The past several months, you’ve been working hard to lose weight and live a healthier life. To your delight, the number on the scale has dropped after making these lifestyle modifications. However, soon you find that your weight loss is at a standstill. You can’t think of anything you’ve been doing differently since losing weight. Your exercise and food intake seems to be the same as during the weeks you were losing weight. Are you starting to feel as if you want to throw in the towel and give up on all of your goals?
You are not alone. Weight-loss plateaus are very common as you begin dropping weight. Your body tends to reach a point where it becomes content with remaining at the same level. However, there is certainly hope in overcoming these plateaus.
One of the first things you can do to get moving on your weight loss journey is to reevaluate your calorie intake. Now that you have lost weight, your body doesn’t need as much energy as it did at your prior weight.
So how can you determine how much your body needs?
A helpful tool you can use is the USDA’s SuperTracker. Visit the website www.supertracker.usda.gov. You will need to create a profile where you will enter the information below.
Your height, weight, and activity level will help determine the amount of calories you need on a daily basis. Remember that calories in=calories out! In other words, in order to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you are consuming. Therefore, you need to either increase your activity or decrease the calories you eat. Another good tracker is www.myfitnesspal.com.
Another suggestion is to change up your exercise. Do you normally walk 3 miles four days each week? Try bumping the miles up to 3 ½ miles and exercising 5 days each week. Continue to work your way up. After a certain period of time, your body starts to adapt to the amount and kind of exercise you are engaging in. Just like your diet, perhaps it is time to reexamine your exercise routine as well. Never get bored with your routine! There are plenty of ways to change your exercise routine and keep things interesting. Focus on staying active throughout your days as well. If you tend to exercise and then are idle the rest of the day, consider becoming more active in other ways. If you are watching your favorite television show, get up and do something during the commercial breaks. Little modifications like this may help impact your weight loss. If you always do cardio, you may also consider adding some weight resistance to your workouts by using a balance ball, resistance bands, or light weights…you may also consider trying pilates or yoga as strengthening exercises. The resistance training will help build more lean muscle mass which will help increase your metabolism and aid in weight loss.
Finally, be patient with your body. More than likely, your body gained weight slowly over time. Likewise, it is going to take time to lose weight as well. Overall, you will be more successful with keeping your weight off if you lose it gradually over time. If you are experiencing a weight-loss plateau, do not be discouraged. Keep a positive attitude and remember that you were able to lose weight before and by making some modifications again, you can continue moving towards your goals.
-Amanda Lambrechts, SDSU Senior Dietetic Student
