LifeStyle Magazine - Break the Cycle

Break the Cycle

(1 vote)

Written by Diane Bacco

Nine ways to break out of a weight loss plateau.

You know you’ve hit a plateau when more than two weeks have gone by without any change in your weight,” says Nicole Hudson, a nutrition consultant in private practice in New York City. Although it’s tempting to slip into crash diets, the best way to break a plateau is to review your current weight-loss program and try to find where the problem lies.

Keep a Food Diary

As you get comfortable with your diet, it’s easy to stop paying attention and fall back into old habits. A nibble here, a slightly larger snack, an extra glass of wine. It’s usually the little things that make all the difference. Starting a food diary will help you become more aware of what you’re actually eating. “Journaling helps you stay honest with yourself,” says Karen Sullivan, a health coach and AFPA Certified Personal Trainer. “As long as you’re in denial you will never reach your goals. Seeing it in black and white is the best way to break that plateau.”

Need some inspiration? Check DietDiaries.com, an online journal of people tracking their food intake in public! You can start your own food diary for free, or simply browse the website to see how others are dealing with the diet woes.

Eat More

A big mistake many people make is to cut down on calories so much that they starve their bodies. “When you eat too little, your metabolism goes down,” says Ottevanger. “The body goes yikes, metabolism drops, frustration rises, moods drop, motivation dies. You start overeating and gain weight. Every time you go thru this cycle, the less success.”

If you’re consuming less than 1,200 calories a day (1,500 for a man), your body may react by slowing down as a self-preservation measure. This means you’ll be actually storing fat even if you’re working out consistently.

Rely on a Friend

If you’re having a hard time finding the motivation to step up your program, find a like-minded buddy, either real or virtual. Join a support group, find an appropriate chat room, or sign up with a motivational website. “The internet can be a very effective weight-loss tool if used well,” says Hudson. “Many people can’t or don’t want to attend face-to-face meetings. Having access to virtual support, while no substitute for one-on-one counseling, it’s still a step-up from going at it alone.”

Move More

Be more active outside the gym. The FDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 recommends a minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week to maintain health, and at least 60 minutes to help manage body weight. If you’re going to the gym four times a week, that leaves you with three days where you still need to be active. For those “days off,” get a pedometer and aim for at least 8,000 steps a day. You’d be surprised to learn most people barely make 4,000. “Activity is the key,” says Sullivan. “You can walk at a brisk pace, ride a bike (but be sure you are working at this little bike ride), swimming, tennis, even golf (forget the cart) are all ways to keep your body moving and increase the energy you are burning.”

Shake Up Your Workout

The truth is many people do not work out hard enough. “You need to understand it isn’t only the kind of activity you are doing but the frequency, the duration of each exercise session, and the intensity during your session,” says Sullivan. “A little walk in the park is not exercise enough to drop weight. People come to me and say, ‘I ride my bike every night with my four year-old and I am not seeing any changes in my body.’ They need to keep the four year-old home while they ride hard for an hour and then come back for a cool down with their child.”

If you need help planning an exercise routine but can’t afford a personal trainer, try FreeTrainers.com, an online program that offers pre-designed workouts to fit any goal and level. Learn exercise routines, track your progress, calculate your caloric intake, and interact with other members following the same program.

Pump It Up

A common mistake women make is skipping weights because of the fear they would look “bulky.” Truth is, women lack the testosterone needed to develop large muscles. Done appropriately, weight training can break a plateau faster than any other method, since it increases the metabolic rate by as much as 10 percent. “It takes more energy to maintain healthy muscle than fat,” says Sullivan. “This way you are burning calories while you sleep! Also, if all you are doing is doing cardio and dieting you will be flabby. Skinny flab is just as unattractive as fat flab.” If you’ve never tried weights before, start slow and light, mixing machines and free weights. Weights should be done three times a week, alternating muscle groups.

Drink Plenty of Water

Thirst is often mistaken for hunger. Every time you feel the urge to snack, drink a glass of water first and see if the urge goes away. A recent study by the Franz-Volhard Clinical Research Center in Germany also showed a basal metabolic rate (the amount of calories your body burns at rest) increase of up to 30 percent after participants drank 16 ounces of cold water, which can result in an annual weight loss of almost two pounds.

Cut Down Your Alcohol Intake

Alcohol is very dense in calories. 7k cal/gram compared to only 4 for proteins and carbs, and that’s without taking into consideration that many alcoholic drinks (such as cocktails) are high in sugars and fat. Alcohol consumption slows down the fat burning capabilities of the body, as the body focuses on using the alcohol (a toxin) as fuel, rather than burning fat for energy. Alcohol also dehydrates, which, in turn, can make you hungry.

Keep Your Chin Up

Finally, it’s important to keep your eyes on the large picture. “Focus on health, not fat,” says Ottevanger. “[Focus on] feeling good—looking good is just a side effect of feeling good. Forget the notion that some excess just got there by accident, that you are going to get it fixed, and go back to normal. You change your notions and thus your behavior today, for the rest of your longer, happier life. No six weeks of torture will get you anywhere you want to go.”

No one has commented on this article.

[ Back ]