4 Ways To Move Past A Weight Loss Plateau
When you first start working out, you will probably see noticeable results pretty quickly. But after a while, you may hit a weight loss plateau. This happens to most people and it’s a common reason for loss of motivation. But it’s important that you don’t give up on your training routine when you hit a weight loss plateau because there are ways to break through that wall and continue progressing. These are some of the best ways to get over a weight loss plateau.
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Strength Training
Many people that do mainly cardio find that they hit a weight loss plateau fairly soon. One of the best ways around this is to start strength training. Boosting your metabolism is important, and muscle building is one of the most effective ways to do that. Your base calorie burn is higher if you have more muscle mass, so you should see more weight loss if you do more strength training. Changing up your routine is also a good way to keep things interesting, which is important because people tend to slack off when they are bored with their normal routine and that’s when they hit a plateau.
Work Out More
This one sounds simple but, in some cases, you may not be exercising enough. When you first start working out, it doesn’t take that much to shift excess weight. But as you lose more weight, it becomes harder to shift those last few pounds. If you hit a plateau, you need to try exercising more often and increasing the intensity of your workouts. For example, if you are only doing light cardio workouts, why not try some HIIT workouts instead? The increase in intensity should help you to break through that plateau.
Pay Attention To Your Diet
Even if you have made adjustments to your diet, there may still be more that you could do. Carbs are one of the biggest hurdles when you are trying to lose weight and studies show that a low carb diet is an incredibly effective way to shed extra pounds. You should also consider adding more olive oil to your diet because it has been shown to increase weight loss.
If you are struggling to get past your weight loss plateau, you could consider intermittent fasting. The 5:2 diet is a common form of fasting that involves eating normally for 5 days of the week and then reducing your calories to around 500 on the other 2 days. This has been shown to be an effective weight loss strategy and it can help you to get past that weight loss wall.
Manage Stress
Stress affects your physical health as well as your mental health, and it can actually slow weight loss down. When you are stressed, your body produces a hormone called Cortisol which, among other things, also increases belly fat storage. If you are struggling to lose weight, it’s worth considering whether there is anything that is causing you stress. Find ways to relieve stress and you may notice that you start losing weight again.
You can’t let a weight loss plateau kill your motivation. Instead, use these tips to break through the wall and continue making progress.
