Best way to overcome weight loss plateau?
I%26#039;m a 23/M and have been working out and watching what I eat since February. I%26#039;ve lost a good 20 pounds or so. My problem is that I seem to have reached one of the infamous %26quot;weight loss plateaus%26quot; and I can%26#039;t seem to shake it. I have randomized my workout schedule, cut back to a very strict diet, etc. Any ideas? I started out at about 250 and I%26#039;m down to 230 now...
Best Answer
Good question. I am a nutrition major and I remember one of my professors saying that if you hit a plateau in your weight loss, you should not decrease your calorie intake any further. Doing so can possibly result in a nutrient deficit. Instead, you just need to intensify your workout to burn off more calories and speed up your metabolism. Do both cardio and strength training.
I%26#039;m a college senior majoring in nutrition and I%26#039;ve lost weight before through a healthy diet and exercise.
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Other Answers (10)
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I would say mix up your eating routine. A good idea is to cut out carbs for a couple days and push protein and veggies. This seemed to help men when I was counseling them at my job on their weight loss plan. Also grapefruit is good to throw into your plan for a couple days. They seem to do well with weight loss. Congrats on losing 20 pounds though. That%26#039;s a great accomplishment. Make sure you drink plenty of H20. That%26#039;s huge but not TOO much. If you overdo it you start flushing out nutrients. And keeping it at 80 oz makes a huge difference with the scale. But general rule of thumb, an extra glass of water for every 15 min of exercise. Good luck and hope this helps! :)
was a previous weight loss counselor at Slim4Life
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i think that if you just maintain where you%26#039;re at for a couple weeks by eating well, but not a strict diet or anything, and working out a little less, maybe just doing muscle training, when u start working out and dieting again it will just pick right back up. muscle burns more calories, so muscle training will really help you out right now
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Im there too it sux I have been trying to shake mine for years. I have come to the conclusion it is sometimes genetic. For you check out your diet. Stay off flour and sugar has worked for people I know. They are the 2 killers. Good Luck. Sorry Im not much help but I hear ya cause Ive been on a plateau for sooooooooooooooooo long. And I train sooooooooo hard.
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Congrats on losing 20lbs! No small feat. I hit my plateau at 130, got down to 120 by intensifying my cardio and walking EVERYWHERE! It%26#039;s hard, but it can be done. I also ate very small meals six times a day (about 2 hours apart) instead of 3 large ones. It keeps you metabolism going and prevents you from feeling hungry and gorging on junk. Think protein first…and good luck!
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Instead of changing the workout schedule, change your workout altogether.
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stick the american flag in the plateau, then you may have discovered something like back in 1942
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you should already know this...
if not, no high fructose corn syrup and no partially hydrogenated oils.
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try hydroxycut
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try to not eat breads, noodles, greasy foods?
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i%26#039;d discourage overworking your body, so try to increase the intensity of your works. say, if i were to work out on a treadmill, i%26#039;d pick up the incline or go a little faster for just a shorter period of time.
1. Zig-Zag Calorie Intake
Zig-zagging, or calorie cycling is the process of varying daily calorie intake, while maintaining the same weekly intake. Instead of consuming (for example) precisely 1800 calories each day - you can mix it up. Eat 1500 calories one day, and 2100 calories the next. This can be as simple as halving then doubling a portion size, or adding a post-workout shake into the plan. Just keep your body guessing.
2. Strength Training
If you are not doing this as part of your program or lifestyle, then it%26#039;s time to start. Working your muscles will help to strengthen bone tissue, increase lean mass, and ultimately boost metabolic rate.
3. Change Your Exercise Routine
So you go walking a lot? Then try jogging, or swimming, or cycling -- anything that will change the way your body is working. If you are doing low intensity cardio work, then try some high intensity exercise (such as HIIT).
