Periodically during a long weight-loss journey many of us hit a plateau where weight loss pretty much slows to a standstill. Plateaus may not be our favorite weight-loss phase, but they can be productive if we embrace them. Don’t worry, after resting a bit on a natural plateau and reanalyzing your weight loss strategy, you can again start making steady progress toward attaining a healthy weight.
What’s good about a plateau? If you’ve been on diet for a while and have lost a significant amount of weight, you likely need a psychological break from focusing on losing weight. Maintaining healthy eating and exercise habits without feeling the need to be super strict can be a nice change of pace. Plus your body periodically needs time to adjust to the weight loss you have already accomplished.
As you rest and gear up for the next phase of your journey keep this in mind: As we take off significant amounts of weight, it’s a cold, hard fact that we must further increase our activity levels and/or reduce our caloric intake to continue to lose weight. A body that weighs less requires fewer calories, especially when weight loss has not been accompanied by strength training.
While you’re enjoying your plateau, look carefully at what you’ve been eating. The more high-fiber, nutrient-dense foods (vegetables, fruits, whole grains) you work into your diet the better. The less processed foods and alcohol you consume the better. Are you opting for healthy fats such as olive oil and choosing lean meats? Keeping your portion sizes in check? You know the drill. And if you need to know more, read up on good nutrition (www.choosemyplate.gov for example) and/or consider joining a healthy weight loss program that provides such information.
Next look at your activity level: If you’ve been walking 4 days a week, maybe you need to up it to 6 days. And/or maybe you’ll increase your distance/time/intensity during each walking session. If you’ve been walking an hour at least 5 days a week, you may need to substitute a few walking sessions for a higher-intensity cardio option such as Zumba, Jazzercise or step aerobics. Cycling, swimming, running, etc., can also be good.
But before significantly increasing your activity level, consider any health conditions you may have. Have you been cleared to exercise by your physician? Do you have any chronic conditions that will affect your exercise choices? Please keep health considerations in mind and seek professional guidance when you need it.
There’s another part of the equation of the weight loss equation to consider: your muscle vs. fat ratio. The more muscle mass we have the more calories we burn even at rest. You don’t have to have the bulging muscles of a body builder, just healthy muscle tone to boost your metabolism rate.
It’s a fact that as we lose pounds we lose muscle weight as well as fat unless we’re building our muscles with resistance exercises. We also lose muscle mass as we age unless we strength train or otherwise keep challenging our muscles (as in hard labor). That’s a significant reason why the average person’s metabolism slows as they grow older.
How much strength training have you done as you’ve lost weight? Whatever the level, consider kicking it up a notch or two during the next phase of your weight loss push. A good, all-round strength training program may initially slow the number of pounds you lose because muscle is heavier than fat. But it will quickly start tightening your body, actually making your waist smaller, so you will look better and feel better.
When you see those mind-boggling “before and after” pictures every national “revolutionary diet plan” uses to advertise themselves, keep in mind that the incredible muscle definition of the person in the “after” shot either comes from strength training or Photoshop trickery. I have lost weight at various times with and without strength training. Strength training provides much more attractive results.
If you’re a gym/fitness club member you have access to strength machines as well as free weights and cable machines. Clubs oftentimes have group strength classes as well as access to personal trainers. If you can’t afford to join a gym or hire a personal trainer, don’t worry. With just a few inexpensive items such as a resistance band, pair of hand weights and a mat, you can get going. Although I sometimes work out with the equipment at my church rec center, I oftentimes work out at home with just my resistance band, hand weights and mat.
Try some of these great individual exercises and workout routines suggested by The American Council on Exercise. I love that these workouts come with detailed written instructions as well as photo and video demonstrations. And they're free!
While you’re working on your strength, please remember to work on your flexibility. Integrating stretching into your workout routine will help you attain and/or maintain a healthy posture, balanced gait, plus improve your general fitness level. Soon you’ll be able to reach the high shelf better and twist to get something with less risk of straining your back. I have become a fan of yoga because during the course of a good class you generally stretch out from head to toe.What’s good about a plateau? If you’ve been on diet for a while and have lost a significant amount of weight, you likely need a psychological break from focusing on losing weight. Maintaining healthy eating and exercise habits without feeling the need to be super strict can be a nice change of pace. Plus your body periodically needs time to adjust to the weight loss you have already accomplished.
As you rest and gear up for the next phase of your journey keep this in mind: As we take off significant amounts of weight, it’s a cold, hard fact that we must further increase our activity levels and/or reduce our caloric intake to continue to lose weight. A body that weighs less requires fewer calories, especially when weight loss has not been accompanied by strength training.
While you’re enjoying your plateau, look carefully at what you’ve been eating. The more high-fiber, nutrient-dense foods (vegetables, fruits, whole grains) you work into your diet the better. The less processed foods and alcohol you consume the better. Are you opting for healthy fats such as olive oil and choosing lean meats? Keeping your portion sizes in check? You know the drill. And if you need to know more, read up on good nutrition (www.choosemyplate.gov for example) and/or consider joining a healthy weight loss program that provides such information.
Next look at your activity level: If you’ve been walking 4 days a week, maybe you need to up it to 6 days. And/or maybe you’ll increase your distance/time/intensity during each walking session. If you’ve been walking an hour at least 5 days a week, you may need to substitute a few walking sessions for a higher-intensity cardio option such as Zumba, Jazzercise or step aerobics. Cycling, swimming, running, etc., can also be good.
But before significantly increasing your activity level, consider any health conditions you may have. Have you been cleared to exercise by your physician? Do you have any chronic conditions that will affect your exercise choices? Please keep health considerations in mind and seek professional guidance when you need it.
There’s another part of the equation of the weight loss equation to consider: your muscle vs. fat ratio. The more muscle mass we have the more calories we burn even at rest. You don’t have to have the bulging muscles of a body builder, just healthy muscle tone to boost your metabolism rate.
It’s a fact that as we lose pounds we lose muscle weight as well as fat unless we’re building our muscles with resistance exercises. We also lose muscle mass as we age unless we strength train or otherwise keep challenging our muscles (as in hard labor). That’s a significant reason why the average person’s metabolism slows as they grow older.
How much strength training have you done as you’ve lost weight? Whatever the level, consider kicking it up a notch or two during the next phase of your weight loss push. A good, all-round strength training program may initially slow the number of pounds you lose because muscle is heavier than fat. But it will quickly start tightening your body, actually making your waist smaller, so you will look better and feel better.
When you see those mind-boggling “before and after” pictures every national “revolutionary diet plan” uses to advertise themselves, keep in mind that the incredible muscle definition of the person in the “after” shot either comes from strength training or Photoshop trickery. I have lost weight at various times with and without strength training. Strength training provides much more attractive results.
If you’re a gym/fitness club member you have access to strength machines as well as free weights and cable machines. Clubs oftentimes have group strength classes as well as access to personal trainers. If you can’t afford to join a gym or hire a personal trainer, don’t worry. With just a few inexpensive items such as a resistance band, pair of hand weights and a mat, you can get going. Although I sometimes work out with the equipment at my church rec center, I oftentimes work out at home with just my resistance band, hand weights and mat.
Try some of these great individual exercises and workout routines suggested by The American Council on Exercise. I love that these workouts come with detailed written instructions as well as photo and video demonstrations. And they're free!
One more thing: A great overall resource for helping you educate yourself on the fine points of fitness and weight loss is The American College of Sports Medicine's “The Complete Guide to Fitness & Health." The book, which I highly recommend, provides a science-based overview on strength, flexibility and cardio training, as well as good nutrition/healthy diet information.
