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!

 

P90X3 Week 7 Progress - Shout Out to the Mama's!

I wanted to dedicate an entire post to my challengers that are moms. Why? Because being involved in a workout and clean eating program requires prep work and dedication - when you add a child and family into the mix, you are taking the challenge to a whole other level!

One of my challengers has 3 children, one of which is under 2 years old. She is working and managing a business full time along with cooking, cleaning, being a wife and mother. She has found 30 minutes a day to dedicate to exercise and found meals that accommodate the entire family as well. Once she started cooking clean meals she realized how much her children are open to eating different vegetables she was not aware of. Also, her kids love watching the dvds and mimicking Tony Horton. She has really done a great job of working this into her lifestyle and it shows in her results!

Another challenger has a young son - 3 years old, her and her husband are doing the program together - and even workout together sometimes. She told me her 3 year old will hop in and goof around too because he likes to workout with them. She also works full time, but has made this program work with her lifestyle. She was spending money monthly on a gym membership she didn't use, now she is working out at home and gets to spend more time with her family. When you make fitness a family event, you have an accountability partner at home, and this can really motivate and drive you toward success. When one person at home is on board and the other is not, sometimes their eating habits or what they bring into the house can sabotage you.


Now onto their results and victories so far.......

One challenger is 38 years old, she has been doing the program for 6 weeks total. She has been engaged in the group and always follows up on at least a weekly basis. She even took a small vacation and actually packed and planned clean meals for herself and her family, talk about dedication! Here are her results so far - she still has 6 weeks to go and is doing an amazing job!

7 POUNDS LOST

6 3/4 INCHES LOST 

Non-scale victories: She see's strength and muscle definition in her legs and arms. She has seen her confidence come back in areas she has not seen for a few years and her general attitude and mood is better.


My other challenger is 27 years old she is a sweet, fiery :) Brazilian who is an excellent cook, but had to ween herself off of the carbs and rice she was used to eating as the staple of most of her meals. She was small to begin with, but wanted to get healthier. She is 7 weeks into the program, here are her results:

5.4 POUNDS LOST

2 INCHES LOST OFF HER BELLY

Non-scale victories: She said her clothes are fitting better and that she is finally understanding the lifestyle. She is enjoying working out with her husband and hopes to motivate others in her family to do the same.

Fitness can truly be a fun family routine and it teaches your children the importance of nutrition at an early age, something I was not fortunate enough to learn when I was younger. I lived off of Totino's Pizza's and loved the Fun Pack frozen meals. The food I ate was not even real food, it was made of processed, fake ingredients. The turn toward healthy eating with your family was not something prevalent when I was growing up, so it is really encouraging to hear when challengers are incorporating this into their home. The healthy movement for your children's generation starts with what goes on at home. Fitness and health does not have to feel or be selfish - you family will enjoy it and in the future, will thank you for the example you are setting for them.