Breaking the Weight Loss Plateau

Achieving weight loss is one of the most frustrating aspects of losing weight. Fortunately, breaking the plateau of weight is a relatively simple task when you know what causes it. When we first target weight loss, we initially lose a lot of weight initially, then the amount slowly decreases over a period of weeks or months, until we stop losing weight. and it's not that we don't need it. also lose more weight This is called a plateau of weight loss. You know you do all the right things, but you don't lose weight. During the first week of your program, you tend to lose as much weight as possible. Much of the weight loss this first week is actually an excess of fluid and can represent up to 4 kg (9 lb) or more, depending on your initial weight. Fluid loss can be up to 50% of the total weight lost in the first week. Several factors contribute to a plateau of weight loss, including (but not limited to);

- Inadequate calories consumed
- Loss of muscle
- Weight loss
- Lack of discipline
- Physical adaptation
- Exercise capacity
- During the exercise
- Improved fitness level
- Let us deal with them one by one.

Insufficient Calorie Consumption The human body needs a MINIMUM 1200 calories a day to function. If you consume less than that (such as a quick diet, for example), your body will interpret it as hunger and reduce your metabolism (your body's ability to burn calories) to protect itself and survive longer. . This will prevent it from burning fat stores. Solution: Keep an acceptable amount of calories. Use a BMR (Basic Metabolic Rate) calculator to determine how many calories your body needs per day to maintain. Once you've roughly determined the number of calories your body needs to work, reduce your calorie intake to 500-700 fewer calories without spending below 1200 calories. Lack of more than 700 calories can lead to muscle loss, which is the next cause of a weight loss plateau.

Muscle loss All body tissues need energy to maintain themselves, including fat. The muscle needs FIVE TIMES the amount of energy needed to maintain fat. The higher the percentage of muscle in your body, the higher your calories. Unfortunately, diets sometimes lead to muscle loss. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy in the body, followed by proteins and then by fats. Your muscles are made up of proteins. Therefore, if your body lacks carbohydrates, it can become a source of muscle energy if these muscles are not stored through exercise. Unfortunately, muscle loss leads to lower metabolism. Solution: Adopt a high protein diet and exercise in conjunction with your low calorie diet to maintain muscle mass and prevent muscle loss. If necessary, vitamin supplements can be used to ensure proper nutrition.

Weight loss right? Isn't losing weight the problem? Yes, that's right! But as you lose weight, the number of calories your body needs for itself also decreases. As mentioned before, even fat needs calories to keep up. Solution: When you lose weight, regularly check your BMR for the number of calories your body needs daily and maintain a caloric intake of about 500 calories. But remember, don't consume less than 1200 calories.

Lack of discipline After several weeks of a new weight loss program, many people tend to lose focus. They start craving unhealthy foods more than they need to, and work hard on exercise by jumping one day under the guise of twice the exercise the next day, and so on. Solution: Staying motivated during a weight loss program can be a challenge. One of the best ways to overcome this problem is to find a weight loss partner. Having someone to practice with and be responsible for can be an effective motivator. Another great motivational tool is a printable worksheet for setting heavy goals. Print it out, fill it up and put it in the fridge where you will see it regularly and it will remind you of what you are trying to accomplish.

Physical Adaptation Our body adapts to our levels of caloric intake and physical activity. When we begin an exercise program, our body must make several changes to adapt to the changing workload. Our muscles need to rebuild and that requires a lot of calories. But over time, the body adapts and burns fewer calories for the same activities. Solution: Don't let your body adapt. Diversify your exercise program by changing the intensity, duration, frequency and type of exercise. If you still have weight, go for cardio, grab a rope, and jump for 15 minutes. You can also use interval training to change and change the type of exercise for a set time.

Exercise Ability Each time you exercise regularly, you improve and your body needs fewer calories to exercise. A training athlete burns fewer calories while practicing their sport than someone not trained in the sport. Solution: Again, do not let your body adapt to a single exercise. Swing if you're still heavy, then go running, switch from the sniper to a row machine and so on.

Over-Exercise If you exercise too much, your body adapts and reaches a point when the extra energy consumed during exercise compensates for a decrease in the amount of energy used when not exercising. In other words, as you increase the intensity of exercise, your body decreases the number of calories consumed for the rest of the day. Solution: Allow yourself some healing time. Take a break for a few days with low-impact exercises like swimming or tai chi. When you resume your usual physical activities, pull back slightly and only increase the intensity when necessary to maintain weight.

Improved Fitness Levels As your fitness increases, your body's efficiency increases and requires fewer calories to work out. Better physical condition results in reduced metabolic rate and fewer calories required for normal daily activities. This is partly because your cardio-pulmonary efficiency increases and your resting heart rate decreases. Solution: congratulations! You are officially capable and healthy. You may justly feel proud of yourself. Focus on mixing up your routine to keep progress and life will improve! Another thing to remember is that losing weight is not the only factor to increase your fitness. It is possible to lose centimeters without losing weight. Indeed, if you develop muscle through resistance training, this muscle weighs MORE than fat, but requires less space. A person who weighs 200 pounds with 25% lean muscle will be smaller than another person with the same height and weight who has only 20% lean muscle. So, in summary, there are four main things to remember:

1 -  Keep your BMR (how many calories a day your body needs to keep).
2 -  Keep calorie consumption 500 to 700 less than your BMR without exceeding the 1200 minimum.
3 -  Exercise to prevent muscle loss.
4 -  Mix up your exercise program to prevent your body from adapting.

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