At the start of your weight loss journey, you were likely shedding kilos with ease. But as you near your goal, those big losses can start to sputter out leaving you staring at a scale that just won’t budge.
Plateaus are a normal part of losing weight, so don’t fret. As you get leaner, it gets way more challenging to trim off those final layers. That’s because your metabolism slows as the digits on your scale drop. It’s estimated that a 5% to 10% decrease in body weight can slash your metabolic rate by as much as 15%.
It’s also possible you’ve loosened the reins on your meal plan, or you’re having extra snacks that you’re not logging in your food journal. When confronted with a plateau, it’s important to take a second to pause, reassess and reconfigure your approach.
Here are 11 effective methods to help you break through a weight-loss plateau:
1. Ramp Up The Intensity
Calories in and calories out is the formula underpinning all of your weight-loss efforts. If you’re not keen on cutting back on your portion sizes, you can offset your gorging (to an extent) by dialling up the intensity or length of your workouts.
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Studies show that aerobic training – like running – are your secret weapon when it comes to burning fat. Keep your heart rate elevated long enough and you’ll start to burn serious calories. However, hitting the weight room can help you slap on extra muscle to ramp up your all-day burn. The consensus: attack your fitness on both fronts to double dip on the benefits.
2. Track Every Bite
If your weight-loss journey has stalled, it’s possible you’re eating more than you think. One study, for instance, found that when it comes to fast food most people are vastly underestimating the number of calories they’re tucking away. The solution: diligent tracking.
Apps like Lose It make it relatively easy to keep an ongoing food journal. Backed by a constantly updated database of common food items and their nutritional value, all you have to do is search up your chow and record the exact portion size to get a detailed rundown of the number of calories, carbs, protein, fibre, etc. that you’re putting away.
Some research suggests that just the action of tracking your intake could be enough to help you lose weight.
3. Protein, Protein and… More Protein
If you were previously losing weight at a rapid pace, chances are you’ve sacrificed some muscle mass in the name of getting leaner. As such, you’ll likely be burning less energy than when you were at your heaviest.
READ MORE: Here’s Why You’ve Hit a Weight-Loss Plateau, According to Research
Increasing the amount of protein in your diet can help you preserve the brawn you’ve got left, ensuring that you aren’t losing strength (and tanking your metabolic rate) as you slim down. Typically, you’ll want to eat around 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight to fuel your muscles.
Eating protein could also lead to you eating fewer calories. In one study, participants who ate a diet wherein 30% of calories came from protein were able to drop their calorie consumption by more than 400 calories without making any other adjustments.
4. Get More Sleep
Restless nights can result in ravenous eating. A University of Chicago study found that guys who only slept four hours or less every night were more likely to reach for high-calorie snacks than those getting the prerequisite amount of shut-eye. Further research found that less sleep is commonly associated with a higher BMI. Bottom line: it’s time to put in some solid reps with your head glued to the pillow.
5. Always Eat Breakfast
Life can get hectic, so it’s not uncommon for many guys to skip the most important meal of the day. But skipping this AM platter can lead you to overeat throughout the rest of the day. Plus, the American Heart Association found that going sans breakfast could increase your risk of high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Oh, and cause weight gain. We think tomorrow morning it’s time to tuck in.
6. Schedule Time for Meditation
… Or your preferred method for managing stress. Feeling high-strung can cause your weight loss to stall, so it’s important to get into a good headspace. The stress hormone, cortisol, may not only ramp up your cravings for unhealthy snacks but has also been shown to increase belly fat storage.
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Whether it’s a five-minute guided meditation, yoga or a calming walk in the woods, reining in your stress levels could be exactly what you need to smash through your plateau.
7. Eat More Fibre
Fibre is a weight-loss miracle. Plant-based carbs can help keep your cravings at bay because they help you feel more satiated after your meals. So, if you’ve been skipping the side salads, it’s time to rethink your approach. These high-volume, low-calorie additions will ensure you feel fuller for longer, making you less likely to reach for something that’ll derail your calorie counts.
8. Skip the Booze
Drinking culture is alive and well in SA, but those brewskis, mixers and shooters are like kryptonite if you’re trying to shed kilos. Not only are these empty calories, but research has shown that liquor can lower your inhibitions causing you to make questionable decisions around food. (Think: greasy takeaways and plenty of them.) Alcohol may also slow down fat burning and cause you to collect more fat around your stomach.
9. Drink Coffee
But skip the syrups. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that this popular morning brew could help light the spark for your metabolism, ramping up your metabolic rate by as much as 10%.
READ MORE: NEW STUDY: Could Drinking Sparkling Water Help You Lose Weight?
10. Stay Hydrated
When you’re feeling parched, your body might mistake your thirst for hunger. As such, you might be at risk of dashing to the vending machine instead of the water fountain. One study found that those who made sure to stay properly hydrated had a lower BMI (on average) than their parched peers.
Bonus: tracking works for hydration, too. Try something like Waterllama, an app that’ll not only help you log your daily sips, but also shoot you helpful reminders when it’s time to re-up on the aqua.
11. Power Through the Hunger
If you can’t sate your appetite, just wait it out. Often it takes just 15 to 20 minutes to overcome your urge to reach for a snack before the impulse subsides. Why not smash out a set of push-ups while you wait?
