fbpx

Plateauing is inevitable, but there are steps to beat it.

Remember when you started working out and how your body reacted. First, you had muscle soreness and fatigue, but after a couple months you saw your body composition change.

It’s a great feeling seeing the results.

But eventually the results will stop if you continually put the same amount of physical stress on your body.

Why?

Your body “gets used to it.”

When you feel you are not getting the best results from your workout, or you don’t see the numbers change in the direction you want them to — follow the guidelines below.

4 Steps to Overcome A Weight Loss Plateau

These suggestions will help you overcome the plateau and see more results:

  1. Add more daily physical activity
  2. Pay attention to your eating habits
  3. Progress your strength training routine
  4. Work with a coach to evaluate the next best steps

These are the basics. Let’s consider why.

1. Incorporating more movement will increase your caloric deficit. The bigger the deficit the more weight you’ll lose. Little things like taking walking breaks, parking further away from the entrance while running errands, or taking the stairs adds up. Look for the simple ways to move.

2. Overeating is the most common reason to plateau. As you lose weight, your Basal Metabolic Rate will decrease. This is the number of calories your body requires to live and breathe. This happens because you’re losing weight. This weight required calories. To account for this and stay in a caloric deficit, you need to gradually decrease the number of calories you eat. This may require paying closer attention to what and how much you eat.

3. By progressively increasing the difficulty of your workout routine, you are telling your body to adapt and change to overcome the new challenge. There are a couple ways to do this. You can lift heavier, do more repetitions, add an extra set, increase the exercise range of motion, or even add an extra workout to your week. These progressive changes will help you build more muscle and reduce your body fat percentage. Since these change also take more work and all work uses calories, you’ll increase your caloric deficit and lose more weight.

4. There may be nuanced reasons you aren’t losing weight. Sometimes these are reasons you aren’t seeing and others times you recognize them but are struggling to overcome them. If this is you, working with a professional may prove to be beneficial. Working with a coach will provide the accountability, support and guidance you need to start taking the right actions to reach your goals.

When you plateau, do not get discouraged. It happens to everyone!

Plateauing is your body’s way of saying I’m ready to take on harder challenges. There are many changes you can make to overcome a plateau and surpass the goals you set for yourself.

Make the right changes and results are bound to happen.

Ready to create a sustainable lifestyle and

build the body you want?

David Minishian, MPH

David Minishian, MPH

Fitness and Nutrition Coach

David is the owner and coach at Sculpt Fitness in Long Beach, CA. The mission he has started at Sculpt is to educate, equip, and empower the local community to make the best decisions for their health. He has been coaching exercise and nutrition for over 10 years, helping clients create sustainable lifestyle to build the body they want. When he's not training, coaching or cooking, David is on an adventure with his wife and daughter or teeing up his next shot on a golf course.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share This

Share this post with your friends!