Many people, in their quest to lose weight, find themselves making great progress early on.
And then all of a sudden, wham! They run smack into a weight loss plateau.
But there are 5 key strategies that can help you break through that weight loss plateau, and march on to reach your ultimate fat loss goal.
The 5 things you must have in place to smash through a weight loss plateau
#1. Accountability
Being held accountable for our commitments and actions is a great motivator to walk our talk.
The best approach is to enlist the help of a professional coach, trainer, or mentor. They can give you expert advice about the key issues you’re trying to solve and keep you on course.
But perhaps even more important, they’ll be brutally honest about what you’re doing right and wrong, and where you’re veering off your path—all so you can get back on track.
#2. Social Support
Of course, we do need cheerleaders in our lives who pick us up on our worst days. This is where those friends and colleagues who will keep saying “Go for it! You can do it!” are so valuable.
This can be particularly affirming and motivating, especially when they consist of people who are pursuing similar goals with the same amount of passion.
Facebook groups and other online communities of like-minded people can be highly effective at providing motivational social support.
#3. Predetermined Deadline
Most of us don’t like having a deadline looming. But deadlines can be very positive for someone trying to break through a weight loss plateau.
It’s helpful to have a relatively short deadline because then it’s easy to tell ourselves that we can commit to something for 4, 6 or 8 weeks.
When we feel burned out halfway through the process, we can quickly tell ourselves that we’re close enough to the deadline to keep pushing forward.
#4. Calorie Tracking
Tracking your calories daily can help you lose weight by giving you an overview of what you eat each day.
This can help you identify eating patterns to modify, keeping you on track to reach your goals. It can also help you identify any macro nutrients you may be falling short on, such as protein.
Studies show that people who write down their calorie intake daily lose more weight than those who don’t.
#5. Objective Measurements
Knowing your body composition can help you assess your health and fitness level. Often, you will measure your body composition at the start of a weight-loss or fitness program and then check it periodically to monitor your progress.
Of course, the more accurately the tool you’re using measures your body composition, the more valuable the data will be.
If you only focus on losing weight, you may end up losing muscle mass and eventually sabotage your efforts. By differentiating between muscle and fat, body composition removes the guesswork of determining what your weight fluctuations mean, be it muscle gain, fat loss, or anything in between.
Whatever your goals may be, an important thing to keep in mind during your health journey is that skinny does not always equal healthy.
The most accurate tool we have found for measuring body composition is our InBody 570.
To recap:
To give yourself the best chance of smashing through a weight loss plateau, incorporate these 5 key strategies:
- Accountability
- Social support
- Predetermined deadline
- Calorie tracking
- Objective measurements
