Many people tend to set their New Year’s resolution with a good routine, promoting sustained and healthy weight loss. Yet, the weight-loss journey is not as smooth as planned for some individuals as the scale has recently refused to budge. They have hit a weight-loss plateau. Read this article if that is also the case for you.
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Beat Stubborn Weight – Learn How to Get Past That Frustrating Weight-loss Plateau
Anyone who has tried and failed to lose weight understands how frustrating it is to hit a weight-loss plateau. Learning how to get past that frustrating plateau can help you beat the stubborn weight and get the desired body shape.
What Is a Weight-loss Plateau?
A weight-loss plateau is a period in which you can no longer lose weight even though you still maintain a consistent diet and workout regimen that used to be successful. This troublesome plateau is likely to happen to everyone who attempts to lose weight. It can demoralize people in their weight-loss progress by believing that even strictly-followed efforts can show inadequacy.
When Does a Weight-loss Plateau Happen?
A weight-loss plateau happens when the previously successful approach, including diet and exercise, can maintain your current body shape yet won’t help you lose more weight. Technically, a weight-loss plateau indicates that the amount of calories you burn is no longer greater than the calories you take in.
What Causes a Weight-loss Plateau?
You lose a certain percentage of muscle mass and fat during weight loss. According to research, the more muscle and less fat in your body, the more efficiently you burn calories. That’s because muscle requires more energy than fat to sustain itself. In contrast, reduced muscle mass results in a slower metabolism. As a result, your metabolic rate drops as you lose weight, making you burn fewer calories.
One more reason is that as you exercise, your body becomes more efficient at saving energy since it can adapt and adjust to new exercise routines. According to research, the adaptability of energy expenditure allows the body to burn fewer calories in the exercise plan – than would burn more previously by reducing energy spent on other physical activities.
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Will a Weight-loss Plateau Go Away on Its Own?
Given the causes of a weight-loss plateau mentioned above, the plateau won’t go away on its own if you don’t make any changes in your weight-loss approach. You’re still likely to maintain your current weight at this particular point. Yet, you will need to dramatically increase your physical activity or reduce your calorie intake to advance in your weight-loss progress.
How to Break a Weight-loss Plateau
Assess Your Diet and Cut More Calories
Review your diet plan and ensure that you haven’t unintentionally added more calories into it. Failure to stick to an eating habit might result in a weight-loss plateau. Moreover, try to reduce your daily calories even more, as long as you don’t consume below 1,200 calories. A daily calorie intake of fewer than 1,200 calories is like a double-edged sword as it might increase your risk of overeating.
Increase the Intensity and Frequency of Exercise
According to research, most people should get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week. However, individuals trying to get past a weight-loss plateau should exercise more frequently and increase exercise intensity. In addition, increase your everyday physical activity by walking more or taking the stairway instead of the elevator. Any subtle physical activity can help you burn more calories.
Don’t be discouraged if you’re having trouble breaking through a weight-loss plateau just because you cannot reduce your calorie intake or improve your physical activity. Remember that every pound matters in a weight-loss journey, and appreciating your success will motivate you to achieve the further target.
It is normal if your weight has been modestly going down or even standing still. Understanding what causes a weight-loss plateau can help you prepare for such a problem and encourage new healthy habits.
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