Bursting Through Plateaus

by Lauren Condell
Certified Personal Trainer

 

“I’ve hit a plateau. Why is this and what can I do to keep losing weight?”
I hear this question from almost every new client. And I know from experience – plateaus can be frustrating. But the good news is, with just few modifications to your program, I can have you moving toward your goal in no time!

What is plateau?
A plateau is the body’s way to adapt to a new stress. When we’re trying to lose weight, stress comes from adding exercise and reducing calories in your diet. This forces the body to rely on burning deposits of stored fat. The body, however, does not like to lose weight (imagine that!) and always works to keep caloric intake and expenditure in balance. In an effort to combat initial weight loss, the body devises ways to live on your new lower calorie diet. Due to this regulatory mechanism, initial fat loss will slow until the body reaches a new ‘state of balance’ and fat loss ceases.

What causes plateaus and what can I do to keep losing weight?
The following are some of the main reasons we plateau along with solutions for each:

Lowering calories too far
Remember that it takes calories to burn calories. It’s hard to believe, but starving yourself can actually make long-term fat loss more difficult. Be sure to keep your daily caloric deficit (calories in vs. calories out) at no more than 500-700 calories.

Loss of lean body mass
Muscle burns fat. In fact, one pound of muscle burns approximately three times as many calories as one pound of fat. If your body is not getting enough energy to burn, it’ll start burning muscle, which limits your body’s ability to burn fat. A proper formula for fat burning includes both cardio and weight-training combined with a well-nourished body to keep your furnace burning.

Net weight loss
The less you weigh the fewer calories your body needs to burn to move. By increasing muscle, you increase your body’s ability to burn more calories. Step up your weight-training program with a few new exercises.

Body adapts to exercise
To keep your body on its toes, you’ll need to mix up your exercise plan once in a while by tweaking the intensity, frequency, and pace with which you workout. If you’ve hit a plateau and are primarily doing your cardio on a treadmill, switch to an elliptical trainer or a stairmill.

The better shape you’re in, the more efficient your body becomes at burning calories. By making systematic changes to your workout program at regular intervals, you may avoid plateaus all together.