How to Overcome a Weight Loss Plateau

For anyone who’s ever been on a diet to lose weight (and stuck to it), you’ll probably know this feel: you’re making great progress, and then right when you’re on the home stretch … you just stop losing weight. That darned number just remains the damn same. Hello, plateau. This is particularly true if you’ve got a lot of weight to lose: you’ll find that there comes a point – often just before you hit your goal weight – where you stop losing weight in that steady way you had been before. It’s not like you’re gaining again, you just … grind to a halt. And it’s frustrating!

So how do you overcome that annoying weight loss plateau? Here are our top tips:

• Mix up your workouts. Simply hitting the treadmill every day for a slow jog or walking more is good, of course, but it’s not going to seriously burn fat. After a while, your muscles get used to the routine and become very efficient at doing the task at hand. You’ve gotta keep your muscles guessing! So find new ways to get your heart rate up – not only is it fun, but you’ll be far more likely to see results if you keep surprising your body with new ways to move. Try a HITT workout on the treadmill instead of running at the same speed. Climb hills when you go for a walk. Get some friends together and go to a Zumba or BodyCombat class. Just getting your blood pumping in a variety of different ways will dramatically increase your results. And remember that it’s not all about getting the cardio in … lift weights!
• Try yoga to avoid stress-induced food binges. While it’s not a high-intensity exercise that’ll burn fat, studies show that yoga lowers levels of stress hormones and increases insulin sensitivity — a signal to your body to burn food as fuel rather than store it as fat. If you’re prone to over-eating when you’re stressed, take a few minutes out to do some simple yoga. Get into it – shut yourself away in a quiet space – and focus on the stretches. It’s incredibly calming and will make your head clearer – more prepared to say ‘no’ to those mindless binges. By reconnecting with your body through yoga, you’re also more likely to listen to your real hunger cravings, rather than reaching for snacks when your mind is tricking you into eating for distraction.
• Be extra careful of your calorie intake. A key reason for a weight loss plateau is eating more than you think. It’s easy for portion sizes to creep up, and before you know it, you end up eating more than your plan prescribes. That’s why it’s important to weigh and measure your food to understand proper portions. Try cutting your daily calorie intake by 100 or 200 to move beyond the weight loss plateau; this can easily be done by making a few, small changes. Only add a small amount of skimmed milk to your coffee or tea (if you’re like me, even on a diet I normally refuse to give up cream in my coffee!), or try drinking only calorie-free beverages. Cut out alcohol, snack on very low-cal (but filling) veg such as cucumber and celery, or skip the dressing. When weight loss is our goal, and we begin to see results, we very often ‘sneak’ our old habits back into our diet. Remember that in order to achieve your goal weight, you should be more focussed and determined now than ever, so stick religiously to your plan.
• Watch yourself in restaurants. Restaurants are buggers for sneaking extra calories and fat into their dishes. Most chain restaurants have an online (if not in-store) nutritional menu which will include specific calorie details in their dishes. It’s surprising how a dish that looks healthy can actually contain double the amount of calories you’d assume! Whatever you order, make sure you pay extra attention to eating slowly and enjoying every bite … just because you’re paying extra for the meal doesn’t mean you need to consume ‘the entire confection’ in one shot. 
• Keep your hunger pangs in check the sensible way. If you find yourself super-hungry before a planned meal, reach for the fruit bowl. By filling up on low-calorie, nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables, you’ll be less likely to binge on highly processed snacks – even if you’re only eating a small chocolate bar or a small bag of crisps, it’s still not doing your diet any favours and you’re not adding any nutritional goodness to fuel your body well.Or try a small portion of low-fat protein. Protein foods work by suppressing ghrelin, a hormone secreted by the stomach that  triggers hunger. High-fat foods actually raise levels of ghrelin and increase overall hunger, but protein lowers levels of ghrelin substantially, helping to keep hunger pangs in check. Win.
• Drink green tea. Green tea is a very popular ingredient in weight loss supplements, but you don’t need to take a diet pill to feel the full benefits of this powerful antioxidant. So how can it benefit your weight loss regime? Well, green tea provides an antioxidantcalled epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which – combined with the caffeine content found in tea – has the ability to stimulate your body’s metabolism and speed up weight loss by promoting the production of extra energy, shedding of excess water and the burning of body fat.