How to Say Goodbye to Your Fat Loss Plateau Forever

Fat loss plateaus seem inevitable when ever you start to see progress in your fitness routine. Usually, it happens something like this. . .

You choose to eat healthier. You pass up pizza for skinless chicken and salad. You give up sweets for blueberries and cranberries and yogurt. You eat more vegetables and spinach. You eat less cake and root beer floats. You lay off the booze and drink more water.

Maybe you try on of those new "ab-contraptions." Or, just like you were told, start to do cardio exercise. You find some activity that keeps your heart at a “target” rate for 30 to 45 minutes 3 times a week. Maybe you talk to the gym’s training staff and do some universal work.

Most likely, you begin to feel better. You notice your pants are not so tight. You feel healthier. After a few weeks the pounds begin to melt away.

Then the fun ends. No more movement on the scale. Maybe you pick up a few pounds. And it seems that nothing you do helps you get closer to your fitness goals.

There are several reasons why you experience plateau and some ways to overcome it.

- You are overtraining and have reached a level of diminishing returns. Your body’s ability to adjust to a new routine changes over time. At some point, your body needs recovery. If you don’t give the body enough opportunity, your body begins to lower your metabolic rate as a form of recovery.

Take a week off of your routine. Try low-intensity exercise. Give the diet a bit of a break. Sometimes, your metabolism needs time to adjust.

- Your workout needs a little variety. Your body adapts to new routines. Eventually, your body will adjust to your new routine and your metabolic rate will lower to accommodate the new “demands” you’ve put on yourself. I used to live close enough to walk to work. I remember this man: middle-aged, obese, around the 300 lb mark. He would walk/jog to get exercise. To think, it was more like a shuffle.

In seven years, I never saw him lose any fat. Nearly every day, I would see him in a tank top drenched with sweat. Moving a little faster than a walking pace. Never dropped a pound. Why?

I suspect it was because he never adjusted his routine. Vary your workout regimen. Play different sports. Always look for new activities to challenge your body. Never let it adapt. Then every two to three months, give yourself a week off for low-intensity workouts.

- Add variety to your eating habits. If you are budgeting yourself for 2000 calories a day, eat 2200 calories one day and 1800 the next. If you are eating three square meals a day, eat less for your meals, and eat more snacks. If you are eating more than three meals, shift back to three.