A Watched Pot Doesn’t Boil
Have you ever experienced a time when your regime of eating well or exercising regularly meant that the pounds that previously dropped off effortlessly, has now stopped ,the weight has now stopped budging and began holding on tight like lard in a freezer?!
Well you’re not alone.
After a while of rapid and vast weight loss a few of the women I train regularly, start to complain that the weight has stopped shifting, despite every effort to eat healthy, diet or exercise, this is known as Weight Loss Plateau.
This plateau occurs because (unfortunately and fortunately) our body is an intelligent and adaptive mechanism, so after a while of significant weight loss, it begins to require less calories (or energy) to fuel and maintain a leaner you, resulting in a drop in your metabolism, as the body adjust to the new weight. The outcome however, means it can become considerably harder to budge those 5-10-15 pounds required to reach your ideal weight goal!
Nevertheless, Weight Loss Plateaus are normal and many people experience several moments as they get nearer to their ideal weight. It’s can be the difference between persevering or giving up and probably the reason we’re not all walking around with a 6 pack! So basically, the more weight you lose, the slower weight loss occurs, so you have to consciously do more to make a difference.
To highlight this, here is an example (inspired by Marc Perry from BuiltLean.com)
A woman named Simone who weighs:
230lb Loses 1% body fat which is 2.3lb
However when Cheryl looses weight and becomes…
200lb Losing 1% body fat is now *only 2lbs
so the weight loss at 230lbs for a 1% drop is now 15% less when she loses 30lbs.
The point is, if Cheryl continues to eat/exercise exactly the same as she did when she was 230lbs, her weight loss goals will be less effective, as she requires more energy to lose more. If you notice your weight has plateaued despite your perceived best habits, this may mean you need to adjust your regime to accompany your new weight.
So below are some of my best researched tips help to you overcome Weight Plateau;
- Change & Intensify Your Regime
As Cheryl’s example shows, continuing to do the same level of exercise activities you were doing the first week will be ineffective weeks and months later as our body adapts. Step outside of your fitness zone e.g. change your activities to include for example, some HIIT or weight-bearing exercises for extra intensity or yoga/Pilates for a new challenge.
Changing your regime will overcome muscle adaptation and increasing the intensity i.e. more reps, longer time or difficulty, will continue to challenge your body, make it work harder and burn more calories. For example, studies indicate that one pound of muscle burns 6 calories a day at rest and the same pound of fat only burns 2 calories a day! So lets work on creating more muscle.
Also this tip, also applies to your diet, (my 3S Food plan is a good start) you will need to adapt your calorie burn (i.e. Basil Metabolic Rate – the number of calories your burn at resting) to determine how many calories you need to consume to lose weight, based on factors such as your age, sex, height and activity level. Check out http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator
- Beware of Snack Cheats
Many people seem to overestimate how many calories they burn and underestimate how many calories they consume. One of the main reasons people underestimate how many calories they consume, is forgetting to include snacking in between meals, especially drinks such as tea, coffee, fruit juices, which all add up!
For example, tea with 2 sugars and semi skimmed milk is roughly 48 calories, consuming tea 4 times a day is 192 calories. Let’s add just 2 digestive chocolate biscuits on one occasion, this is 168 calories. So, over the day consuming 4 teas and 2 biscuits = 360 calories, more than twice as much calories contained in a medium jacket potato with butter!! (160 calories)
Don’t get me wrong feel free to snacks, but include them in in your energy intake and beware of hidden calories in drinks which may hamper your weight loss goals, go for more herbal teas, healthy/lower calories snacks/swaps (e.g. crackers, fruit, vegetable sticks, bread sticks, hummus).
- Keep Note
As mentioned it can be challenging or confusing to be aware of all your activity or food intake so keeping a note either by logging food/exercise in a journal or a diary, as this will help you to keep track and monitor your progress. Providing you with insights, not just about calories burned or consumed, but any regular breakthroughs or setbacks including, people, places or mood!
- Sleep Off Pounds
Reset your body with much needed rest. Not only is beauty sleep scientifically acknowledged but the lack of sleep or sleep deprivation is associated with higher levels of cortisol the stress hormone, which can contribute to increase weight gain especially around our mid-section. Remember you also tend to reduce exercising and making healthier meal choices when you’re tired!
- Quality Over Quantity
Okay so the type of food that goes in your mouth is just as important as how much enters it, as some foods or drink may hinder your efforts. The obvious will be junk fatty food but even so called ‘healthier’ options should be approached with caution. For example, too much salt can cause water retention or bloating so be mindful off hidden salt in processed food. Whereas consuming more herbal teas such as Green tea, has been shown to contain compounds such as Catechins which help increase metabolism. As well as food and drink, some medication or hormonal imbalances may also contribute to weight plateau, so seek medical advice if you believe this may be a factor and start to drink mores herbal tea brews.
Before I end I just want to dispel a popular myth I hear all the time which is, skipping some meals will help you lose weight. It doesn’t! Your body goes in to starvation mode, as it slows your metabolism down and tries to store more, to compensate for the reduction of calories you are consuming. Definitely what you don’t need if your trying to lose weight.
More importantly try to enjoy the process of adopting a healthier lifestyle, not just weight loss and enjoy being healthier, fitter and more energetic. If you stay disciplined and consistent, change your activities and become mindful about your wellbeing holistically, you will be able to enjoy the process more. As the saying goes
‘a watched pot doesn’t boil’
(i.e. the time will always feel longer when your waiting for something to happen) and is definitely not apt in the journey of weight loss!
Feel free to contact me or my team of experts if you would like help with your weight loss, fitness or nutrition, or wellbeing goals.
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