Hit a weight loss plateau despite exercise and diet? This stage, despite being a natural hurdle that’s part of the process, can be disappointing and frustrating. Many might feel forced to drop the idea of trying to lose weight further.
The road to weight loss is smooth and slope in parts – sometimes you may end up shedding oodles of weight too soon and then there comes a point when progress halts. No matter how hard you try at the gym, you just can’t shed the additional pounds easily. This stage is known as weight loss plateau – a state where you fail to lose weight despite all efforts.
The plateau stage, despite being a natural hurdle that’s part of the process, can be disappointing and frustrating. Many might feel forced to drop the idea of trying to lose weight further. Fret not, we’ll help you break free from this stage and continue on the path to achieving a healthier body mass index (BMI).
Tips To Get Past a Weight Loss Plateau
Cut down on carbohydrate intake:
When you start on the weight loss journey, making alterations to the diet is an initial step. Dieticians and nutritionists in the first step itself recommend cutting down on carbs intake to prevent water retention and calorie accumulation. However, after losing some weight, your body might get accustomed to this smaller quantity of carbs thereby resulting in this frustrating plateau stage. Therefore, to keep going, it is important to further cut down on carbs intake so that you can continue to drop extra kilos.
Eat more fiber:
One of the most filling nutrients of all, fiber helps keep hunger pangs at bay and promotes weight loss over time. According to several studies, 30 grams of fiber in a day is linked to weight loss, better blood pressure management and lower risk of insulin sensitivity. With foods like oatmeal, berries, nuts, beans, lentils and legumes, you can break free from the plateau stage and continue to shed weight like a pro.
Occasional cheat meals:
Cheating while on a diet to lose weight can prove a foe of your efforts if it happens too often. However, a once in a blue moon cheat meal may prove beneficial. When the body loses too much fat, the brain signals to store calories over time which results in weight loss plateau. Therefore, the best way to continue losing weight is cheating once in a while so the body continues to process fat the same way as it did in the start.
Eat more proteins:
Nuts, lean meat, eggs, dairy and other sources of protein are your best bud for weight loss goals. In a weight loss plateau stage, proteins could prove helpful in keeping you full for long, reduce calorie intake and improve strength for workouts. Therefore, experts recommend increasing proteins to further cut down on calories and speed up the halted process.
Cut down on salty foods:
Salty foods result in water retention and could be the reason why you are unable to lose more weight. Therefore, it is advisable to further cut down on salt intake while in a plateau stage to ensure that you continue to shed kilos obstruction free.
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