Have You Hit A Plateau?

Have you hit a "plateau"? Don't get discouraged! This is normal and common to have an amount of time where your weight loss slows down. Consuming fewer calories will cause your metabolism to slow down to conserve them. Weight loss plateaus can sometimes last several weeks. Your body has been changing and now it's preserving but don't get discouraged and stick with your workouts and healthy eating. You will begin to see weight loss again. If you want to force the plateau to end sooner, there are things to take into consideration if you want begin losing more weight.

Tracking Your Daily Calories When you first began losing weight you were changing your exercise routine and eating habits. This was all new to your body. Letting go of soda and processed food will allow immediate weight loss. So any drastic changes you made forced your body to react. You're body is now on the right track. It's time to pay attention to the details. Are you creating a calorie deficit? How many calories are you consuming and how many are you burning? To lose weight you will have to have a deficit. If you feel like you are unsure then the only way to know is to count calories. When we journal what we are eating it keeps us on track. We tend to take in more calories when we don't keep a food journal. This will also help you keep your sugar, fiber, protein, fat and carbs all in check too. If you're complaining about not losing weight but don't know how many calories you eat then that could be your problem.
Changing Your Workout Routine If you still have weight to lose and you are keeping a food journal every day, you may need to change your workout routine. Your body becomes accustom to the same routine day in and day out. You don't have to increase the length of your workout, just change it. To keep your body guessing and on its toes I suggest changing your workout routine every 3-4 weeks. The more you do the same exercise, the less challenging it becomes and as a result, less effective. Don't use the same exercise every time to work a particular muscle. Use different methods to strengthen your body. Shock the muscle! Don't give it what it expects.
Do You Really Have Weight To Lose? Trying to lose 5 to 10 pounds is not the same as trying to lose 50 to 100 pounds. There's nothing wrong with wanting to look better and wanting to lose a small amount of weight, but when you have a smaller amount of weight to lose, it's a little harder and takes a little more time. My advice is to make sure you are not skipping meals. Eating less can actually make your body hold onto weight. If you are not getting enough calories, your body will hold onto any food you put in your body and store it because it knows it won't be getting a lot more. Never allow your daily calorie allowance to fall below 1,200 if you are a woman and 1,500 if you are a man. Falling below these numbers can do real damage to your metabolism and result in excessive loss of lean muscle tissue.
How Are Your Hormones?
If you have tried all of these options and you are still holding on to extra weight, it's time to think about possible hormone imbalance. There are certain foods that can heal our bodies and balance out our hormones. The health of your digestive system and the health of your hormones have a lot in common. You are only as healthy as the food that you can digest. The major role of the digestive system is to break down food and to provide the body with nutrients. If the gut is damaged it doesn’t matter how good your food is or how many supplements you take, your gut will not be able to deliver those nutrients to the rest of the body.
Here are just a few symptoms from a digestive system isn’t working correctly.
Bloating, belching, burning, flatulence after meals
A sense of never full binge eating
A sense of bloating or fullness after eating
Indigestion, diarrhea, constipation
Allergy reactions after eating
Itchy skin, ears, rectum
Weak or cracked finger nails
Skin irritations such as perioral dermititis, acne, rosacea
Iron deficiency
Chronic yeast infections
Fatigue
Loss of menstrual cycle
See a local functioning nutritionist to help you learn how to get your gut healthy. For the Greenville, SC area, I recommend Chris DeHollander.
Small Changes, One Day At A Time!
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
