We’ve all been there, right? You’re focusing on fitness and eating well and are seeing progress, then boom! You hit a point where the progress seems to lull, even when you haven’t done anything different. It’s frustrating and confusing, but weight loss plateaus are actually very common. Here are 6 ways to shake it up and get over the hump:
Explore food
There are SO many food categories to explore these days. Plus, losing weight is 80% about diet. If you’re maxed out on grilled chicken as a protein source, experiment with vegan and plant-based options. Love & Lemons is a site I find myself on whenever I need to switch things up in a healthy way. I try to make at least one new nutritious meal a week.
Ignore the scale
So often we get hung up on a number from the scale, but let’s completely set that aside for a second. Instead, take a minute to think about how you feel. Put on a pair of jeans that were maybe a little snug before you started your weight loss journey—how do they feel now? More importantly—how do you feel when you wear them? And besides, the whole muscles-weighs-more thing can totally throw your number off. Use your clothes as the indicator instead.
Mix up your routine
A lot of fitness and health professionals say you won’t continue to see results if you’re doing the same workout every day. If you’ve been killing it at CrossFit, change it up and take a yoga class. If you are a cardio girl, add in strength training to build muscle mass—which then burns fat and keeps your metabolism moving.
Encourage movement
Now that it’s lighter out later, ask your significant other or roommate to do a post-dinner walk. Or see how many times you can walk around the block on your conference call. Think about biking to your local coffee shop instead of jumping in your car on autopilot. Finding pockets of movement throughout the day will definitely lead to a difference in how you look and feel.
Follow inspiration
Everyone has bad days when it seems like their goals are out of reach. To pull yourself out of that funk and relight the fire, search for inspiration on social media. What good is Instagram if you can’t find some inspiring health and fitness accounts to follow anyways? Remi and Lauren (who is pregnant and STILL in great shape) are two women I constantly stalk to find recipes, workouts, and general healthy-life content.
Take a break
When you obsess over something, it tends to feel like you’re not making any progress. As hard as it may be, try to mentally remove yourself from the weight loss realm for a minute. Take a weekend trip with your girls (don’t spend the trip talking about exercise or your waistline) and hit the refresh button. Once you’re back, you’ll be re-motivated to keep pushing forward.
Lily Calfee Says
I love these tips. In a past life, I was a nutrition consultant, helping women lose weight. I rehashed my practice five years ago to focus on self-love and creative expression because I realized that my clients with a steady creative practice did better than those who just tried to “will-power” their way to healthy eating.
Try this out: if you feel like “cheating” or binging (or purging, for that matter) dive into your favorite creative outlet for just a second. Sit down and write a few lines of poetry, or do a row of knitting, or take a few candid portraits on the street. Creativity works like a spark, reigniting your true desires and washing away the momentary urge to treat yourself poorly.
Katherine McDermott Says
Love all these tips, too! I also think sometimes we are too generous with ourselves – I know a lot of the time, I don’t realize how much tiny little snacks add up through the day. Being really mindful every time you eat is super important for my weight loss.
Audrey Says
This is really helpful! I completely agree about ditching the scale, it helps much more with intuitive eating.
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Maddison Preston Says
Eating should not be a pain in the ass. We should actually embrace it and partner it with exercise to be more effective. Food is actually 70% that composes the body, so when we want to lose weight is not just more on exercise but also we need a balanced diet and also have a healthy lifestyle
Donna D. Shaffer Says
I would strongly advise cycling. No diet will help. Plus, it brings pleasure if you buy a real pumped mountain bike is great, picking up on the wishes on https://bikesist.com/best-full-suspension-mountain-bikes/. You do not starve yourself and feel thrilled by the fresh air and even with headphones in your ears. Definitely a bike ride. You can even set goals and obstacles