So you’ve decided to lose weight and get healthy. You have got your green smoothies; your new running shoes and you’re armed with a new workout plan. You are feeling good, you’re feeling healthy, and you’re even feeling thinner! You step on the scale to check your progress and your weight has not budged, or worse, you have gained a pound or two! How is this possible? Lucky for you, Larry Greenfield is here to highlight six common causes for a weight loss plateau.
Larry Greenfield is a certified fitness coach from New York, NY, who specializes in helping men and women get into the best shape of their life. Through years of experience, he’s discovered that personalizing his approach to fit each client’s needs and aiming for long-term results is the best path to improve his clients’ lifestyle.
Not Enough H20
We all know water is an essential part of life and keeping a healthy body. But if you’re not losing weight, it could be because you’re underestimating the power of water for weight loss. The best thing about water when you are on a diet is it helps suppress appetite, making you feel fuller and making it less likely that you’ll overeat. Wondering how much water you should be drinking? Experts say you drink about one-half of your body weight in ounces of water daily. That becomes even more important if you are exercising.
Not Tracking What You Eat
Obviously, you need to be in a caloric deficit to lose weight. If you aren’t properly tracking what you eat and have a donut at the office, some bites of your partner’s dessert, a handful of chips, etc., throughout the day and don’t track it, these calories add up. Just because you do not track them does not mean the calories don’t count. Study after study has shown that we underestimate our calories, sometimes by as much as 45%. That can equate up to 2,000 calories per day! What is more, we overestimate how much we move by up to 51%. It is easy to see that’s a formula for disaster. Lucky for you there are plenty of free apps available that you can easily track your calories and movement as you go.
Not Eating Enough Protein
Did you know protein is the single most important nutrient for weight loss? Experts say that a diet where 25-30% of the calories come from protein can boost your metabolism by 80-100 calories per day. That means simply by eating a diet rich in protein you automatically consume fewer calories.
Leaving Out the Weights
A lot of people, especially women, skip weight training for fear of “bulking up.” However, weights are a crucial part of weight loss. Strength training will help you burn calories while working out and even for the 24 hours following your weight workout. It also helps speed up your metabolism.
Skipping Cardio
Jogging, swimming, cycling, power walking– these are all ways you can incorporate cardio and increase your calorie burn. Cardio is a very effective way to burn belly fat, which is dangerous visceral fat that builds up around your organs and can lead to disease.
You Are What You Drink
If you are tracking what you eat, doing cardio, weight training, and drinking plenty of water and still not losing weight, let’s check what you’re drinking. Are you quenching your post-workout thirst with sugary sports drinks? Having an iced coffee with whipped cream for your afternoon pick-me-up or enjoying a bottle of wine with dinner? These drinks are empty calories that can quickly add up and hinder weight loss. Try to stick with water, vegetable juices, coconut water and try to only have one glass of wine or mixed drink per day. Of course, make sure the calories from your drinks are being tracked as well.
Sticking to a diet and workout plan and not seeing results can be an extremely frustrating thing, and often it can be quite discouraging too. But please don’t give up. Follow these tips, and if you feel that you need some extra help, get in touch with a certified fitness coach in order to see quicker, lasting results.
About Larry Greenfield
Larry Greenfield is a certified fitness coach from New York with almost 20 years of experience working with men and women over 40. Coach Larry takes into account body composition, energy levels, availability of equipment, preferences, and the lifestyle of each client. His coaching plans are individualized, realistic, and focused on long-term benefits.