Weight Management

by Freda Coetzee

How to Get Over a Weight-Loss Plateau

They say the hardest thing about losing weight is getting started. But people who have hit a weight loss plateau might agree with this… What is a weight loss plateau? When someone loses weight and then hits a point where they suddenly stop losing weight even though they are still following healthy habits. This point is called a weight-loss plateau and can be a real pain to get past. You can still be working out and eating healthy which has helped you to get to the weight you are now, but it has suddenly stopped working. It can be very frustrating as it can happen seemingly out of nowhere. A weight-loss plateau is also called adaptive thermogenesis, but the exact cause for it is not yet known. It is believed that changes in body weight, as well as thyroid function and changes in the leptin levels. Leptin is a big suspect, as it is a hormone that affects the brain to regulate appetite and weight. Here are 3 top tips to help you get over the weight-loss plateau… The Scale Does Not Always Tell the Whole Story Weighing yourself on a scale, especially on a day-to-day basis can be a big contributor to thinking that you have hit a weight-loss plateau. The number on the scale might not be going down, but this could just be due to the fact that the scale cannot tell the difference between weight lost or gained as fat, muscle, or water. You may think that you have lost 2 kilograms in a day, but it may just be water-weight and on the other hand, you might think that you have not lost any weight, but it may be that you have burnt fat and gained muscle which will not make you weigh less. This does not mean that the scale should be tossed away, but you should rather stick to weighing yourself once a week, and you should also use additional methods of tracking your progress. Keep a record of the measurements around your chest, waist, and arms, as well as your body-fat percentage. It is important to note that weight-loss is not linear, which means that you should not expect to lose a constant 1 kilogram per week until you have reached your target weight. You might lose less in one week, and then more in then the next. Just because you did not lose as much in a week as you have hoped, does not mean you have hit a plateau. Weighing and measuring can be tiring, so you should always make sure to get plenty of rest… Get Enough Sleep While sleep itself is not going to make you lose weight, a good night’s rest can help regulate certain hormones in the body which in turn can help you get past a weight-loss plateau. The opposite is also true, and that is that poor sleep can cause affect these hormones negatively which means it might cause your weight-loss efforts to be ineffective – this can happen after only one night of pour sleep. The right amount of sleep differs from one individual to the next, but it is typically between 7 and 9 hours per night. When you realize that you have reached a weight-loss plateau, it is vital to look at your sleeping patterns to see how frequently and for how long you sleep at night and during the day (Naps). This goes hand-in-hand with your eating habits and exercise routine. Waking up fully rested will make sticking to your plan a lot easier… Stick to the plan You can have the best diet plan, and the top exercise routine, but if you are not sticking to it you won’t lose any weight. A great way to make sure that you stick to it is to set out your plan, and then log and track every day’s progress in terms of what you have eaten and how well you have stuck to your exercise program. Make a grid of what you need to do each day, and cross it off at the end of the day if you have achieved it. What else can we do to get past this point? To help give your weight-loss efforts a boost, cut back on your carb intake. Be especially wary of carbs in the form of: Added Sugars Refined grains Whole grains and starches Fruit Healthy diet – Cutting out foods that give you blood sugar spikes or elevates your blood sugar levels for a prolonged period of time is the first step to getting blood sugar levels back to normal. The main culprits are sugars and refined carbohydrates. This includes rice, bread, ice cream, cookies, sweets, cold drinks, fruit juices, potato chips, potatoes, pasta, etc. These foods add sugar into your bloodstream, then the body releases insulin to try and keep the sugar under control, and if you don’t use the sugar as energy immediately it gets stored as fat. Get the Free Manna Diet e-Book for a great sustainable eating plan. Good Exercise routine – Eating healthy goes hand-in-hand with getting enough exercise. You don’t have to go join a gym if you know that you won’t find time for that. The internet is filled with easy short exercise routines that you can do at home with little or no equipment. Otherwise just go for a good cycle, run, or even a walk. Exercise helps to lower blood sugar levels by using the energy from sugar so that it does not get stored as fat. But let’s look at a much more appealing way of balancing blood sugar… Lose weight with Manna Blood Sugar Support Helps to reverse insulin resistance. It helps to normalize blood sugar levels. Helps to retard the uptake of glucose. Assist the body to require less insulin. Keep your energy level high.