Weight plateaus can become a real intense mental struggle. All you want to do is feel better in your own skin and confident when you look in a mirror but things don't seem to be progressing as you had hoped for. For the majority of us, we have been there and know the struggle all too well. We constantly hear that weight management is all about calories in vs calories out. Well, that isn't incorrect! But if it was just that simple, there would be a lot more skinny people around us. Achieving our optimal health has to be extremely tailored and individualized for several reasons. Look at such things as gut health, hormone health, and stress; all severely impact our daily performance and body composition. If any single one of those items are misaligned, chances are we feel and perform less than what we had hoped for! Here are some tips and strategies that can help you finally break that plateau and begin feeling more confident:
Not Moving Enough
Even though a 45 min to 1-hour workout is beneficial to our overall health and body composition, that's a small piece of our overall day. Make it a goal to walk 8-10k steps per day to help increase total calories burned throughout the day.
Not Enough Strength Training & HIIT
Research has shown that strength training 3-4 times per week plus the occasional higher intensity circuit 1-2 times per week is optimal for body composition results. Many of us run towards a treadmill or elliptical when we want to lose weight but we now know why this just isn't the best option.
Not Achieving a Caloric Deficit
This is why tracking is so important, at least in the beginning. We may eat really well Monday-Friday but when Friday night or the weekend comes, that cheat meal turns into a few cheat meals and the total caloric deficit that accumulated throughout the week gets diminished by the time Monday morning rolls around.
Not Enough Sleep/Too Much Stress
On the wellness pyramid, nutrition is king. But you may be surprised to hear that sleep actually comes before exercise! Why is that? Well, we know from research and personal clients of mine that you can have the best diet and training routine in the world but if we aren't consistently getting 7-8 hours of sleep and allowing our bodies to relax and recover, it will begin down-regulating basic physiological functions-one of those being our metabolic rate.
Diet is Not Sustainable
Fad diets are dangerous for the simple fact that most of them don't teach the importance of long-term compliance. When diets don't allow flexibility and freedom to enjoy our occasional fun foods or drinks, it can eventually lead to resentment and a lack of compliance since we feel so restricted and naturally want to fight back.
Hormone Imbalances
I recommend to all of my clients, if able, to get a full bloodwork panel completed at least once a year to notice if there are any imbalances occurring. If we suffer from a lack of sleep, overtraining, overly stressed, or too restrictive of a diet, hormonal imbalances may occur and if our hormones aren't in proper alignment, achieving weight loss will be difficult.
Don’t let a plateau get you down or force you to quit. It’s part of the territory and happens to all of us. If you are struggling with your health goals, we encourage you to reach out to us for support and guidance.
"Coach Taz" aka Taylor Rodriguez is the owner and head coach of Taz Fitness & Nutrition. He is a Personal Trainer & Nutrition Coach located in Deltona, FL that coaches individuals online and in person. Taylor was a former partying pro wrestler turned fitness enthusiast after the economic downturn of 2008-2010. After losing almost 70 lbs, his new passion is to help struggling individuals find new confidence within themselves to achieve any goal that they see possible. To begin coaching with Taylor or to request a free consultation, contact us today.
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