Avoiding—and Conquering—that Weight Loss Plateau

 

You’ve been humming along, the pounds have been dropping, then bam! Several weeks in a row…NOTHING! Yet, you did the same thing as the previous weeks and you had lost, so what’s up? You’ve hit the dreaded weight loss plateau!

Many feel like throwing in the towel at this point because, “It’s not working.” Don’t do it!

Reaching a plateau in your weight loss journey is very common. Pretty much everyone runs headfirst into that weight loss wall at one time or another if they didn’t plan ahead, so you are not alone! I can teach you how to safely get off that plateau and avoid it in the future. For good!

Top Tips to Conquer Weight Loss Plateaus

I’ve incorporated three plateau prevention tools into our carb cycling plan which focuses on alternating high carb and low carb days to optimize fat burn and weight loss. In order to successfully avoid a plateau, you do need to utilize all three tools.

Tool #1: Reward Days or Reward Meals

Reward yourself! It may sound counter-productive to eat more to lose, but it works! Reward Days and Reward Meals are just what the name implies—you get to eat any of those foods you’ve been craving for either a meal or a whole day! And I do mean any—nothing is excluded. Depending on which carb cycle you’re following, you’ll either eat one Reward Meal every high carb day (Easy Cycle), or have one Reward Day every week (Classic, Turbo, Fit, and Extreme Cycles).

How can you still lose weight and get off that plateau by eating those types of foods? Here,s how: Over time (usually in 4-12 weeks), your body adapts to your eating routine and your metabolism slows down, and that,s when your weight loss can come to a dead stop. By making a dramatic change in calories and foods, you fake out your body and snap it out of that routine! Sneaky, huh? Also, by rewarding yourself with those foods you crave, you also quench those cravings instead of binging on them later! By eating those extra calories, you boost your metabolism so your body burns even more calories. We proved this over and over again with our peeps on Extreme Weight Loss.

Do you have to eat sugary or trigger foods on your Reward Day? No. Your goal, whether you eat healthy or want to binge a little bit, is to consume about 750 extra calories on a Reward Day and about 250 extra calories for a Reward Meal if you are doing the Easy Cycle.

Tool #2: The Slingshot Week

The Slingshot Week is the last week of the four-week cycle in the Easy, Classic, Turbo, and Fit Cycles in carb cycling. At the end of an Extreme Cycle 21-day cycle, you can either repeat another cycle if you’re happy with your rate of weight loss, change to the Turbo Cycle if you’d like to turbocharge your weight loss, or do a Slingshot Week. During your Slingshot Week, which is seven days of high carb days, you’ll still get your Reward Day or Reward Meals, just as during the other three weeks. You might be hesitant to mix up your routine this much, but I promise—it works! Doing something different for a whole week is just what your body needs to get it out of its routine and to continue to force those unwanted pounds to find a new home. If your body is very stubborn and still wants to plateau even after a Slingshot Week, here are some ideas that might help:

  • Double-check your portion sizes to make sure you’re not eating more than you think you are.
  • Throw a Slingshot Week into your carb cycle at random times. Hopefully, this will be enough to keep your body guessing as to what’s going on.
  • If your body still insists on plateauing, change to a faster cycle: Easy to Classic, Classic to Turbo, or Turbo to Extreme.

And remember, everybody responds differently to the Slingshot Week. Some might gain weight, some might stay the same, and others might even lose some pounds. But no matter what your body does, remind yourself that you’re on the right course to avoiding that weight loss plateau.

Tool #3: Vary Your Exercise Routine

When your weight loss plateaus, you’ll be tempted to eat less and exercise more. From tools #1 & #2, you already know that decreasing your calorie intake is not the answer, and exercising a lot more is not the answer either. Instead, change up your exercise routine:

  • If you do the same workout six times in a row, do something totally different for the seventh.
  • Increase your intensity or add intervals to your scheduled routine from time to time to force your body out of its exercise rut.
  • If you’ve been training hard, take a rest day…and rest! Your body won’t know what to think about that one!

Click here for some additional tools on The Transform App →

You don’t have to suffer through a weight loss plateau! Add these three tools to your transformation toolbox and keep shedding those pounds.

xo,

Related reading:

How to Overcome Fitness Plateaus
How to Pick the Right Workout Plan for You
When In Doubt, Write it Out: How Journaling Impacts Transformation and Weight Loss
Consistency Is Key: How to Make Your Fitness Goals a Reality
Why Gratitude Is Important to Your Weight Loss Goals

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