How To Beat A Weight Loss Plateau
Flip The Script On What You’re Eating
When you eat the same type of food most days, even if you are making healthy choices, the body will once again be lulled into complacency and stop losing weight quickly. Someone might be focusing a little too much on low-calorie fruits and vegetables, without enough emphasis on lean protein. Reports also indicate high fiber foods are great at restarting weight loss after a plateau has occurred.
As well, most diets include a ‘cheat meal’ or ‘cheat day,’ where you can eat what you want, even if it’s not included in the approved diet foods. In many cases when a weight loss plateau hits, people will cut out these cheat days to reduce the calories they eat. However, a cheat meal can be quite effective at confusing the body and forcing it to start burning more calories again. This is closely linked to the hormone leptin, which helps control our hunger and feelings of being satisfied. As we lose fat, our bodies will have less leptin, and less leptin can trigger the brain to start conserving calories to avoid starving, which means less weight loss, creating the plateau. Eating a meal high in carbs and with some fat, such as spaghetti and garlic bread, is a great way to produce more leptin and get your body back to burning calories at a reasonable rate.
Continue reading to learn how sleep can affect a weight loss plateau.