Hit a Weight Loss Plateau ?

You've started well, you've cut down on the naughty foods that wont help with weight loss and you've lost some weight, now all of a sudden you are not seeing those scales moving.

have you considered you are at the weight that your body should be at (I know sometimes this will be higher than what we ourselves want but our bodies know whats best for us)
have you cut your calories down to the point that your metabolism has slowed down to conserve the muscle and fat stores?

here are a few ideas that might help you get through the plateau.

1. Adjust your Calorie intake - did you know that your metabolism can slow down as you lose weight?
you might need to adjust your calorie intake again to match what your body needs to have. Fitnesspal is a great place to do this as it re-evaluates your calorie intake every 10lbs or so.  - definitely something to be aware of.

2. Quality of the food - cut the processed foods, these are not your friend now, you need healthy wholesome foods filled with super nutrients from vegetables, and good meat. foods high in fiber and lean protein are needed to fuel your body to burn fat.

3. Change up your Routine - Muscles can become familiar with the workouts that they are going through, so sometimes shaking this up if you have been doing the same thing for months on end will help to encourage your body to push through the plateau.  Try something more intense, (HIIT workouts are great for this) but be careful not to do too much to soon as this will cause an injury.

4. Do you graze? or Nibble? - Are you guilty of these faux-pas?  these 'little' nibbles do add up when you count your calories  (and you cant outrun them) resist the urge to graze and pick. if you do - make sure you add them to your food journal/calorie counter so you know where those extra pounds are coming from

5.SLEEP!!!!! - sleep is very important for weightloss, it enables the hormones to kind of reset themselves.  So if you arent getting enough, this could be where your plateau has come from.  Did you know that increased cortisol levels can lead to the accumulation of body fat around the midsection.

6. FLUIDS!!!!! - this is something that I do push (#thristythursday on my group) your body will crave food when you are dehydrated (even just slightly). dehydration and hunger symptoms are so similar its easy to get them mixed up.  so you feel hungry? drink some fluids. when you are training aim for at least 3 liters of water a day.  2.5 if you are having a rest day.

7.Eat more protein - eating protein burns more calories when it is being digested. protein contains moelcuels that have been tested and shown that they are a potent catalyst for burning body fat.

8. Up your weights - do you want to burn more calories at rest? increase your weights.  complete a weight-training program to increase your muscle mass.  the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, the more fat you lose.

If you follow these things you'll soon be dropping those pounds.

I hit a plateau recently and I re-jigged my food and I started to lose weight again.  I also added in a new challenge and i think that helped too.

Its November 1st
53 days,
54 sleeps,
7.63 weeks,
3.81 fortnights,
1.78 months
or
8 mondays
8 tuesdays
8 wednesdays
8 thursdays
7 fridays
7 saturdays
7 sundays .... 7 weekends!!!
till CHRISTMAS

if you are stuck in that plateau and want to hit targets by christmas it's time for a rethink.
you CAN do it! you are amazing because .. you started this journey and you are going to finish it, I am going to help you.  Keep in mind your goals.
make a list of them,
write them on a post it and stick them on the fridge or your mirror (or both) keep coming back to them and see how you are doing.

my November Goals -
finish Ashy Bines Ab Challenge and Booty challenge, lose 6 lbs, do all my workouts and eat clean.

we all have goals, lets stick to them and smash them just in time for starting the Christmas rush :)