I seem to have reached a point where despite eating clean with small portions and working out, I'm stuck weigh loss wise. I've never had this problem before so I did some quick research. Basically, plateaus happen because of the body's adaptive nature. Now that I've lost some weight, my body is lighter and burns calories at a lower rate. So, most of the articles say it's time to shake things up.
Here's what I'm going to do:
1) go to a water aerobics class tonight (it'll be chilly so I'll burn a calorie or two just from shivering)
2) start working on muscle building exercises (started last night with arm-shoulder)
Let's see if this is enough to see a one pound loss on Monday.
Five Ways to Break a Weight Loss Plateau
~♥~
5 comments:
Lee, I follow all the principles in the Diet Blog article and they do work! Weight training for me has been a big thing. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest.. ups the BMR! And being older & going thru "the change", I was glad I learned the "change your food up" early on. It taught me to pay attention to my bod & make changes along the way.. and I still do! I do vary my calorie intake & also vary it based on what type of exercise I am or not doing that day.
Good luck & don't get discouraged!
Jody - thanks for the encouragement!
I asked my husband the other day (poor man),"Tell me the truth. Why do you think I am overweight and have such a hard time losing it?" And he said, "You have never been very strong and you need more muscle." His 54 yo brother works out in a gym and said that he see people on the treadmill or elliptical for an hour at a time and that they are still there a year later and look the same, but those that add strength training would have something to show for it! So it sounds like you have a great plan and I bet you do lose a pound this week...come on, at least one of us has to!! ;-)
Absolutely true. Cardio only helps a little. I ran marathons and gained weight! (you can check out my new About page for details)
Even light strength training of your biggest muscle groups makes a huge difference in metabolism. It is also somewhat easier to motivate for than hard cardio workouts. Can't wait to see how it helps you!
Patty - we will get it done. It may not be a cake walk (ouch) and it may take a while but we will succeed!
Darya - thanks for the encouragement! I always listen to what you suggest. I'm going to actively pursue strength training. Excited!
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