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Monday, September 25, 2017

From Plateau To New You: Hitting Your Weight Goals


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So, you’ve decided to get healthy and make a big change in your life? That’s great news! Making such changes in your life can really overhaul your health and fitness and can give you a completely new lease of life!

Even though most people start off really well in their new healthy way of living, they often find that often after a few months or so, their weight loss starts to slow down and they reach a plateau. It’s at this point when most people really start to struggle with reaching their weight goals. They get very disenchanted and often return to their old way of life. As a result, their fitness goes down the drain, and they start to put all the weight that they lost back on.

But you don’t need to give up just because you hit a plateau. In fact, there are ways you can work through this stage and continue to lose weight. Eventually, you’ll hit your weight goals without any problems!

Do you need some help or encouragement to work past your plateau? If so, you just need to follow all of these tips and pointers in this blog post. Eventually, you’ll be the new you that you want to see!

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Check Your Calories Again

As you work through your fitness journey, you will find that your body starts to lose weight and adapt to your new diet choices. Even if you struggle to lower your daily calorie intake to start off with, your body will eventually get used to it. And it is often at this point that you hit your plateau. So, once you do think you’ve hit a weight plateau, it’s a good idea to reassess your calorie intake again. You might need to reduce it even further. In some cases, you might just need to change the types of food you are eating. For instance, many people give up carbohydrates when you start dieting. However, you will need to slowly reintroduce these so that your body doesn’t go into starvation mode.

Not sure whether you should reduce your calorie intake further? It’s a good idea to ask your doctor or to consult a dietician about this. But you can also test yourself by reducing your daily calories by 100. If you don’t struggle with this and find that you start to lose weight again, then it should be fine to continue with this reduced diet.


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Think About Caffeine

When some people start to diet and work on their weight, they often increase their caffeine intake. That’s because caffeine can speed up the metabolism slightly, which can encourage the body to lose weight. However, it’s actually possible to go over the top with your caffeine intake, and this can actually lead to weight gain. So, how do you know if you are drinking too much? Well, most studies show that four cups of coffee should be your limit if you are hoping to lose weight. Five or more cups have been shown to make the body put on weight around the stomach. Do you want a big caffeine kick without excess weight adding onto your midsection? If so, then it’s worth swapping your cup of coffee for green tea. Green tea is filled with natural caffeine and won’t lead to any extra weight gain.

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Rotate Your Workouts

We all know that you can’t lose weight and improve your fitness just by changing your diet. You also need to work up a sweat on the treadmill as well! But, you can’t simply stick to the treadmill when you are trying to burn off all those calories. You need to make sure that you are doing a few different types of workouts and exercises to ensure that your body doesn’t become used to one type. For instance, if you love jogging you should also try and fit in some strength training to your fitness routine. In fact, if you do any kind of cardio, you also need to do some strength training. This can help your body build up resistance and burn even more calories. There are some workouts that combine cardio and strength, such as those that you can find on The Body Coach’s fitness YouTube channel.

Remember Cheat Days

We’re told not to cheat but… it can actually be good for your fitness and weight! It’s a good idea to take a cheat day when it comes to your diet and workouts. This is a day when you let yourself eat what you want and don’t do any exercise at all. First of all, it’s good for your diet as it gives your body a break. If you were to diet constantly for a few months, your body might go into starvation mode and might start to cling onto even more fat. Plus, you can’t workout constantly either. Otherwise, you will find that you are more prone to injuring yourself. That’s because the body needs to rest to give it a chance to recover from all that hard work. 

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Spread Out Your Protein

One little trick that most people like to use while they are trying to get fitter is to eat little and often. This ensures that their metabolism is continually working and that they are able to burn off as many calories as possible. But, what most people don’t know, is that they also need to spread out their protein and ensure that they have a little protein with each meal or snack. It’s true that protein speeds up your metabolism but it also has the added bonus of helping the body hold onto all that important muscle while burning fat. If you stagger your protein consumption, you will find that you can maintain a healthy weight loss while also being able to smash all your targets and goals in the gym!

Speak To Your Doctor

Are you still finding it difficult to lose weight even though you have tried all the various tips and tricks you hear? If so, you might need to speak to your doctor. They can reassess your diet and fitness plan with you to see if there are any tweaks or changes you should make to improve it. They might even refer you to a doctor like Dr. David E. Halpern or another specialist. Plus, your doctor will be able to find out whether there is an underlying cause that is affecting your weight and fitness. There are a few illnesses and medical conditions that can make it very difficult for the body to lose weight. Plus, some illnesses might require you to follow a specific diet that could make it tricky to lose weight too.

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Do Some Interval Training

When most people go out for a job or a bike ride, they try to go as hard as they can for the duration of their workout. This is perfectly fine as it is a great way to burn as many calories as possible. However, it can be difficult to keep going at this intensity for a long time. And that’s not all - your body can get used to this style of workout and it won’t have as much impact as you would like. Instead, you should do some interval training. This is when you work at different speeds and intensities throughout your whole workout. So, for instance, if you are running, you might sprint as fast as you can possibly go for a minute. Repeat these intervals ten times but be sure to split them up with a couple of minutes walking or slow jogging. 

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Get Plenty Of Zzzzs

How many hours of sleep do you get each night? If you aren’t getting at least seven hours, you need to work on your sleep habits! People who don’t sleep as much as they should often find it incredibly difficult to lose any weight. That’s because their metabolism slows down as a result of their poor sleep cycle. And it has also been proven that people who sleep plenty throughout the night don’t suffer from as many hunger pangs throughout the day, so they can easily cut down on all their snacks! You will also feel a lot less stressed if you get plenty of zzzzs. That’s because your stress level hormones will be reduced.

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Forget About The Scales

Do you constantly check the scales each and every day? If you do, you need to stop that right now! Forget about the figures that the scales say. It should be more about how you feel and how your clothes feel on you. If you think that you look and feel great, then there really is no reason to check the scales. You should easily be able to keep a check of your weight by simply seeing how your clothes feel on you.

As you can see, there are loads of ways you can mix up your new fit lifestyle and make sure you move past your plateau. Before you realize it, you’ll be losing those final few pounds and moving steadily towards your weight and health goals!