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Every slimming sooner or later faces a period of stagnation in the results when the weight ceases to decline, despite the limited diet and exercises. This is called the plateau or diet plateau.
Let’s understand, why there is a plateau how to overcome it and that in any case not to do during a plateau?
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Why do I get plateau?
The process of losing weight is never uniform. The most significant results and the weights achieved in the first 2-3 weeks of a diet or active sports. First, you lose excess fluid by reducing the consumption of sugar and salt. Second, in the first place takes a fresh fat you managed to gain recently. He hasn’t had a good foothold, and therefore the body says goodbye to him very easily.
Then, the results begin to decline, and sooner or later there comes a time when the weight rises, and the volume is no longer reduced. This is due to the habituation of the body to your new way of life. It adapts to the prevailing conditions and no longer take extra fat, which can still be useful on a rainy day. You continue to exercise and eat a deficit of calories, but no longer losing weight. Your body metabolism has adapted to the new conditions and just in standby mode, you are unlikely to get him to change his tactics.
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You’d be surprised, but the effect of the plateau is a good thing. For your body is a kind of point where your weight is fixed and stabiliziruemost. This will help you not gain extra pounds again, because during a plateau your body is successfully getting used to his new weight. Such a plateau during weight loss can be several. It’s not only fine, but effective process of getting rid of excess weight.
However, the plateau period can last 3-4 weeks, and can reach a couple of months. But without tangible results during this time, you can lose the motivation to break away from the diet and quit training. Therefore, it is better to think about how to overcome the plateau to continue to get rid of extra pounds.
If your weight and volume for 1.5-2 months kept at the same place, while you continue to eat healthy and do fitness, then it’s time to energize the body and help him to overcome the plateau effect. Please note that if your weight is worth, and the volumes continue to decrease, it is not a plateau! This means that you continue to lose weight and no additional action is required. In the process of losing weight always be guided by changes in volume, not weight.
10 ways how to overcome plateau during weight loss
It is worth noting that one way to overcome a plateau when losing weight do not exist. Probably you will have to experiment and try out different methods to move the weight from a dead point. Be sure to listen to your body: what worked one person, may not work in others.
1. Arrange “zagorny” day
Knock your body out of the rut and overcome a plateau will help small “Zagor”. Treat yourself to a cheat day, exceeding the daily caloric 400-500 calories (about 25% of daily calories). It will be a kind of signal to the body that nobody is going to keep him in the “iron fist”, so to save fat is not necessarily. But, of course, do not rush to heavy and junk food, otherwise you stomach will not thank you.
2. Arrange a fasting day
You can go the opposite way to overcome the plateau effect and to arrange a fasting day. Fasting day involves light meals throughout the day with a total calorific value of 1000-1200 calories. The next day, go back to your usual diet. Attention! Practice fasting days, but only if you do not have problems with the gastrointestinal tract.
You can practise and unloading and loading days, but not more often than once a week. Don’t abuse these methods, it is still stress to the body.
3. Change exercise
Another way of overcoming the plateau — this change of routine workouts. Try to include in your fitness plan, new workout or even a new kind of stress. For example, did you do regular cardio workouts, and now do step aerobics, kickboxing or dancing. Or if you prefer the gym, go to work with free weights.
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4. Include in the lesson activity outdoors
Even a regular workout in a gym will not replace activity in the fresh air, which is natural to the human body. In the summer it can be swimming and Jogging, in winter – skating and skiing, in spring and autumn Biking and long walks. With the variety of sport, perhaps you do not encounter the plateau effect.
FITNESS BRACELETS for daily activity
5. Experiment with food after a workout
Another way to overcome a plateau is to change the diet after a workout. It can be as the composition of products and their use. We already wrote about nutrition before and after training, but, as you know, there is no single recipe. The best option for themselves sometimes it is possible to select only by experiments.
Nutrition before and after exercise
6. Arrange food “swing”
Let’s say your daily allowance is 1800 calories. Try to arrange the swing, occasionally going beyond the numbers in the range of 200-250 kcal, and in the plus, minus. Relatively speaking, on Monday you eat 1600 calories Tuesday – 2000 calories, in Wednesday – 1800 calories. This method of overcoming the plateau effect is similar to the loading and unloading days, but he is not as radical in nature.
7. Change the meals
Analyze your nutrition throughout the day and try to change the usual meals. For example, add to my schedule lunch, afternoon snack or second dinner. Or adjust the time of Breakfast, lunch or dinner. The most important thing – to change the usual routine, which also was the cause of the plateau.
Menu nutrition
8. Change a core set of products
Most people adapt to roughly the same set of products, which varies only in rare holidays. Diet is the most opportune time when you can experiment with recipes and discover new products.
9. Add high intensity exercise
One of the most effective ways to overcome plateau are HIIT – high intensity interval training. Most modern home programs just built on the principle of HIIT. For example, note the workout system TABATA or crossfit.
TABATA workout from Monica Kolakowski
10. To visit the bath or sauna
If changes in training and nutrition helped to overcome a plateau, try to approach this problem from the other side. It is well known that bath and sauna do not help in getting rid of excess fat, but heat treatments increase the body’s need for oxygen and nutrients. As a result, accelerates the metabolism and increases calorie consumption.
What not to do during a plateau when losing weight:
1. To go on a strict diet
You may notice a short-term effect in weight loss, but soon plateau again, and infinitely to reduce the daily calorie just will not work.
2. To be mad at me
If every morning you’ll be running to the scales and upset over the numbers, it is unlikely that you will achieve your desired result. In a bad mood and discouragement only encourages ice dams and sugar cravings.
3. Throw to lose weight because of the “failure”
Think of a plateau as another stage of the weight loss and not as a lack of results. Remember that during this period, your body actually remembers your new weight. Do not chase short-term pitches, the most important thing in losing weight is a stable and long-term results.
As you can see, the plateau in weight loss is not always a negative process. But if he was delayed and affects your motivation, try to use the above mentioned ways to overcome plateaus and to reduce weight.
See also:
- 10 reasons why can increase weight for weight loss
- How to remove side: 20 main rules + 20 best exercises