Losing weight can be such a battle. You start the fight dominating, dropping weight anytime you step on the scale and then all of the sudden-the number starts to slow and now it’s totally stagnant. Congratulations, you’ve hit the weight-loss plateau. This is not a bad thing, it’s completely normal.
As you continue fighting to lose weight, your metabolism starts slowing down and you need to eat less or burn more calories in order to see a constant weight loss.
Wonder why have you stopped losing weight? Here are the 5 reasons:
1. You treat yourself too often
Eating a treat as a reward after a great workout can cause your weight to be stagnant. It’s hard to run an extra 5 miles, but it’s really easy to reward yourself with more than 500 calories. This kind of rewards usually far exceeds the extra calories you expended.
Instead of treating yourself, choose smaller portions of snacks such as dark chocolate or one scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream. The rule is that only 10-20% of your daily calories could come from junk food.
2. You don’t portion out your food
Adding an extra tablespoon peanut butter in your breakfast smoothie can make a huge difference when you’re trying to shed those pounds. Portion control is really important and you need to pay a lot of attention to it if you notice that your weight is stagnant.
3. You don’t move enough outside the gym
When you’re working out more, you might experience “compensatory inactivity” which means exercising more but moving less throughout the day. Not moving after exercising can really influence on your weight loss.
Be active anytime you can, go for a long walk, kick the soccer ball, take the stairs or jump on the bike for a ride. This will keep your metabolism up.
4. You don’t fuel up right
Having a high-intensity workout routine can really boost your appetite and you’ll end up stuffing yourself with food and gaining those calories back again. Do not go exercising hungry, always take a pre-workout snack, something light that will manage your hunger. Grab an apple, some almonds or a protein bar.
5. You’re not consistent in the gym
Skipping one workout can increase your odds of missing another workout and therefore you might end up with a stagnant weight loss. Consistency is extremely important if you want to lose weight. The sooner you’re proficient at an exercise, the better you get at it. This means gaining more muscle and burning more calories.