4 Methods to Smash Through a Weight Loss Plateau

Weight loss is easiest in the beginning. Whenever you embark on a weight loss program, you will find yourself losing the first few pounds pretty easily without much effort.

However, as you keep training and observing a healthy diet, you will notice to your dismay that it’s getting more and more difficult to lose the pounds. The day you dread may finally arrive where despite whatever you do, your body will just not shed the fat.

This is known as hitting a weight loss plateau. It can be exasperating because you are putting in the work and sacrifices but not seeing any benefits.

Use the 4 tips below to smash through your weight loss plateau and go to the next level.

1. Time to change things up. If you have been doing the same workouts for months, it’s time to change it all up. If you’re doing cardio for 30 minutes, change it to 90 minutes.

If you do slow cardio, change it to fast cardio on interval training. Vary your activities. Cycle instead of swim. Or hit the rowing machine at the gym.
The key is to keep your body guessing. Change the times you work out. Change the durations. Change whatever you can. These changes will shock your body and get it working again to adapt.

2. Assuming that you are eating at a calorie deficit, it would be a good idea to eat different foods. Throw in a cheat day every 5 days and eat whatever you want.

This will shock your body and boost your metabolic rate. Then go back on a calorie deficit for another 5 days. Your body will never know what is coming. The key is to be unpredictable.

However, ensure that you are always on a calorie deficit.

3. Rest well. Very often, people make the mistake of training too hard and not resting enough. All the exercise has caused their body to burn out.  Give yourself a 3 day rest with no exercise but maintain your calorie deficit diet.

If you do hard cardio daily, maybe it’s time to give your nervous system a break and switch to low cardio for a week. I’ve personally seen many cases where clients were so burnt out through hard training, that when they rested for a few days, they lost even more weight than usual.

4. Drink lots of water. Your body need oxygen and water to metabolise fat. Consume adequate amounts of water to flush out toxins and metabolise the fat.
By staying well hydrated, you will be able to perform better during training, recover faster and your immune system will be stronger.

You’ll also be less hungry. There are many occasions where people mistake thirst for hunger and eat food when what their body really needs is water. So, make it a point to drink water whenever you can but be sensible and don’t overdo it.

If you follow the abovementioned advice during a plateau phase, you will most probably be able to come out of it soon and get back on the fat burning track. Be patient and stay motivated.