Busting Through a Weight Loss Plateau

Have you stagnated at your weight loss efforts, not seeming to go anywhere? Here are a few tips to get that scale moving downward again.

Increase your cardio, either do a longer time interval or increase the intensity. If you usually go running for 30 minutes, kick it up to 45 minutes. Incorporating HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) into your routine usually boosts your fat burning. Running sprints is a great way to incorporate HIIT. If you are stuck with cardio equipment, do your normal speed for 1-2 minutes, then go as fast as you can for 1 minute. When done properly, you should only be able to do 20-30 minutes of HIIT training so don’t try to overexert yourself.

Decrease your calories. Keep a food journal to see how much you are really eating, we eat a lot more than we think we do. Decrease your calories by 500 a day to lose a pound a week. A great way to decrease calories is to incorporate more low calorie foods into your meal plan. Foods such as raw vegetables, fresh fruit, rice, lean meat such as chicken breast and turkey are all nutritious and low in calories. Skip the dressings, sauces and toppings in favor of herbs, salt and pepper.

Increase your resistance training by upping the intensity of your weight lifting session. Be sure you are challenging your muscles and not just going through the motions. You should feel significantly tired after a good weight lifting workout. At least one set per exercise should be done to failure, meaning your muscles can’t lift the weight anymore.

Sometimes your body just needs a break from losing weight. So don’t fret if the scale doesn’t move for a few days or even a few weeks. It may just be your body readjusting itself to its new