So, you have reached a weight loss plateau? Keep reading...…. .

Body weight often comes off easily at the beginning of a fitness/nutrition program.

But then, 3 things can happen:

➡️ Your smaller body needs fewer calories but you continue to eat at the level you did 30 pounds ago (your bigger body had a faster metabolism).

Never depend only on the weigh scale to measure progress!

There are other important factors than just weight loss:

Non-Weigh Scale Progress Indicators 

• Improved Cholesterol, Blood Pressure and Triglyceride Readings
• Lower Blood Sugar Levels
• Healthier Eating Habits and Relationship With Food
• More Energy to Live Life
• Not Eliminating Entire Food Groups (Protein, Carbohydrates, Fats)
• No Crash, Fad or Starvation Diets
• Recognition of Physical Hunger Cues
• Eating Until Satisfied (Satiety), Not Stuffed
• Elimination of Nutritional Deficiencies
• Less Food Cravings

Muscle weighs more than fat, so your body could be shrinking (think looser fitting clothes). Don't worry, the weight loss will take care of itself over time.

➡️ You may need to get adequate deep sleep (7-9 hours a night), rest and recovery on a consistent basis (life can run you down)!

➡️ Your body adapts to your workouts. When this happens, you need to vary your workout routines and intensity.

Do different lifts for the different body parts, such as substituting chest presses with stability ball dumbbell presses or doing step-ups and walking lunges instead of leg presses and regular squats.

A shorter, more intense 30-minute full-body superset workout will work better than a 1 hour weight workout when you are trying to lose body fat and weight.

Other ways to change up your workouts include (but not limited to):

• alternate lifting light weights and heavy weights
• adjust the number of repetitions and sets
• do different exercises for the same muscle groups
• alternate routines such as circuit training, superset and dropset training
• change the speed of your sets such as using slow, moderate and full speed repetitions
• do more isometric exercises, like planks

Also, 20-minute interval cardio sessions will save your muscle mass while helping you burn fat.

4 More Things to Consider

✅ It is more important to burn body fat and inches than it is to lose weight. Consistent fat-burning signals that you are transforming your body to lean. And, you will be burning dangerous belly fat, which research proves is a precursor to diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

Have your body fat percentage checked and your circumference measurements done by a trainer to see how much fat and inches you have lost. If you want to measure body fat yourself, there are some weigh scales that do a reasonably good job.

✅ Longer workouts are not always better. You could be over-training. Shorter, more intense workouts burn more fat. An intense, 20-minute interval cardio session will give you great health and cardio benefits.

✅ You need to know your basal metabolic rate-BMR (how many calories your body would burn each day if you did nothing). Base your daily caloric intake on your BMR, activity level and goals. You will need to eat enough to burn fat and lose weight if body transformation is your goal.

✅ If you don't eat enough (severe calorie restriction), your body will begin to store fat for survival because it thinks you are starving. For example, eating 800 calories a day for 7 straight days will slow your metabolism and cause you to begin to store fat.

Continue to eat better, exercise and move more. When you do that, you will win the long-term fitness battle, even if you lose a few struggles along the way!

Do you want to:

• Eat Better to be Healthier, Burn More Fat and Lose Permanent Weight?
• Feel Better than You have Felt in Months or Years?
• Have the Energy to Accomplish Your Daily Goals?

Be sure and sign up to start my FREE 7-Day Fat Loss Jumpstart! 

Mark Dilworth, PN1-NC, CDS , NMH, LWM

Certified Nutrition Coach, Dietary Strategies Specialist, Specialist In Nutrition For Metabolic Health and Lifestyle Weight Management Specialist