loss plateau? It's important to remember that just as each person is unique, each body is unique. What works for one person may not work for someone else. Some people with very adaptive metabolisms may find it more difficult to break the weight loss plateau.

Are you growing increasingly frustrated because you know that you're doing everything right but the fat still isn't coming off? Then the best solution is to back off your diet plan for a while. This doesn't mean you have to fall off the wagon and start hitting the doughnuts. It simply means that you need to take some time to step back, have a psychological brake, and listen to what your body is trying to tell you.

This may be hard to do initially, especially when you've gotten used to following a strict diet plan. But listening to your body can be extremely helpful. Be intuitive about your reactions to exercises and food intake. Try and calm both your mind and body down. Eventually, you will be able to key into what your body really needs to break that weight loss plateau. This may not be the easiest thing to do, but it is effective and teaches you how to listen and be in tune with your body.

Writer and guest author Matthew Denos specializes in fitness and diet writing and offers coupon codes for DietToGo program, a chef-prepared meal delivery diet.

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