Fwd: Breaking the weight loss wall

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> > Breaking the weight loss wall

> >

> > Have You Hit a Weight-Loss Wall?

> > By ACE

> >

> > It's kind of like running into a wall -- that feeling you get when,

> > after a few months on a weight-loss program, you suddenly stop

> > seeing results. This is called hitting a plateau and it is not

> > uncommon. In fact, unless you continually update your program to

> > reflect the changes your body has already experienced, you are

> > almost guaranteed to plateau at some point.

> >

> > Weight-Loss Woes

> > The first thing you should do upon hitting a plateau is try to

> > determine the cause. Could you be eating more calories than you

> > think? Research shows that most people underreport the number of

> > calories they eat -- it's not that they're lying, they just don't

> > know how to make an accurate assessment of how much they're eating.

> > And even if you're eating less calories than before you lost the

> > weight, you could be eating just enough to maintain your current

> > weight at your current activity level. It is important to keep in

> > mind that as you lose weight, your metabolism slows down because

> > there is less of you to fuel, both at rest and during activity. So,

> > while a diet of 1,800 calories per day helped you lose a certain

> > amount of weight, if you've hit a plateau, it could be that 1,800

> > calories is the exact amount you need to stay at your current weight.

> >

> > Exercise Your Options

> > This leaves you with two options: Lower your caloric intake further

> > or increase the amount of time you spend being physically active.

> > The first option is less desirable because you may not be able to

> > get sufficient nutrients from a diet that is very low in calories,

> > and it is difficult to stick to it for very long. It is much better

> > to moderately reduce calories to a level that you can sustain when

> > you reach your goal weight. The same is true for exercise. Trying to

> > exercise for several hours per day to burn more calories is a good

> > way to set yourself up for failure. Not only does this type of

> > regimen require an enormous time commitment, it is hard on the body,

> > making you more susceptible to injury and overuse syndromes.

> >

> > To help balance the intake with the expenditure, a good rule of

> > thumb is to multiply your goal weight by 10 calories per pound, and

> > add more calories according to how active you are. Again, be

> > realistic. Don't attempt too much in an effort to burn more

> > calories. Instead, aim for 30 minutes of moderate activity most of

> > the days of the week and, as you become more fit, gradually increase

> > the intensity and duration of your exercise sessions. Choose

> > activities that you find enjoyable, whether that be in-line skating,

> > step classes or even mall-walking.

> >

> > Another means for getting you off the plateau is strength training,

> > which has been shown to be very effective in helping people manage

> > their weight because the added muscle helps to offset the metabolism-

> > lowering effect of dieting and losing weight. Muscle is much more

> > metabolically active than fat; therefore, the more muscle you can

> > add, the higher your metabolism will be.

> >

> > Get Off the Plateau

> > If you've stopped losing weight, the key to getting off the plateau

> > is to vary your program. The human body is an amazing piece of

> > machinery, capable of adapting to just about any circumstance or

> > stimulus. By shaking things up a bit and varying your program by

> > introducing some new elements, you'll likely find yourself off the

> > plateau and back on the road to progress in no time.

> >

> >

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