DIET CHAT USA

Plateau and Weight Loss

Has your weight loss hit the wall? It’s hard to comprehend that you’re on a weight loss program and the pounds are falling off and then—Boom!—suddenly the scales won’t budge? Almost everyone has hit this weight loss plateau at some point in their diet and fitness lives. The reason this happens is our body works diligently to keep our energy intake and our energy output in balance. In other words, our body does not like to lose weight and is working against us. That’s why when you start a weight loss program you initially lose weight and then your progress begins to slow down, until it eventually stops and you’re stuck at a plateau. Several problems can cause this.

1. Lowering your food intake too much. This causes your body to respond by lowering your metabolic rate to adjust. It takes calories to burn calories, so lower your calorie intake per day by no more than 500 – 700 calories. You can also vary your calorie intake on a daily basis, while maintaining the same weekly calories consumed. For instance you may have 1500 calories on the first day, 1200 calories the next day, 1300 calories the next and so on.

To calculate the calories you need per day use the following calculations:

·         Men
kg (body weight) x 24 = kcal/day

·         Women
kg (body weight) x 23 = kcal/day

You can also mix up your diet. If you’re eating three square meals a day, cut down the portion size of the meals and add snacks a few days a week. Also, mix up what you eat. If you normally have a carb snack, try having a protein snack instead.

2. Loss of lean muscle mass. Muscle uses 5-times the calories as fat, so if you’re losing muscle then you’re slowing down your metabolism. To solve this make sure you’re getting enough protein in your diet and your body is fully nourished.

3. Exercise adaptation: When you initially start an exercise program and your body burns tons of calories while adapting to the new work load. But, after a while, your body will adjust to the new workload and you will stop burning as many calories for the same exercise. The solution to this problem is don’t let your body get used to your exercise regimen.  Mix it up a bit. So, if you’re walking a lot, try swimming, jogging, dance class or some other activity. Change the intensity, duration and mode of the exercises you do. Also, try strength training. It increases your bone strength, lean muscle mass and ultimately boosts your metabolic rate.

4. Weight Loss: Yes, this can be a problem, too. As you lose weight your body does not have to work as hard to perform normal daily functions—which means you burn less calories doing the same things you did when you were heavier. The solution is doing some form of muscle building training to increase the body’s lean mass which will speed up your metabolism. Also, recalculate your daily calorie requirements, because as you lose weight your calorie requirements decrease.