Are you following the same diet, but now you have stopped losing weight? This is called the diet plateau and I think everyone trying to lose weight has this problem. I’ve scoured the world for help and will discuss some ideas below.
My diet is going well, but I’m starting to hit longer plateaus. When I first started my diet, I was dropping a pound every few days. Now it keeps getting harder and harder to drop weight, though it’s seems easier to keep under my current calorie total for the day. I just went two weeks without losing, but then after a couple days of only eating 1500 calories a day I dropped two pounds in three days.
Here are my findings:
Why do you stop losing weight on the same diet?
As you lose weight you don’t only lose fat, but you also lose some muscle. It took some extra muscle to move around that extra weight. Now that the weight is gone, you don’t need the extra muscle. So, your metabolism slows down and you require less calories to maintain weight.
How to keep losing
Cut more calories
If your weight loss has stopped it may be time to cut some more calories. If you were eating 2,000 a day, maybe you can try for 1,900. For me it seems like I can cut more for just a couple days and get good results.
Here are some helpful ideas to help cut calories:
Helpful calorie cutting ideas to lose weight – Frugal Average Bicyclist
Get more activity/exercise
Try to be more active to burn more calories. Depending on where you are at in your diet this may mean taking longer walks or spending more time exercising. Maybe add a little bit of weightlifting to get those muscles involved. More muscle burns more calories.
Cycling is a great option for exercise:
Weight Loss Help With Cycling – Frugal Average Bicyclist
Eat healthier food
Cutting out some carbs and adding in a little more protein may help. It seems that protein may help boost your metabolism a bit. And I’m sure we have all heard of the low carb diets. Increasing fiber is another idea that might help you out. Lots of vegetables are always good and low calorie. Just look at where you are getting your calories now and see if you can get them from a more-healthy source.
After I’ve settled on the changes for my own diet, I will share them. I plan to incorporate the above.
I’m no medical professional, but the above is the type of info out there. Consult your doctor before making any health choices.
Question: What do you call a student who got all C’s through med school?
Answer: Hopefully not your doctor.
