When you're trying to lose weight and you hit a plateau, all is not lost. First off, you are not gaining weight and there are a few things you can do to get back into action. For fitness ideas to help you continue on your weight loss journey read: Part One: Moving Past the Weight Loss Plateau – Fitness. For ideas having to do with your diet read on!
I think a two-pronged approach is the best way to get the scale to budge again. Here are a few food things that might help you out.
- Increase the amount of vegetables and fruits in your eating plan. Many dieters decrease daily calories but manage to not eat a healthy diet. Focusing on eating healthy might make a difference.
- If you eat a lot of low fat food and carbs, try to eat healthy fats and lean proteins. You need to vary your diet the way you vary your exercise routine. Also, eating protein at every meal can help you stay fuller for longer.
- Cycle your calories. Maintain the same caloric intake over the week, but eat 100 calories more one day, followed by 100 calories less the next day. Some folks call this the "zig zag" method.
- Alter your eating habits. Replace three meals a day with six small meals, keeping the daily caloric intake virtually the same.
If it sounds like you are trying to confuse your body, well . . . you are. By changing up your routine you might break your boredom with your workouts and your meal plans.
Remember: 3500 less calories a week equals 1 pound of weight lost (and you want that to be fat not lean muscle). Vary your caloric intake and/or vary your exercise plan, just make sure you are sticking to your ultimate caloric intake versus energy spent goal. You should never, ever eat less than 1200 calories a day!
By Malene Birger
Velvet
Marc by Marc Jacobs
I think I eat quite heathly!
1Low-fat foods just make you hungrier sooner. It may seem backwards, but eating the "regular" version of a food will fill you up more! Then you won't find yourself craving something else in an hour.
2I eat a lot of low fat products, but it's not like Junk, it's like fat free cottage cheese, low fat milk etc. I agree that sometimes the low fat Snacky type foods most the time just don't Cut it.
3I've been changing up my meals this week. Normally I eat pretty regularly through the day, hit the gym then a decent to big dinner. The last couple days I've been eating more durig the day and lighter dinners. Seems too be working. I finally broke the 163 mark!
These are excellent tips and so very true! Eating more veggies and fruits (and lean protein!) does make a difference, you'd be surprised about just the little changes in your diet that can make a difference. Also that "zig zag" method, I didn't know there was a common word for it
4I cannot wait until I finish school because that way I can get on a 6-meal-a-day eating plan again! I had more energy and ate better food when I ate 6 meals a day.
5I don't know whether I would want to eat 6 small meals. I can spend the day having the regular 3 meals and sometimes I don't even need 2 snacks, but one and I don't feel hungry. I think I might end up eating too much if I tried 6 meals even if the meals are small.
6Hit a plateau? Don't eat after 6pm and add an extra evening run/walk. Guarantee that will nudge you in the right direction.
7I'm a big believer in calorie cycling. I've just started doing it again to get off a plateau. If you go to www.freedieting.com you can use their calorie calculator to see how many calories you need to eat to maintain and to lose weight, and they have a link you can click for a zig zag cycle.
8Actually, the 3500 calories per pound is OLD research and not accurate. My friend actually did the study. Check out an article based on his work here: http://www.articlesbase.com/weight-loss-articles/3500-calories-to-lose-a...
Fitsugar - I can give you more info if ya want.
9Good tips!!
10interesting article sarlafrock!
11I do the whole calorie-cycling thing and it really works. I also found that in the past when I've gained weight, it's because my portions are creeping up. So if I start measuring my portions again, I usually rein in the weight gain.
12Sarlaflock, great, GREAT article! I always wondered about how that whole 3500 calorie thing really could be true for every person, when as we all know everyone is different.
13Does that zig zag method really work?
14Nice article
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