Are you experiencing a weight loss plateau?

It’s very common for women who are on a diet to hit a wall and experience a weight loss plateau. These plateaus can be a result of many different things. Some of those causes include:

Careless Tracking – You’re eating more calories than you think you are.

Metabolic Adaptation – You’ve been dieting a long time and your body has adjusted.

Incorrect Ratios – You’re eating too many carbs and too few proteins and fats.

Hormone Imbalance – Your hormones are out of whack causing a slowed metabolism

Just because you’re experiencing a weight loss plateau now, doesn’t mean you will be stuck there forever. There are many ways to break out of a plateau and many can be done pretty quickly and easily. Here are fifteen ways to break a plateau.

Increase calories (diet break) It might sound counterintuitive (eat MORE to LOSE weight) but your metabolism can actually slow down the less you eat. So, to fire it back up again, you’ve got to eat more.

Decrease calories (bigger deficit) In this case, you may be eating more than you think. Bites, licks, and tastes add up and if you’re not properly tracking them you could be eating your entire deficit without realizing it.

Increase water The more water you drink, the more water you shed. If you’re not drinking enough water your body not only retains the water but also slows down the digestive process.

Increase fiber Like water, fiber helps your digestive system. Eating more of it will help your body burn more calories and digest food faster leading to increased weight loss.

Increase daily steps (NEAT) Sometimes adding more movement into your daily routine can help. Park farther from the front door, walk every aisle of the store, pace while on the phone, all this can add up to more calories burned.

Lift heavier weights Many women focus on cardio as a means to burn more calories. They avoid the weight section and run themselves to death on the treadmill. Weight lifting burns more calories than cardio.

Focus on muscle growth More muscle mass equals higher calorie burn. Lift heavier weights at the gym to improve your muscle mass and increase your metabolism and rate of caloric burn.

Increase thermic effect of food (TEF) Did you know that the act of digestion burns calories? The more ‘work’ it takes to digest, the more calories you burn. Whole foods like fresh fruits and veggies and grains take the most work to digest.

Decrease stress Stress causes the hormone cortisol to spike. Which can influence how calories are burned. By reducing stress, you will reduce cortisol and burning calories will be easier and faster.

Swap out HIIT with LISS Low-Intensity Steady State workouts burn calories long after you’re done. Be sure to do both High-Intensity Interval Training AND Low-Intensity Steady State workouts to keep your body guessing and working at capacity.

Increase protein Protein fills you up and helps burn calories. Most women do not get enough protein. By choosing protein at each meal and snack, you’ll easily get more protein and improve your weight loss results.

Increase sleep Not getting enough sleep messes with your hormones. It also causes poor decision making (like grabbing that snack you don’t really need). Get a good 8 hours of sleep every night to keep your metabolism working and your hormones happy.

Incorporate 2 rest days per week There is such a thing as overtraining. And if you’re exercising seven days a week, you may be doing too much. I recommend taking at least two rest days each week to allow your body to recover.

Improve gut health Gut health is important for proper digestion. Make sure you are getting enough probiotics so that your body digests and processes food properly without delaying weight loss.

Track more accurately with a food scale As I mentioned before, bites, licks, and tastes add up. So does improper measuring. You need to measure with a food scale in grams, not just in cups. Tracking on the scale ensures you’re getting the right number of calories to remain in your deficit.

These fifteen steps can help you get out of a weight loss plateau. The sooner you’re back on track, the sooner you’ll reach your goals. Oh, and do NOT be afraid to eat more. If you've been on a diet for more than 3-4 months, your body may be adapting to the low calories you’re feeding it. It might be time to reverse diet and get your metabolism back up to full speed. My team and I often prescribe a reverse diet to our new clients who have been dieting for months and years on end. And it works wonders.

Want to get started with tracking; grab our free guide: https://www.gtransformationacademy.com/howtotrack