Overcome Weight Barrier

Plateaus are common to anybody who’s been on the same diet and exercise plan for a while. Even though you may slip out of a plateau on your own, it can get discouraging to wait it out.

Although it’s tempting to slip into crash diets, the best way to break a plateau is to review your current weight loss program. You must understand the human body is incredibly adaptive and will do its level best to maintain equilibrium (homeostasis). Every time you lose weight, your body tries to maintain it. To overcome this, the best single word of advice is to change.
Overcome weight barrier
#1 Zigzag calorie intake
Zigzagging or calorie cycling is the process of varying daily calorie intake, while maintaining the same weekly intake. Instead of consuming (for example) precisely 1800 calories each day – you can mix it up. Eat 1500 calories one day and 2100 the next. This can be as simple as adding a post-workout shake or an additional fruit into the plan or removing 2 slices of bread. The trick is to keep your body guessing.

#2 Change meal frequency and eat more
If you’re eating three times a day, eat five times now. This doesn’t mean you’ll be eating more food; you’d just be breaking it into more meals. Eating frequently stabilizes your blood sugar, controls appetite, keeps your energy up and boosts your metabolic rate.
A common impulse is to cut down on calories drastically when trying to lose weight but in the process you starve your body. If you’re consuming less than 1200 calories a day (1500 for a man), your body may react by slowing down as a self-preservation measure. Result: You’ll be storing fat despite working out.
Overcome weight barrier

#3 Move more
Be more active outside the gym. You need a minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week to maintain health and at least 60 minutes to manage body weight. Walking is the best exercise for those ‘off’ days. It’s gentle enough to allow your body to recuperate from the heavy workouts at the gym but still raises your metabolism to carry on the weight loss.

#4 shakes up your workout
Are you doing the treadmill for an hour every day? Give it up and try kickboxing instead. Doing the stationary bike? Switch to the elliptical trainer. Or try playing with the intensity of the workout. Add one minute intervals at a high speed or incline (not both) followed by three or four minutes at a lower intensity. Whenever you change a workout routine your body will respond by dropping weight.

#5 pumps it up
Weight training can break a plateau faster than any other method. It elevates metabolism for several hours following your workout, which also promotes fat loss. This way you end up burning calories even while you sleep! If you’ve never tried weights before, start slow and light, mixing machines and free weights. Weights should be done three times a week, alternating muscle groups.

#6 A different kind of chin up
Keep your eyes on the larger picture. Focus on health, not fat. If you work on feeling good—looking good is an additional bonus!