It can be difficult to reach your ideal weight. While weight loss is usually rapid at initially, it may appear that your weight won’t budge after a while.This inability to lose weight is known as a weight loss plateau and it can be very stressful and depressing because it prevents you from losing weight.
As you lose weight, your metabolism slows, so you’ll need to eat fewer calories or burn more calories to maintain your weight reduction. Most people are aware that losing weight involves burning more calories than they consume. But Weight loss is also influenced by a variety of factors, including behavioural, hormonal, and environmental factors.
Ways to break a weight loss plateau
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Eat enough protein
If your weight loss is stuck then try increasing your protein intake. Protein helps you boost your metabolism much faster than any other nutrients. People who consume a protein-rich diet are more likely to lose weight because they are less likely to overeat. When paired with exercise, a high-protein diet can aid in the development of lean muscle. Lean muscle aids weight loss by allowing you to burn more calories throughout the day. Here are some foods you could indulge in for high protein intake –
- Salmon
- Eggs
- Tofu
- Chicken breast
- Greek yogurt
- Soy
- Kidney beans
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8 hours of sleep
Sleep is extremely important for good mental, emotional and physical health, as not getting enough sleep can cause weight gain by reducing your metabolic rate and altering hormone levels, which can lead to increased appetite and fat accumulation. Lack of sleep might also be the reason why you’re on a weight loss plateau, try to change your sleeping schedule to break it.
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Increase Exercise
Increasing your variation and intensity in workout routine can help you break through a weight-loss plateau. This is due to the fact that as you lose weight, your metabolic rate drops. You can try resistance training as it helps in muscle mass retention and the most effective type of exercise for weight loss. And also you can try adding other physical activities in your routine like aerobics, zumba and high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Increasing the intensity of workouts may help to boost metabolism.
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Drink water
Keeping your body hydrated not only helps you to lose weight but also makes your skin good and deals many other problems in your body. It is very important to drink at least 2 to 3 liters on a daily basis to stay healthy.
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Try intermittent fasting
In recent times, intermittent fasting has set a new trend for many motivational fitness professionals. In this method people are put in long periods of fasting and short periods of eating. In your fasting window you can drink as much water as possible and also have caffeine or green tea and in your eating window you can have meals of your liking but still maintain your calorie deficit. These are few popular methods of intermittent fasting –
- The 16/8 method involves skipping breakfast and restricting your daily eating period to 8 hours, such as 1–9 p.m. Then you fast for 16 hours in between.
- The 5:2 diet with this method, you consume only 500–600 calories on two non-consecutive days of the week, but eat normally the other 5 days.
- Alternate-day fasting is a form of intermittent fasting in which people alternate between eating very few calories on one day and as much as they want the next.
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Eat more fiber
Fiber is often overlooked when we prepare our meals, it is a very important nutrient that should be consumed on a daily basis. Fiber is super filling and eating more fiber can help you lose weight. It has plenty of other health advantages. It’s beneficial for your heart, digestive health, and can help you avoid diabetes and certain illnesses. Here are few foods rich in fiber –
- Papaya
- Whole grains
- Barley
- Raspberries
- Soybean
- Cluster beans
- Green peas
- Carrot
- Kiwi
As stated above these are a few ways you can break your weight loss plateau. But remember that maintaining a calorie deficit is key to weight loss. Try consuming balanced meals and include all the major micronutrients in the meals, drink plenty of water and workout regularly to have fit and healthy life.