A weight loss plateau happens because your body is extremely adaptable and after every workout it becomes more efficient calorie-burner. So, once you start losing weight, your body adjusts again, requiring fewer calories than it did before.
It is frustrating.
Thankfully, there are numerous ways to ignite your metabolism and nudge the scale in the right direction.
Weight Loss Equation
There are three pillars of the weight loss equation:
- A stellar diet
- A kick-ass workout plan
- Major lifestyle changes
Even though all three pillars are extremely important, diet has the strongest link to weight loss. Let us check how you can break the weight loss plateau with change in diet.
1. Re-Adjust Your Calorie Intake
As you lose weight, your body requires fewer calories for its daily activities. If you’re eating as many calories on day 45 of your diet as you did on day 1, you surely won’t be able to lose those extra inches off your waist.
You may have been losing weight earlier on your current calorie intake, but if you have reached a weight loss plateau, you will need to eat less to achieve a larger caloric deficit.
Start by cutting down 100-200 calories a day from your diet and see how the weighing scale reacts. Do not cut calories more than that, because not eating enough can have the opposite effect. If you go below 1,200 calories, your metabolism will slow down, thus preventing weight loss.
2. Eat More Fiber
One of the best ways to fight fat is with fiber. In a recent research it was found that eating high-fiber foods can help you shed pounds after other diets have caused a weight plateau, because the nutrient is so filling and healthy.
Consume a lot of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Remember this rule – “For every gram of fiber we consume, we eliminate seven calories from our diet”. That means if you eat 30-grams of fiber, you can cancel out 210 calories a day, which will result in a 16+ pound weight loss in about a year. Swap cookies for berries and white rice for barley and surely you will be able to break the weight plateau.
3. Change How You Caffeinate
Your coffee addiction may be playing a crucial role in halting your weight loss progress. In a recent research it was found that consuming more than five cups of coffee a day can lead to increased belly fat storage.
On the contrary, if you replace coffee with 5 cups of green tea, you will definitely lose some extra pounds. Green tea contains fat-blasting compounds known as catechins, that help you shred belly fat by boosting the metabolism and accelerating the liver’s fat burning capacity. Making the healthy switch from coffee to green tea may be just what your body needs to break the weight loss plateau.
4. Cut Back on Salt
Sometimes, you are unable to lose weight because your body is retaining water. The most common cause of bloating and retention is consumption of excessive sodium-filled processed foods.
In fact, more than 70 percent of the sodium in an average diet comes from salt added to processed foods. Water clings to sodium like a magnet, so when you consume more salt than usual, you may retain more water. You won’t be able to believe that just four cups of water weighs a whopping two pounds!
Speaking of H20, make sure you drink a glass or two before meals as it can help you fill up and reduce your overall calorie intake. A study conducted by the American Chemical Society discovered that people who sip two cups of water before eating a meal consume 75 to 90 fewer calories.
5. Spread Out Protein and Eat More of It
You have probably heard it a million times before: Eat more protein if you want to lose weight. Protein boosts your metabolism and helps the body retain muscle while burning fat. Protein-rich foods also suppress excretion of ghrelin, which is a hormone secreted by the stomach that stimulates appetite.
Registered dietitian Gina Hassick explains that:
“Those who stagger their protein consumption loose more weight and are able to remain fighting fit than those who skip on protein at certain meals. Someone who is looking to consume 60 grams of protein daily should consume 20 grams at each meal.”
6. Basic Rule of Weight Loss
To sum up, one must always remember this basic rule – Weight loss happens when we take in fewer calories than we burn. To put it simply, our calorie ‘input’ should be lower than our calorie ‘output. Thus, the only effective way to break the weight-loss plateau and shred excess body fat is to cut calorie intake further and burn more calories through rigorous exercise.