It gets pretty discouraging to step on the scales and see it display the same weight for weeks. That's plateauing and one of the reasons many people often give up their efforts to shed pounds. There's no reason to quit. You can beat a plateau by making some changes. I help clients in Lakeland, Florida push past that plateau and help them begin to lose weight again.
One of the most common reasons for plateauing is repeatedly doing the same exercise routine.
The body works like a magnificent self-healing machine that gets more efficient with every repeated movement. While that efficiency is important most of the time, it's not good if you're trying to lose weight. The more efficient a body is, the fewer calories it burns. That's why doing the same routine without changing it can eventually bring about plateauing. It's also why I use a variety of workouts and change each person's routine frequently.
It may not be that you're plateauing, it may be that you have too high of expectations.
While having high expectations can help you shed weight, it also can be quite depressing when you don't get the same results you did when you first began. Consider the person that started with an ambitious goal of shedding 50 pounds. That first few months, weight came off rapidly and you lost 30 pounds, but it slowed slightly as the months continued. It's to be expected. When you started, it was like you were carrying a 30 pound weight everywhere you went. Now that your body weighs less, you'll be carrying less weight and burning fewer calories. The solution is to up the ante and make the workout tougher as you get fitter.
A good weight loss program should also include a program of healthier eating.
If you haven't changed what you consume, don't expect the results to be stellar. You can't out-exercise a bad diet. Consider those people who go to the gym and immediately go for a beer or two and a pizza after they workout. Not losing weight isn't because of lack of effort or the right workout, it's the food you eat before and after you workout. Sometimes, people don't realize that they're consuming extra calories, since they come in the form of soft drinks, like cola. Jut one 12-ounce Coke contains 140 calories and the same size Pepsi contains 150 calories. You can see how drinking two or three during the day can set your weight loss efforts back and maybe even make you gain weight.
- Maybe you're successful, but not measuring it the right way. When you workout, you build muscle, which weighs more per cubic inch than fat tissue does. You may be slimming down and losing inches, but not shedding weight. Use inches as a guide to success, too.
- Don't give up. You may and probably will fall off the weight loss wagon a few times. Get back on and continue your plan. One indulgence isn't a failure. In fact, healthy eating means you can eat high calorie foods occasionally.
- Find ways to increase your daily activity. Park further from the store and walk, take the stairs and not the elevator and get up at least five minutes out of every hour. You'll burn extra calories and be healthier.
- Enjoy your workout and know that you'll get results with my program. If I see a problem in your progress, I adjust the workout to get you back on track.
