4 Sure Fire Ways to Break a Weight Loss Plateau

 

4 sure fire ways to break your weight loss plateau in just 7 days or less! I have found that when I am constantly counting calories and restricting food groups from my daily intake, that is when I tend to fall off the wagon. We all want what we cannot have, right!? No amount of exercise can make up for a poor diet. Now, let me elaborate on this, what I mean is once you have gotten down to a goal weight or hit a plateau where you cannot budge the scale you have to start looking at what you are fueling your body with and not just at your calorie deficit at the gym. Plus, to create those long lean muscles and have energy we need to be feeding our bodies whole, natural foods.

Below are some tips and guidelines that if followed could be the solution to breaking your weight loss plateau. It will not be easy and will take some discipline, but our bodies respond quickly to small adjustments that we may never consider. So give these 4 tips a try for 7 days and see if you are able to break past the limits and push yourself further toward your goals.

1.       Allow a 12 hour window between your last meal of the day and your breakfast the following day. What does this look like? Well, if you eat your last snack or meal at 7 pm then you should not eat your breakfast until 7am. Your body does not want to go to sleep on a full stomach and needs those 12 hours to digest and burn – not what is currently in your stomach from that food you ate while walking to bed, but the stored fat, etc. You can drink as much water as you would like, but if you have your breakfast at 6 am, then after 6pm only water should be on your menu. If you do this you will wake up feeling more energized and refreshed!

2.       Switch up your MACROS! Macronutrients are the sum of the different fats, carbs, and proteins that make up your daily consumption. Now, all of us are programmed differently and our bodies will respond differently to different intake levels of each group. Track your current macro percentages and consider switching up the charts. For example, if you are more carb dense and that takes up a large percentage of your intake, consider upping your good fat intake and replacing that with the carb totals.  I saw great success when I upped my HEALTHY fat intake. It never hurts to switch things up for 7 days to see how your body responds!

3.       Limit your natural sugar intake.  Okay, I am not talking about processed sugar, because that should not be a part of your daily intake. Whole, natural, unprocessed foods are what your body needs. When I am talking about limiting your sugar intake, I am talking about natural sugar. I think that we forget that too much of a good thing can still be bad, especially if you are trying to break a weight loss plateau. Limit your natural sugar to consumption to only 2 pieces of fruit a day, or about 25-45 grams.

4.       Last, but not least switch up your exercise, if you typically do cardio then do some strength training. Throw in some plyometrics moves you have never done, go rock climbing, go roller skating, do fun outdoor activities that will switch up your daily workout regimen. This will allow you to work different muscle groups and also work your heart at a different rate then it may be used to. Have fun finding a new workout to incorporate!

Give these a try and report back or message me with your results! I bet you will be surprised!

 

What's With All This Talk About Coconuts?

Okay, is it just me or has the topic of coconuts been coming up everywhere!? Oil pulling, coconut milk, coconut butter, coconut oil and now I just discovered the mecca of it all MCT Oil.  I have heard of the benefits of adding coconut oil to my food last Summer, but this concept has really started to explode, so I wanted to sum of the common uses and benefits to this amazing 'superfood'!

So,  coconut oil can be used for many things:

1. For cooking
2. As a skin moisturizer
3. As a hair pomade
4. For oil pulling (I will talk about this a little later)
5. As a make-up remover
6. As a sweetener substitute

The benefits go on and on, but here are the major ones:

1. Maintain your SKIN/COMPLEXION
2. May promote HEALTHY BRAIN FUNCTION, in fact there was a recent study that suggests it may help with Alzheimers (Newport, Alzheimer's Disease: What if There Was a Cure?)
3. Great for supporting the THYROID
4. Great for your HEART
5. Can aid in WEIGHT LOSS and
6. Can help speed up your METABOLISM

Not to get too detailed on this, but the reason why coconut oil is so amazing is that it contains Lauric Acid and MCT's. Lauric acid is converted once in your body and can potentially destroy viruses, flu and even herpes and HIV. The MCT's assist in reducing body fat, which helps with weight loss. They also help mitigate insulin and glucose sensitivities. Which brings me to my newest discovery, MCT Oil. I purchased a bottle of this oil from my local Vitamin Cottage, it is 100% pure Medium Chain Triglycerides that are found in coconut oil. It is suggested that this oil increases your energy and lowers fat storage in the body. I have started adding a tablespoon to my Shakeology each morning to put it to the test. I will do a blog report on this in about 30 days to see if I notice a difference. The bottle I bought was around $18 and has 63 tablespoons in it, so about .29 cents a serving. Worth every penny given the potential benefits!

Now, onto a topic that makes me a little queasy to think about, but people have been raving about - Oil Pulling. Essentially what this is taking a tablespoon of coconut  oil and swishing it in your mouth for 20 minutes. Then spitting it out. If you do this everyday it is supposed to help with your breath and improve your overall oral hygiene. I have not gotten the courage to try this yet, because I am a total consistency and texture girl, so I am a little fearful. Planning on giving this a try and will report my results!

If you looking for way to incorporate coconut into your daily diet, you can purchase butters, water, milk, and oil from almost any grocery store. There are some great ways to incorporate it into your recipes, but here is one of my all time favorites it super simple and perfect for hot days in the Spring and Summer - the kids will love it too!

Coco-Berry Sorbet

Ingredients:
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
2 tbsp coconut butter
1 tbsp coconut milk













Steps:
1. Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender
2. Enjoy!

*Recipe and some info derived from BetterNutrition Magazine