Breaking the Plateau
20 Reasons why you are not losing Weight
-
It is incredibly common for the scale not to budge for a few days (or weeks) at a time. This does NOT mean that you are not losing fat. Body weight tends to fluctuate by a few pounds. It depends on the foods you are eating, and hormones can also have a major effect on how much water your body holds on to (especially in women).
-
Also, it is possible to gain muscle at the same time as you lose fat. This is particularly common if you just recently started exercising.
-
For example, measure your waist circumference and get your body fat percentage measured once per month.
-
Studies show that keeping track of your diet helps with weight loss. People who use food diaries, or take pictures of their meals, consistently lose more weight than people who don’t
-
Eating protein at 25-30% of calories can boost metabolism by 80-100 calories per day and make you automatically eat several hundred fewer calories per day. It can also drastically reduce cravings and desire for snacking
-
This is partly mediated by protein’s effects on appetite-regulating hormones, such as ghrelin and others
-
If you eat breakfast, then this is the most important meal to load up on the protein. Studies show that those who eat a high-protein breakfast are less hungry and have fewer cravings throughout the day
-
You may think that this does not apply to you, but keep in mind that studies consistently show that people tend to underestimate their intake of quality calories.
-
Keep in mind that many processed foods labeled as “health foods” aren’t really healthy. Stick to whole, single-ingredient foods as much as possible. These foods tend to be much more filling than their processed counterparts.
-
This can help you hold on to your precious muscle mass, which is often burned along with body fat if you are not exercising
-
This help prevent metabolic slowdown, and make sure that what is beneath the fat looks good
-
It is one of the most effective ways to improve your health. It is also very effective at burning belly fat, the harmful “visceral” fat that builds up around the organs and causes disease
-
It involves rapidly eating large amounts of food, often much more than your body needs. This is a pretty big problem for many dieters.
-
Some of them binge on junk food, while others binge on relatively healthy foods, including nuts, nut butters, dark chocolate, cheese, etc.
-
Even if something is healthy, the calories still count. Depending on the volume, just a single binge can often ruin an entire week’s worth of dieting.
-
Our brains don’t compensate for the calories in them by making us eat less of other foods. This isn’t only true of sugary drinks like Coke and Pepsi; it also applies to “healthier” beverages like Vitaminwater – which are also loaded with sugar.
-
Even fruit juices are problematic, and should not be consumed in large amounts. A single glass can contain a similar amount of sugar as several pieces of whole fruit!
-
Studies show that poor sleep is one of the single biggest risk factors for obesity. Adults and children with poor sleep have a 55% and 89% greater risk of becoming obese, respectively
-
In short-term studies, this type of diet has been shown to cause up to 2-3 times as much weight loss as the standard “low-fat” diet that is often recommended
-
Low-carb diets can also lead to improvements in many metabolic markers, such as triglycerides, HDL cholesterol and blood sugar, to name a few
-
The studies actually show that meal frequency has little or no effect on fat burning or weight loss.
-
It is also ridiculously inconvenient to be preparing and eating food all day. It makes healthy nutrition much more complicated.
-
There is an incredibly effective weight loss method called intermittent fasting, which involves deliberately going without food for extended periods of time (15-24 hours or more), this is better alternative.
-
Drinking water has also been shown to boost the amount of calories burned by 24-30% over a period of 1.5 hours
-
Beer, wine and sugary alcoholic beverages are very high in calories
-
Also keep in mind that the alcohol itself has about 7 calories per gram, which is high
-
That being said, the studies on alcohol and weight show mixed results. Moderate drinking seems to be fine, while heavy drinking is linked to weight gain.
-
It involves slowing down, eating without distraction, savoring and enjoying each bite, while listening for the natural signals that tell your brain when it has had enough.
-
Numerous studies have shown that mindful eating can cause significant weight loss, and reduce the frequency of binge eating.
-
Eat with zero distractions, just you and your food – sitting down at a table.
-
Eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly. Try to be aware of the colors, smells, flavors and textures.
-
When you feel the satiety signals kick in, drink some water and stop eating.
-
Hypothyroidism, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and sleep apnea.
-
Certain medications can also make weight loss harder, or even cause weight gain.
-
People who have this problem use junk food in a similar way as drug addicts use drugs
-
If you are addicted to junk food, then simply eating less or changing your diet can seem downright impossible. Get some help.
-
If you’ve been losing weight for many months and you’ve hit a plateau, then perhaps you just need to take a break.
-
Up your calorie intake by a few hundred calories per day, sleep more and lift some weights with the goal of getting stronger and gaining a bit of muscle.
-
Aim to maintain your body fat levels for 1-2 months before you start trying to lose again.
-
Although it is often possible to lose weight fast in the beginning, very few people can continue to lose weight at a rate of more than 1-2 pounds per week.
-
Another major problem is that many people have unrealistic expectations of what is achievable with a healthy diet and exercise.
-
The truth is, not everyone can look like a fitness model or bodybuilder. The photos you see in magazines and other places are often enhanced using Photoshop – literally no one actually looks like this.
-
At some point, your weight is going to reach a healthy set point where your body feels comfortable. Trying to go beyond that may not be worth the effort, and may even be impossible for you.
-
Instead of approaching this from a dieting mindset, make it your primary goal to become a happier, healthier and fitter person
-
Focus on nourishing your body instead of depriving it, and let weight loss follow as a natural side effect
How do I get rid of the fat on my hips, and other areas?
