A common question I hear as a personal trainer is "Why am I not losing weight?
This usually comes from well-meaning women who have been working hard trying to lose weight on their diet.
They lose weight initially but suddenly, out of nowhere, the scale stops moving. The pounds stop coming off and that weight just refuses to budge no matter what they do.
If you've hit a weight loss plateau or are frustrated by your current progress, don't worry. This article will list 3 ways you can get started losing weight again.
#1 Have a "Cheat" Day and Eat More Calories than Usual
This is my favorite recommendation for clients who have hit a weight loss plateau - and theirs too!
If you've been dieting for more than a week, it's likely that your metabolism has slowed down. Our bodies are resourceful. They know what's going on when you cut calories and, in an effort to keep you alive, they adjust.
So your body gets more efficient and eventually only NEEDS 1200 or 1400 calories a day to function. Thus you're no longer creating that calorie deficit and the weight stops coming off.
How to fix this? Simple - eat more!
Break your body out of its rut by having 1 "cheat" day per week where you eat whatever you want. This will get your metabolism revving on high again.
It's also a great psychological boost. I guarantee that after your cheat day you will have new energy to dive back into your diet plan and keep losing those pounds.
Having a regular cheat day will also avoid your metabolism slowing and stop you from hitting the dreaded weight loss rut so many people fall into.
#2 Eat Most of Your Calories Before 2:00 in the Afternoon
Eat a big breakfast, medium lunch and a small dinner. This is also called the "upside down diet" by some people and it really works.
Why? Because most of the food you eat before 2:00 in the afternoon is burned off by your body during your every day tasks.
But at night your metabolism is naturally slowing down so it doesn't need as many calories. And guess where the extra food goes then? Right - straight to your hips!
But by having most of your calories before 2:00 p.m. (with the majority at breakfast), you won't store as many of these calories as fat.
A bonus to this strategy? Having a large breakfast also gets your metabolism revving at high speed throughout the day!
#3 Increase your Protein to Carb Ratio
What this means is basically eat more protein. Ladies, we are very bad at this.
Women tend to eat more carbs (low fat of course) than protein. We just aren't big protein eaters.
But protein helps to stoke your metabolism and it actually burns off more calories just in the digestion process alone than carbs or fats do.
Plus, it keeps you fuller for longer - so you aren't as tempted to eat or binge on junk food!
How do you do this?
Try adding some protein powder to morning smoothie. Or add chicken or tuna to your salad. I know one woman who adds hemp protein powder to her pancake batter. You can't taste the difference, but it keeps her fuller much longer!
Basically try to add in protein to every meal. That will get your body out of "rut mode" and keep the weight loss going.
So those are 3 things you can try if you're not losing weight.
If you're still struggling and want a slam-dunk easy way to lose weight (that will do #1 - 3 above for you), you may want to try a diet meal delivery service.
They will make the meals for you (many times based on your personal diet preferences) and ship them to your home. You don't have to count calories, do the grocery shopping or meal prep. All you do is heat and eat.
And starting for under $20 a day, they cost less than most people spend on 1 restaurant meal. So it's a great option if you're sick of struggling to lose weight on your current diet (and want to eat real food for a change).
Whatever you decide to do, remember to go at your own pace, feed your emotions as well as your body and don't give up. You will get there!
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This usually comes from well-meaning women who have been working hard trying to lose weight on their diet.
They lose weight initially but suddenly, out of nowhere, the scale stops moving. The pounds stop coming off and that weight just refuses to budge no matter what they do.
If you've hit a weight loss plateau or are frustrated by your current progress, don't worry. This article will list 3 ways you can get started losing weight again.
#1 Have a "Cheat" Day and Eat More Calories than Usual
This is my favorite recommendation for clients who have hit a weight loss plateau - and theirs too!
If you've been dieting for more than a week, it's likely that your metabolism has slowed down. Our bodies are resourceful. They know what's going on when you cut calories and, in an effort to keep you alive, they adjust.
So your body gets more efficient and eventually only NEEDS 1200 or 1400 calories a day to function. Thus you're no longer creating that calorie deficit and the weight stops coming off.
How to fix this? Simple - eat more!
Break your body out of its rut by having 1 "cheat" day per week where you eat whatever you want. This will get your metabolism revving on high again.
It's also a great psychological boost. I guarantee that after your cheat day you will have new energy to dive back into your diet plan and keep losing those pounds.
Having a regular cheat day will also avoid your metabolism slowing and stop you from hitting the dreaded weight loss rut so many people fall into.
#2 Eat Most of Your Calories Before 2:00 in the Afternoon
Eat a big breakfast, medium lunch and a small dinner. This is also called the "upside down diet" by some people and it really works.
Why? Because most of the food you eat before 2:00 in the afternoon is burned off by your body during your every day tasks.
But at night your metabolism is naturally slowing down so it doesn't need as many calories. And guess where the extra food goes then? Right - straight to your hips!
But by having most of your calories before 2:00 p.m. (with the majority at breakfast), you won't store as many of these calories as fat.
A bonus to this strategy? Having a large breakfast also gets your metabolism revving at high speed throughout the day!
#3 Increase your Protein to Carb Ratio
What this means is basically eat more protein. Ladies, we are very bad at this.
Women tend to eat more carbs (low fat of course) than protein. We just aren't big protein eaters.
But protein helps to stoke your metabolism and it actually burns off more calories just in the digestion process alone than carbs or fats do.
Plus, it keeps you fuller for longer - so you aren't as tempted to eat or binge on junk food!
How do you do this?
Try adding some protein powder to morning smoothie. Or add chicken or tuna to your salad. I know one woman who adds hemp protein powder to her pancake batter. You can't taste the difference, but it keeps her fuller much longer!
Basically try to add in protein to every meal. That will get your body out of "rut mode" and keep the weight loss going.
So those are 3 things you can try if you're not losing weight.
If you're still struggling and want a slam-dunk easy way to lose weight (that will do #1 - 3 above for you), you may want to try a diet meal delivery service.
They will make the meals for you (many times based on your personal diet preferences) and ship them to your home. You don't have to count calories, do the grocery shopping or meal prep. All you do is heat and eat.
And starting for under $20 a day, they cost less than most people spend on 1 restaurant meal. So it's a great option if you're sick of struggling to lose weight on your current diet (and want to eat real food for a change).
Whatever you decide to do, remember to go at your own pace, feed your emotions as well as your body and don't give up. You will get there!