If you’ve been working to find ways to break through a plateau and start losing weight, use these tips to overcome a weight loss plateau and start seeing results again.
You’re on a weight loss journey. You started with lots of motivation, and everything went well. But now, after weeks, you have realized that the scale hasn’t moved, and it can be frustrating!
Welcome to the weight loss plateau, where seemingly all progress stops. Whether this is your first or fourth time experiencing a plateau, it can still feel defeating and make you want to throw in the towel. Luckily for you, we won’t let that happen! Read on for tips on overcoming the weight loss plateau so you can reach your goal.
How to overcome a weight loss plateau
You may be wondering how to overcome the plateau in weight loss that you’re experiencing. Don’t worry. It’s unusual for you`r body to slow down its weight loss when you start working out. This is because your metabolism will take time to adjust, so don’t give up! Just keep at it, and before long, you’ll see results again.
Below are some tips on how to get past this obstacle:
- Be patient with yourself! If you feel discouraged by the lack of progress, remind yourself that if someone has been able to shed pounds before, then so can you!
- Don’t let the plateau discourage you from continuing with your exercise program; instead, focus on other ways of keeping fit, like walking around more often or doing more stretches at home each day (or even try yoga!). These activities will help keep off additional fat without stressing out too much about whether or not they’ll work because they’re low-impact exercises that won’t put strain on joints etc.
Ways to break a weight-loss plateau
Take up strength training.
Strength training is an important part of your plan. When you’re trying to lose weight It can help you burn more calories and build muscle, which will lead to:
- Weight loss
- A strong body that’s able to do more things (like lifting heavy objects or running faster)
- More energy in your day-to-day life!
Stand more often than you sit.
- You burn more calories standing than you do sitting. That’s just science.
- Standing up helps your breathing and circulation, which keeps your heart healthy and helps prevent blood clots that could lead to a stroke.
- When we sit, our circulation slows down, which can increase the risk of developing diabetes or cancer.
So, stand up! It will make you feel better in every way.
Keep your calorie intake stable at around 1,500 calories per day.
If you have been restricting calories in an attempt to lose weight, this may be why you haven’t seen any progress. By keeping your calories stable and eating enough food so that your body is burning more energy than it stores, you’ll give your metabolism a chance to catch up with the changes you’ve made over the last few weeks.
Add strength training to your routine.
Strength training burns more calories than cardio which can help keep your metabolism revved up even when you aren’t working out as hard or running as many miles as usual. It also helps build lean muscle mass—another critical component of weight loss success because lean muscle mass burns more calories than fat does!
Eat plenty of fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains (like oats).
Fiber helps fill us up with fewer calories—so we eat less—and keeps our digestive system running smoothly, so we don’t store extra fat as easily on our bodies either!
Eat vegetables at every meal.
A plate full of steamed broccoli, sautéed spinach, and roasted cauliflower might not be your idea of a tasty dinner, but research shows that eating more vegetables can help you lose weight. Try adding extra veggies to everything from salads to omelets and soups. If you’re not a fan of raw veggies, steam them until just tender and then toss them with olive oil and spices like cayenne pepper or paprika before roasting them in the oven for 20 minutes (or longer if you prefer). This gives them a nutty flavor that’s delicious with any meal.
Mix up your routine.
There are a number of ways to mix up your routine, ranging from simply changing the intensity and duration of your workouts to adding new exercises to your workout schedule. For example, if you’re exercising regularly but haven’t gotten faster or stronger in a while (or ever), consider increasing the intensity by running faster or lifting heavier weights. If you’ve been doing the same types of exercise for months on end, try something different, like taking a spin class or joining an intramural basketball team.
Another great way to mix things up is by varying how often you work out; for example, one day per week of working out twice as much as usual is still considered “working out twice as much”. With this type of plan, it’s important not only that you stick with it but also remember not just how many days per week but how long each session lasts at any given time because this may be what helps kick start weight loss again!
Changing things up doesn’t always mean adding more exercise, though — mixing things up means trying new activities too! Have fun exploring different ways to stay active—dancing around in front of mirrors with friends could be just what gets both bodies moving again after hitting plateaus.
Take time for yourself and figure out the root cause of your stress.
Stress is an unavoidable part of life, but it doesn’t have to be a negative one. In fact, mild levels of stress are actually good for you because they help motivate you and keep your brain sharp. Unfortunately, though, if stress becomes too intense—whether it’s from work, relationship problems, or financial difficulties—it can have a negative impact on your overall health and well-being.
Stress is often associated with overeating and comfort eating, as well as overindulging in alcohol or other substances. This is because when we’re stressed out, we may feel less inclined to exercise and more likely to reach for food instead of finding other ways to cope with our emotions or situations that cause us distress.
Try Interval Training.
