How do you continue to lose wight when you hit a stop that you can't get over?!
Question:
I've tried changing and adding to my exercise routine. I've cut back calroies drastically and still can't get past this stopping point I hit after losing 30 pounds.
Answers:
Diet long enough and you’re bound to reach a stage where the losses level off and the scale is stuck on the same three digits for weeks. What causes the stall? Routine.
"If you do the same workout over and over again (and eat the same foods), your body adapts and becomes more efficient," says Jason Parsons, Fitness Manager, Columbia Tech 24 Hour Fitness in Vancouver, Washington. "The trouble with that is that now it requires less energy to do the same activity." Here are four ways to nudge the scale back to its downward trend:
Create Diet Drama: Busting through a plateau requires change. If you eat the same "healthy" foods every day, your body will eventually use less energy to metabolize them. Load up on different fruits and vegetables –- those you’ve never tried before – and seek out new seasonings, dressings and condiments.
Move It: Park your car at the opposite end of the parking lot, take the stairs instead of the elevator or walk around the building during your lunch break, says Parsons. Even just five minutes burns an additional 24 calories. Eventually all of those extra calories add up.
Crank It Up: When the workout that used to leave you huffing, puffing and sore for days barely makes you break a sweat, it’s time to add intensity. Instead of logging in your regular half hour on the treadmill at a steady 4.5 mph pace, try the interval option or take your workout on the road and use the terrain to act as intervals. Run in the sand or up hills and use landmarks to signify a change of pace.
Get Uncomfortable: To continue losing weight, you have to get out of your comfort zone. Someone who has never tried yoga will exert more energy and burn more calories during a class than an experienced yogi. Find something you don’t know how to do and give it a go.
Good Luck!
Other Answers:
Same thing has happened to me after losing 45.now it seems to just be staying in the same place. I look forward to the answer!
Sometimes cutting back too much on calories stalls you because your body thinks you are starving it and it holds onto calories. Try eating about 1200 calories, continue with your increased exercise (maybe switching exercise routines) and drink plenty of water. Plateaus are so frustrating.
If uve hit a block it tends to mean that thats the weight you should be
Sometimes if you arent eating enough your body slows down and goes into starvation mode meaning you wont lose any more weight.
You have to shock your body with more cariod or more INTENSE cardio. Do completely different exersices or some kind or alternative excersise. Try playing a sport, taking Martial Arts etc.
Actually you are going about it he wrong way. Sometimes when you hit a plateau while dieting you need to "shock" you system back on track. This can be done by eating something that you have been denying yourself. Just make sure not to overindulge!
If you're doing a primarily cardiovascular routine, try some light anabolic exercise (weights). You might put on weight, but it'll make you lose fat. Also, muscle burns a lot of calories even at rest. More muscle tone = more fat burnin'
Cutting back on calories will slow down or stop your metabolism. I am at the same place you are. It is really frustrating. The best thing to do is to eat 5 to 6 times a day so that your body will not have to go into starvation mode and hang onto everything you give it. Don't drastically increase your exercise, continue as is..maybe add to just a little. It is your metabolism that is keeping you at a stuck point, hang in there and soon the weight will again drop off.
I agree with dupee. If you've hit a plateau, change up your exercise program. Try a new sport or add some intervals to your current one. If you normally ride the stationary bike, for example, try warming up for a few minutes then crank it up to 3 or 4 levels higher than you're used to and ride hard for 30 seconds. You should be pedaling so hard you can barely finish. Then take a breather (back down to normal workout level) for 90 seconds and repeat the hard interval. Work up to 8 hard intervals and be sure to cool down properly and stretch your muscles. You can do this on any cardio machine or even outside running. It should help push you past your plateau.
Source(s):
Me. I used to be a personal trainer and ran road races for fun. Interval training makes your body produce it's own HGH, which helps the body act younger and burn more fat, build more muscle. Also speed work (or interval training) will help you run faster and longer.
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