-
Frequency: 3- 5 x/week
-
Intensity: 55-90% of your Age-Predicted Max Heart Rate
-
Time: 20 - 60 mins in you Target Heart Rate.
-
Type: Continuous movement of your large muscle groups for a prolonged period of time.
Can certain stretches relieve headaches?
-
Hold this position for 30 seconds and repeat a few times
-
If you turned to the left, then use the right hand to gently tilt the head forwards. You should have your hand hold the base of your skull whilst doing this stretch, to feel the stretch underneath your fingers.
-
Hold for 5-10 seconds only, then turn the head 20-30 degrees to the right, then use the left hand to stretch the other side. Repeat 5 times each side
-
Hold for 20-30 seconds, then repeat on the other side. Repeat 3 times each side
-
Hold for 2-3 seconds, then turn to the right and hold as well. Repeat 10 times each way.
-
This allows the little joints on the side of the neck to help slide on each other.
-
This will allow the muscles that you have been stretching to help loosen up as well
The health benefits of nuts
By far the nut with the lowest fat and calories, chestnuts are rich in starchy carbs and fibre, and in their raw form are a good source of vitamin C. They're lower in protein than other nuts but make a useful contribution of B vitamins including B6. Ground chestnut flour can be used as a gluten-free flour for cakes and bakes, or buy fresh and roast for a tasty snack.
Nuts are high in fat, but much of it is the heart-healthy variety. The amounts of saturated fat, the type of fat we should avoid, varies between nuts and has been flagged below.
High Saturated Fat
-
Brazil nuts
-
Macadamias
-
Cashews
-
Walnuts
-
Pecans
-
Pistachios
-
Hazelnuts
-
Almonds
-
Chestnuts
Getting Started
How do I find time for exercise with 2 kids and a job?
Finding time is the number one reason people give not to exercise. Remember that we all have the same 24 hours and by adding activity to your life you can be adding years of productive time to your lifestyle. Here are a few suggestions.
-
Multi-task so that you can exercise while watching TV, catching up on magazines, reading professional literature, playing with the kids, meeting with a friend or associate, etc.
-
You can also pick up the pace at the grocery store, during housekeeping, running errands, etc.
-
Try turning time wasters into time savers by contracting muscle groups while standing in line or driving, stretch at your desk, go for a walk when waiting to pick up the kids & in between chauffeuring, use coffee breaks to go for a stroll.
-
Make exercise a lifestyle. Take the stairs – even if you work on the 17th floor – it’ll get easier.
-
Park your car in the last spot – look at all of the time you’ll save circling the lot!
-
Choose activities that are fun – maybe something you enjoyed as a child.
-
Keep your sneakers in your car at all times.
-
Even look for ways to be more active on vacation.
-
Join a group that exercises, dances, walks, bicycles or hikes.
-
Play with the kids instead of watching – jump in and go sledding, rollerblade, bike ride, jump in the leaves.
-
Try interval training, use 30 minute exercise videos or increase your intensity and you can decrease your time.
-
Home is your gym
-
Your motivation is seeing others at your same fitness level, doing better (or worse) than you
-
Your motivation is seeing your waistline shrink
-
Your motivation is finally having energy to do "things" that you were not able to do before
-
Your motivation is having control over food vs. food controlling you
-
Your motivation is our motivation!
-
And finally - your motivation is knowing that this lifestyle is one that you can maintain for as long as you can breath
Are you lacking the self-confidence to begin a wellness program?
-
Then write down what will happen and how you will feel if you do not begin to exercise. -
Review this page often as it will break down your fears.
-
Remember - eating clean, non-processed food is key to a healthy lifestyle.
-
Using videos and/or -
Finding a buddy and/or -
Joining a Fitness Class
How Eating Eggs Will Help You Lose Weight
How long will it take me to lose 15 pounds if I do “X” for my fitness routine?
-
For example, if you currently take in 2,000 calories a day and decreased that by 300 calories a day (one slice of pizza) and added in 200 calories worth of exercise a day (20 minute walk), you would be at a 500 calorie deficit.
How much will the DunnRite Fitness Plan cost me?
Does DunnRite Fitness offer Wellness Certification Classes?
Meal Planning
A Beginners Guide to Meal Planning
-
There are so many ways to approach meal planning that, after practicing just once or twice, you’ll begin to find what works for you and your family too.
-
Taking a quick inventory of everyone’s plans will quickly give you a rough idea of how many meals you’ll need to get through the week, and how much mileage you can get from each recipe.
-
We’re big fans of the cook once, eat twice (or thrice) approach.
-
Thinking about these things beforehand will make recipe selection process faster and meal times easier on everyone.
Save & Organize your Recipes
-
Add them directly to your MyFitnessPal recipe box, either on the web or within the app. Our new recipe tool will even calculate the nutrition facts for easy logging later.
-
Create a healthy recipe Pinterest board. Check out ours for meal inspiration
-
Check out Paprika, Plan to Eat or ChefTap, or more basic note clipping apps like Evernote
-
A simple, three-holed binder with some plastic sleeve inserts are great for organizing recipe cards and meals pulled from magazines
-
Use bright colored tabs to flag favorite cookbook recipes
-
If you prefer digital, create a sub-calendar for your meal plan in Google, Outlook or your calendar application of choice and share it with family members or roommates so everyone knows the plan.
How to GROCERY SHOP
-
Never go to the store hungry
-
Prepare a list and stick to it regardless of sale items or temptations
How does DunnRite Fitness create a Meal Plan for me?