Lots of people go on a diet after the Christmas festivities come to an end, hoping to shift some of the extra weight they put on while they were tucking into party food and mince pies.
While they may have been successful for a few weeks, many might be starting to see their weight loss plateau and are struggling to get rid of the last couple of pounds.
If this sounds familiar, you are not alone, but don’t worry, there are ways you can beat the plateau and go on to achieve your goal weight.
Why do plateaus occur?
The reason you are likely to have stopped losing weight is because while you have been on a diet, you might have lost some muscle, which determines your metabolism.
The more muscle you lose, the slower your metabolism becomes, which means you are unable to burn calories at the same rate.
Therefore, in order to lose more weight, you need to take in fewer calories than you were doing before.
If you were hoping to continue with your fat loss journey, whether you still have Christmas weight to drop or slimming down was one of your New Year’s resolutions, you need to kick your metabolism into gear.
Here are some tips on how to get past a weight loss plateau:
Are you really in a deficit?
Fat loss only occurs if you are consuming fewer calories than you are using. While you might be following a well-known diet, this does not necessarily mean you have cut down on your calorie intake.
The only way to know whether you are eating less is by filling in a total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) calculator or speaking to a nutritional therapist to work out what you need to be eating to be in a deficit, based on your age and activity levels.
Then you need to track everything you eat for a few days to see whether you are actually eating more than you think. Things like oil, dressings, condiments, butter, dried fruit and nuts can quickly see the calories add up, so make sure you include everything.
It could be that you are eating more calories than your body is burning, so you need to cut back a bit.
Increase activity
An alternative to decreasing your calories further is doing more exercise, as this will increase the amount of calories you burn.
This can include sports or fitness activities, such as football, swimming or dance. If you also do some weight lifting to build up muscle, this will change your body composition so you appear slimmer. Having a greater muscle mass will also speed up your metabolism, helping you to burn muscle faster.
Take the stairs
You don’t need to spend hours at the gym to increase your activity levels though, as your daily movements play a huge part in weight loss.
For instance, you could take the stairs instead of the lift, leave the car at home and walk, do more household chores, have walking breaks around the office, or stand at your desk rather than always sitting.
Although these changes will not impact your life massively, they will increase the amount of calories you burn, helping to put you back in a deficit.
If you either cut your calories, do more exercise, or improve your everyday movements, you are likely to see a shift in your weight again, helping you get back to your pre-Christmas figure in no time.
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