How to break the second weight loss plateau
Hi..I am 5’2″ female. Have been on a diet n have been exercising for almost 6 months now. I lost 14 KGS during this time and now weigh 70 KGS. I eat around 1200-1300 calories and work out 6 days a week (3 days cardio and 3 days weight training) for45-60 mins. I had plateaued some time back, so I cut calories further and moved to intervals in my cardio sessions. I lost another 3 KGS after that but I have stagnated again..if I cut calories further I’ll go below 1200. I am already doing intervals in cardio. My weight training sessions are also intense. I have a trainer with whom I do squats, dead lifts, lunges/leg press, bench press etc. I have whey protein twice everyday. What more can I do to break the weight loss plateau… i’m stuck.. please help
No need of reducing the amount of food of your daily intake but it is necessary to alter the quality of the same. Instead of depriving herself of food, Snooki advocates the habit of consuming nutrient laden foodstuffs at mealtimes for 5 times in a day. Dividing large food portions into smaller ones does the trick for the professional wrestler.
I second yhe refeed option. You may also want to start slowly working your calories back up to a higher number via reverse dieting to avoid fat gain in the process. If you juat jump your calories straight from where they are at, you risk gaining fat back and losing some of your progress. However, it sounds like you have been dieting long enough to slow your metabolism down quite a bit, and may benefit from a slow reverse diet so that you can build your caloric maintenance back up, and then begin cutting calories from a revised higher calorie intake at a later date.
Keep on mind that for the general population, its best to not go more than 3-4 months in a caloric defecit before temporaruly returning to maintenance to allow your body a break and avoid too much metabolic stress.
I would also keep your trainer in the loop with what you are doing, so that their plans for you will align with what you are doing on your own and you will be able to reach your goals in an efficient and effective manner!
Hope this was helpful!
-Kiana
I would reassess the entire program up to this point. Double check that everything is being adhered to and evaluate options for continuing.
Sometimes the small things have fallen off the program. Or something is no longer being kept in focus.
But continuing to be mindful and working to stick with your program is the best way to eventually move ahead. In weight loss or any aspect of fitness.
A couple of things to try:
1) Increase cardio to 250 minutes per week. I have found this to be the optimal level for my female weight loss clients.
2) As mentioned previously by a few other posters, I would regularly check your body fat, you could be building muscle at a good rate which will be reflected on the scale. If you think you are building too much muscle, cut back on the weight load and increase repetitions.
3) Limiting alcohol can help a bit as well. I generally limit my clients to 4 drinks per week.
4) Refined carbohydrate can have a negative impact on weight independent of total calories. Eliminate sugar and try to substitute fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains like brown rice and quinoa for bread, pasta and white rice.
5)The research is really starting to show the importance of sleep when it comes to losing weight. With inadequate sleep, leptin levels drop and ghrelin levels increase. These hormones impact metabolism and hunger. Shoot for 7 hours per night.
6)Drinking water has been shown in the research literature to enhance weight loss. Shoot for 8 glasses a day.
7) While this is more anecdotal and not based on research per se, I have found that eliminating eating after 8 PM really gets the scale moving for my clients.
Best of luck!
Tom Halton
Hello Pragati Vajpayee,
Congratulations and good job on taking care of yourself.
I am also thinking you will benefit from meeting with a registered dietitian to find the best result and what you may be lacking or not. Also, are you getting enough deep sleep on a daily basis? Our bodies heal and regenerate during proper rest which is another piece of the puzzle. How much stress are you dealing with? Don’t add to the stress by worrying over a number on the scale; the ultimate goal is good health.
Take care,
Natalie aka NAPS 2 B Fit.