Interval training forces your body to use more calories during exercise than it does with steady-state cardio (think jogging on a treadmill). That means your body burns more calories after your workout — even when you’re not exercising — because your metabolism has been elevated by all that extra work.
If you usually walk for 30 minutes at a moderate pace, try adding short bursts of high-intensity exercise into your workout (walking as fast as you can) for one minute at a time. That will elevate your heart rate enough to burn more calories even after the workout ends!
Increase your metabolic rate.
If you have been dieting and exercising but are not losing weight, you may be experiencing a weight loss plateau. This is when your body adapts to the caloric deficit and slows down your metabolism.
In order to overcome a weight loss plateau, increase your metabolic rate. This can be done by eating more frequently throughout the day, taking supplements like green tea extract or caffeine pills, and exercising more intensely.
Increase your physical activity.
When you’re trying to lose weight, it’s important to keep your body moving. This helps burn calories and improve muscle tone. It also helps you avoid the energy crash that can come with cutting back on calories too quickly.
Chew slowly to prevent overeating.
Chewing slowly can help you recognize when you feel full and prevent overeating. The slower digestion of food also helps to combat bloating, nausea, gas, and indigestion.
Take a class
One of the most effective ways to get yourself motivated and stay motivated is through exercise. If you have not been exercising regularly, it’s important to start slowly. If a class seems too daunting, try going to a gym or fitness center and taking advantage of their free classes. These will help get your body adjusted to exercising again and can be fun ways to meet other people who are also trying to lose weight or improve their health.
Once you get into the routine of taking classes, it will be easier for you to continue them even after losing some weight. You may find that having someone else tell or teach you where and how much exercise you should be doing helps keep you accountable for staying active every day since they are holding themselves responsible as well!
Use smaller plates at meals.
Eating from a smaller plate can help you avoid overeating. The reason for this is that it tricks your brain into thinking that you are eating more than you actually are. This will result in eating less food, even if it means that you’ll have to go back and get seconds!
Another way of using smaller plates is by making sure that they’re not too small either. A good rule of thumb is to try and make sure the food on your plate fills up at least half of the plate’s surface area. Using small plates doesn’t mean that we should fill them up right away before taking our first bite; we should always take our time when preparing our meals before digging in!
Eat a healthy breakfast every day.
A healthy breakfast is important to kick-start your metabolism and energy levels. A healthy breakfast will help you better control your hunger throughout the day, making it easier for you to eat less overall.
There are many ways to start off your day with a nutritious meal. Try these ideas:
- Oatmeal topped with fruit and nuts
- Eggs cooked in any style (scrambled, hard-boiled, poached) are served alongside whole grains like brown rice or quinoa.
- Yogurt with fresh fruit and granola
The most common causes of weight loss plateaus are:
In order to overcome a weight loss plateau, you need to address the underlying issues that are causing it. This will often mean making changes to your diet, increasing your exercise level, or both.
The most common causes of weight loss plateaus are:
Inadequate calorie intake: If you’re not eating enough calories, your body will start storing fat rather than burning it off.
Inadequate exercise levels: If you’re not exercising enough, your body won’t be consuming enough calories to meet its needs.
Lack of water: Drinking plenty of water helps boost metabolism and flush toxins out of the body. It also helps curb hunger so you don’t feel as hungry between meals.
Low-quality diet—Eating too much-processed food and junk food can lead to weight gain by interfering with appetite and hormone balance.
Inactivity: A lack of exercise can cause your body to burn fewer calories and store more fat than normal.
Stress: Hormones that control appetite and metabolism are sensitive to emotional stress, so even a little bit of stress can cause your body to hold onto extra fat.
Poor sleeping habits: Not getting enough sleep can disrupt hormones that control hunger and satiety (fullness).
If you’re trying to lose weight but you can’t break through a weight loss plateau, try these tips.
- Take time to figure out the root cause of your stress. Stress negatively impacts your weight loss efforts and can lead to overeating. If you’re stressed, it’s important to address the problem before it leads to more serious issues.
- Think about adding strength training (or building muscle generally) into your exercise routine. Building muscles is one of the best ways to burn calories throughout the day, even when you’re not doing anything else physically active!
- Stand up more often throughout the day instead of sitting down every chance you get. This simple change will increase your metabolism and help you lose weight faster than if you kept sitting down all day long!
Conclusion
In conclusion, we hope that you’ll be able to use some or all of the above tips when it comes time for your next weight loss plateau. If you stick with these tips, the chances are good that your next plateau won’t be nearly as tough as the ones before it!
This FAQ about ways to overcome a weight loss plateau.
Bust Through Your Weight Loss Plateau
As a veteran fitness technology innovator and the founder of GearUpToFit.com, Alex Papaioannou stands at the intersection of health science and artificial intelligence. With over a decade of specialized experience in digital wellness solutions, he’s transforming how people approach their fitness journey through data-driven methodologies.