Q: What does your weight loss transformation and a good poker tournament have in common??
A: You win at both by playing one card at a time.

That’s right. If I ever decide that a career change is in the cards for me, 😉 you’ll be able to find me on the World Series of Poker, baby! But it’s true. Our Transform community gets questions daily from members about what to do in the middle of their transformation when they get an unwanted visit from a dreaded plateau. The answer is simple: You play one card at a time until you get through it. Easy enough, right?! Don’t worry. I’ve put together this little video that is jam-packed with all the info you need to help you navigate past those plateaus, AND it may also inspire you to try a new hand at your next game night! 😉

Not enough time to watch a video? No worries! I’m adding all the highlights for you to read down below!

If you’ve ever experienced a plateau in the past, or maybe you’re wondering if you could be in the middle of one right now, it’s important to know that it’s not a negative thing. A plateau doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re doing something wrong or that your program isn’t working anymore. Instead, it’s your body’s way of asking for a little bit more attention and saying, “Hey! I’m ready for a change-up!” While I can definitely understand that it’s frustrating to feel like you’re putting in all the work and not seeing the reward of the scale moving down, plateaus are actually little blessings in disguise that can help us realize when it’s time to make a change. And the most important part? They’re perfectly normal, and everyone experiences them at one point or another!

How to Overcome a Fitness Plateau??

So if you do feel that you might be starting to plateau, I want you to ask yourself three very important questions:

1. Am I measuring my food properly, or am I just eyeballing it?
2. Am I drinking enough water?
3. Am I going as hard as I could be in my workouts?

If you’ve answered “eh” to any of the above, it may be time to look at it a little deeper! For starters, if you’re trying to lose weight, then it’s super important to be measuring or weighing your food. Otherwise you can find yourself becoming a little too comfortable, and before you know it, a “handful” of almonds becomes 2 or 3 servings sizes when, in reality, you’re only allotted one in your daily meal plan. If you feel like you’ve maybe been a little lax when it comes to measuring your food, then it may be time to play a card.

Game Time: For one to two weeks, I want you to be on point with all your meals and measure properly! Get out the measuring cups, get out your food scale, and take the time to ensure you’re getting the correct serving size each and every time. And above all, be patient. Give yourself at least one to two weeks of doing this every single day, and I am willing to bet all the poker chips that you’ll see that number on the scale start to inch down again.

For water, the general rule of thumb is that you should be drinking at least half your body weight in ounces each and every single day.

So, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should be drinking at least 75 ounces of water daily. And if you exercise, you should be adding 8 ounces for every 30 minutes you sweat. I know it seems strange, but our bodies are crazy machines, you guys. Sometimes, when you feel bloated or like you’re carrying around extra water, it’s really your body’s way of telling you that you need to drink more water. It may sound silly, but it’s science. If you know you’re not drinking enough H2O, it may be time to play a card.

Game Time: For one to two weeks, get your recommended water intake in every single day. Those first couple days will be the most difficult, but I promise you, once it becomes a habit, you’ll be guzzling like it’s second nature, and you’ll start to see that scale moving in the direction you’re wanting it to go.

When it comes to working out, I want you to keep in mind one super important principle: FITT (Frequency, Intensity, Type, and Time).

How often are you working out? Are your workouts moderate or are they higher in intensity? What type of exercise are you doing? And how long are your workouts lasting?

Game Time: If you feel like you could go a little harder with your workouts, play just one card here, ladies and gents! Adjust only ONE characteristic in the FITT acronym. See some examples below:

• Frequency: If you’re working out four days per week, bump it up to five for one to two weeks.
• Intensity: If you’ve been going at a low to moderate intensity during workouts, bump up that intensity to moderate to high for one to two weeks.
• Type: If you’ve been choosing the bike for your Accelerators, choose something different! Try swimming, or running, or jumping rope. Do this for one to two weeks.
• Time: If you typically work out for fifteen minutes each day, bump it up to twenty minutes. Do this for one to two weeks.

The key here is to only choose ONE card, not all of them, no matter how tempting it may be to implement all these little changes at once. Choose one, and stick with it for one to two weeks. I guarantee your body will notice the change, and you’ll start to see results. AND…whenever the next plateau hits, you’ll have all these other little tips and tricks already stored in your memory bank that you can pull out and try. You’ll already be so well equipped with a full deck of cards that you’ll have plenty to play when the time is needed!

Educating people about how to be successful in their transformations is something that Chris and I have always been so passionate about, which is why we wanted to make sure that our Transform App was fully equipped with all the smart logic to get you through a plateau the minute it pops up! The app will help you recognize when a plateau may be occurring, and it’ll even help you figure out what to do to get through it. Smart logic, right?! If you stop seeing results, the app will detect that a change may be needed, and it will prompt you through what you should do, when you should do it, and if you’re ready to make a change. That’s right?all the heavy lifting is already done for you. Except for those weights in the gym. They’re calling your name. 😉

If you don’t have the app, I don’t want you to worry. You’ll still be able to recognize a plateau, and now you have all that info ready to help you fight against it. If you feel you’re properly measuring your food, drinking enough water, AND going as hard as you can in your workouts, then I want you to play your Ace and slingshot your body. What this means is that every day for one week you’ll add carbs into your diet. Consider every day to be a high carb day. Grab those oats, potatoes, fruits, and starchy/root veggies. Why? Because sometimes in the middle of our hectic lives, our body just gets stressed. It starts to hold onto all the water, and it stops burning fat like it’s supposed to. By adding in additional carbs, you’re waking up your body and helping it get back into the habit of burning fat and processing nutrients like it’s supposed to.

So see, guys?! Plateaus are nothing to be afraid of. They’re totally normal, totally safe, and totally possible to get through. All it takes is a little smart logic and a really great poker face. 😉

BONUS: If you don’t have the app, but you’ve wanted to give it a try, we’re offering your first 30 days of the Transform app for only $1! Go to transformhq.com, find the app, and enter “1dollarapp” to get your first 30 days for just $1. We’ll see you in the app!

xo

Heidi

Related reading:

Transform App FAQ: HELP!!! I?ve been working my butt off, following my meal plan, and the scale?s not moving! What do I do?
Carb Cycling 101
A Weight Loss Win: It?s More Than That Number on the Scale
My Top 4 Fat-Blasting Cardio Workouts