Last year after I had my twins, I had 25 pounds to lose and I knew it wasn’t going to come off in a day, a week or even a month. When I first got back into a routine, the weight started to come off more quickly but 2 particular times during my postpartum weight loss journey I hit a major PLATEAU.
One of the plateaus was this time last year – the holidays were approaching, I had a million excuses for why I wasn’t going to lose weight during all the celebrations, and I self sabotaged myself by just not trying at all! If you’re stuck at a plateau now, try some of my favorite strategies for breaking through NOW rather than waiting for the new year.
1) Track & Analyze Your Daily Eating Habits
Write down everything you eat all day for 1-2 days and zero in on things that may be sabotaging you. When I did this, I discovered I was doing things like like eating several bites of my kids mac and cheese, a 1/4 of a quesadilla, a handful of crackers, using 5 tablespoons of coffee creamer throughout the morning, and grabbing a handful of chocolate chips after dinner. And the scary part is I didn’t even realize how much I was doing this (and was certainly not enjoying them). I was also drinking alcohol more often than I realized. I want to ENJOY my treats, not mindlessly consume them!
Once you’ve identified them, make a vow to cut them all out (or give yourself 1 day/week to indulge) for 1-2 weeks. I bet you’ll see a difference in just a few days!
2) Add More High Intensity Workouts
Nothing burns fat more than high intensity cardio mixed with strength training. If you’re always running the same pace or going through the motions at your group fitness class without ever truly spiking your heart rate, it’s no wonder you’re stuck in a plateau. Add in high intensity cardio whenever you can (jumping jacks, burpees, squat jacks are a few simple ones to mix into your existing workout). Or, try these low impact HIIT moves.
The program I did to break through my final plateau was a 20 minute a day high intensity cardio program called Transform 20 and the second most successful program for me in terms of weight loss was LIIFT4, which has high intensity cardio intervals in every workout. Runners, add in speed work to your training if you haven’t already!
3) Try Carb-Cycling
While I LOVE carbs and I believe they have a very permanent and important place in every person’s diet (especially runners’), carb-cycling is a fantastic tool for switching things up and helping your body turn into a fat burning machine. Carb cycling has helped me break through two weight loss plateaus. It is not recommended that you carb cycle for more than 21 days, and I personally will carb-cycle for just 5 days. If you want a free 5 day carb-cycling meal plan, click here!
Or, reach out to me (fitnessfataleblog@gmail.com) about the Ultimate Portion Fix, which has a more detailed carb-cycling plan. The education component of Ultimate Portion Fix will also help you identify and work through emotional eating habits that may be sabotaging your progress.
Maybe You Need to Increase Calories To Lose Weight?
One last thing to note: If you have been restricting calories for too long, you may actually need to INCREASE your calorie intake to break through a weight loss plateau. Your body may have adjusted to that lower calorie level and if you increase calories by 200-300 for a 4-6 weeks to rev your metabolism back up, and then go back down again, you may see results.
Non Scale Victories Are More Important
Also, remember to be kind to yourself. The scale is not the best indicator of health or fitness (and it can fluctuate as much as 5 pounds throughout your cycle, ladies!). If the scale isn’t budging but you are making progress toward your fitness goals, are feeling stronger, your clothes fit better, and you just feel really awesome about the healthylifestyle you’re living, then don’t worry too much about the number on the scale. The tips here are meant to provide you with some tools you have to help you break through a plateau that is keeping you from seeing real change in your fitness and body – but, at the end of the day, you need to live a lifestyle that is sustainable and FUN for you!!!
Join My Next Virtual Accountability Group
I have two exciting accountability groups coming up! You’ll get set up with a home workout program, nutrition plan and daily check ins via a private app.
November 4th, I’ll be taking on the toughest Beachbody program to date, 6 Weeks of The Work! I haven’t been this excited for a new program in a long time and my husband will be doing it with me! I’ll be hosting an exclusive 6 week accountability group open only to those taking on this challenge. We’ll be doing this side by side and you’ll be extra motivated to keep up knowing we’re all in it together! For more info on this program, check out my blog post on 6 Weeks of The Work.
My next multi-program accountability group starts on December 2nd. Choose any Beachbody program and join us for accountability to working out and eating a healthy, yet balanced, lifestyle during the holiday season.
To get info or join either group, click here.
