A few new clients come in with complaints that they were working out on their own before they came to the gym in Stamford, but hit a wall when they reached a certain weight and couldn’t lose any more. My clients don’t have a problem with plateauing. That’s because our program has built in ways to beat a fat loss plateau. Even with a great program, it can sometimes occur, which is why we diligently track your progress, so we know when changes must be made. Plateauing can occur when your body burns fewer calories in a workout or requires fewer calories to maintain the weight. It happens for several reasons, you can correct both of them and start getting great weight loss results again.
Plateauing can occur when your body becomes too efficient at doing the workout.
Efficiency is a good thing, unless you’re talking about how your muscle groups work together. When the body becomes too efficient at a specific movement, it burns fewer calories. That can occur if you never vary your workout. It’s one reason I like to change things up frequently. Of course, the other reason is to avoid boredom and keep people more focused on each movement. If you find you’re plateauing, switch your routine about every four to six weeks.
The first few months are always the easiest to lose weight.
This fact is often forgotten when people start to get into shape. You’re heavier the first few months, so you’re carrying more weight around continuously. Imagine carrying a 10-25 pound weight all day. That would certainly burn more calories than not carrying it. When you lose weight, you don’t require as many calories for maintenance. You either have to build more muscles to boost your metabolism, eat less or be more active. The fitter you become, the harder you have to work.
Sometimes, the problem is not with the program, but how you measure success.
If you’re literally working your butt off and wearing a smaller size of pants, but the scales aren’t registering weight loss, it might be because you have more muscle tissue. Muscle tissue weighs more per cubic inch than fat tissue does. It takes a far smaller container to hold ten pounds of muscle than it does to hold ten pounds of fat, so the more muscle you have, the smaller your size of clothing and the fewer inches you’ll have around the middle. When your goal is to be thinner, you’re really accomplishing the goal by losing inches. You’re successful, but you are measuring the success wrong.
- Maybe your problem isn’t what you’re eating, but what you’re drinking. If you down several soft drinks in a day, you’re consuming loads of calories. A large cola from a fast food restaurant has three hundred calories. One or two a day can destroy your weight loss program.
- Don’t weigh yourself several times a day. Sometimes, water weight varies and that can make you feel like a failure. Fluctuations in weight are temporary. Weighing once a week will give a truer picture.
- Get adequate sleep. Lack of sleep can increase the hunger hormone and suppress the satiety hormone, making you hungry all the time and not for necessary foods, but sugary treats.
- No matter what weight you are, love yourself. You’re a unique individual and should be your own best friend. Hating yourself can make you feel less worthy. Remember, you aren’t your weight. Losing it is just a way to be healthier and take care of yourself.