If you’ve been into watching what you eat, started a training program or just started a diet, there will inevitably come a point when your progress will either slow down or grind to a halt
This can be very demotivating and can even end up with you getting frustrated and give up
Yep I know cos I’ve been there myself too
When you do hit this spot, please bear in mind that it is totally normal and it happens to pretty much everyone at some point
So what can we do about it?
Here are my 9 top tips to help you break through a weight loss plateau
1. Change what you’re doing in the gym (or start going to the gym)
If you’ve been doing the same gym routine for a while, no matter how intense, your body will get used to it eventually. So you need to keep your body guessing by following a well-structured gym program that will keep your body progressing in the right direction.
If you haven’t been going to the gym at all and you’ve been unable to lose weight, then I would definitely recommend increasing your activity levels, and gym workouts are a great place to start.
2. Adjust your meals / macros / calories
Just like your gym workouts, your body will get used to the same foods and the same macronutrient and calorie levels eventually. That is why I always encourage my clients to vary the types of meals they have every day and also for the more advanced clients, adjust the macronutrient levels or calories levels on a daily basis through approaches like carb cycling (this varies the levels of carbs you eat based around when you workout)
3. Eat more protein
I’m a big fan of eating adequate levels of protein every day especially in women.
I’m yet to see a female client who is struggling to lose weight who eats too much protein.
Protein is crucial to support your bodies organs like the liver, and this is really important when it comes to fat loss.
Not eating enough protein means that you are not giving your body the building blocks to repair muscles from exercise, remove toxins and increase metabolism.
100g of protein per day is a good benchmark to target for most ladies.
4. Lift heavier weights
There is a big stigma attached to weight training in women that you will become big and bulky as soon as you start lifting weights. This is just not true at all.
Lifting weights in the correct way increases strength, muscle tone, core strength, build curves in all the right places and will also increase your metabolism.
If you eat the right diet for you and lift heavier weights than you are used to then if very difficult not to lose body fat!
5. Track what you eat, including snacks!
This is a big reason why we don’t make the progress we hope to. However disciplined you are with your diet, if you don’t track or record what you’re eating then it is very easy to go over a calorie target
Also by tracking what you eat you can review if over time and see when you have had some good weight loss progress what you were eating over that time, because it is very easy to forget after a few days what we’ve been eating.
6. Drink more water
Same as the protein, very few new clients are drinking enough water and this can be a big reason why you’re struggling to shift the weight. Being dehydrated can really hold your body back from burning the fat that you want to.
Plus feeling dehydrated can often be confused with feeling hungry, so if you are on a diet but always feeling hungry then make sure you are drinking enough water and that should help with the hunger.
7. (If possible) get more / better quality sleep
Improving your sleep can be a game changer when you want to lose weight.
Sleep deprivation can increase the stress hormone cortisol which has been shown to increase fat storage.
From personal experience I know if can be tough to get more sleep, especially when you have young children, but even if you can get 30 mins more sleep every night for 1 week, you will notice a big difference in your energy levels, ability to train hard in the gym.
8. Eat better quality food
Don’t worry I’m not about to suggest that you need to buy everything organic from the supermarket,
BUT – what I am going to say is this.
EAT
REAL
FOOD
The better quality the food you eat, the more nutrients your body can absorb and use
For example, if you are looking to eat some protein, your body will get more nutrients from a lean piece of meat or fish, than a processed chicken nugget or a fish finger.
Also make sure you eat lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, rather than tinned or processed options. Your body will thank you for it!
9. Don’t be too hard on yourself
When you hit a weight loss plateau it can be really easy to start to feel down and disappointed.
But just don’t go there, always make sure that you look back to see how much progress you’ve already made.
Just doing this will help you re-focus and if you follow steps 1-8 then you will kick start your progress again for sure!
If you feel you need some extra help or support n achieving your goals then fill in the form below and one of our expert coaches will be in touch to map out a personal plan to get you on track