Overcoming A Weight Loss Plateau

You are doing everything right, following your diet, losing weight slowly but safely, then suddenly the weight loss just stops. Sadly, you’ve hit your first weight loss plateau.

To overcome this plateau and reignite your weight loss you need to make a few simple changes. Here are five of the best ways to overcome the plateau and resume your healthy weight loss:

1. Exercise More – Moving more and burning more calories can only accelerate your weight loss efforts. If you are already exercising, find ways to change it up. Increase your intensity, add more reps, add more sets or increase the weights you use. If you run, run faster or longer distances, do more in less time to create more intensity and burn more calories. Increasing intensity will boost your metabolism and your body will be forced to use stored body fat for energy.
2. Make Healthier Choices – You are probably already counting calories, now increase your lean proteins and complex carbs, especially fiber. Proteins require more calories to digest than fats or carbs and adding fiber to your diet will help you feel full sooner (and longer) while also improving your digestion and elimination. You should also be eating smaller meals more often to boost your metabolism. Eating more healthy foods in smaller portions can help you overcome that weight loss plateau.
3. Drink Green Tea – Adding green tea (or the occasional cup of black coffee) can also boost your metabolism and help break through a plateau at a cost of only 5 calories. Green tea provides vitamins and antioxidants and contains a natural form of caffeine for an added boost of energy. Green tea is a natural way to boost both your energy and your metabolism to support your weight loss.
4. Restart Your Motivation – Do you remember why you started this weight loss journey? Was it to look better, feel better or live longer? Remind yourself every day of all the reasons you want to lose weight. Restart the determination and excitement you felt when you first started and saw your first positive results. Watching the pounds drop off on the scale and in the mirror should be a major part of your weight loss motivation.
5. Drink Water – Drinking 8-10 eight ounce glasses of water and staying hydrated will boost your health and your weight loss. Being dehydrated slows your metabolism and drinking more water will fill your stomach (reducing your calorie intake) while also flushing and eliminating oxidized fat and toxins from your body. Keep your water bottle handy throughout the day and use it often to stay hydrated.