This week I wanted to take a break from the world of recommendations, reviews, advice and experiments to address something that has happened to me multiple times and that happens to us all sooner or later.
What happens when I hit a plateau?
Plateaus come in many different forms. They happen with your weight loss, exercise, and strength. They occur in your job, relationships, mood and even spirituality.
Since my perspective is really from a health and wellness sense, I’ll keep my analogies relevant, but this piece of advice seems to resonate for me when tackling plateaus of all shapes and sizes.
Go back to the basics
One of my favorite things about the various eating styles that I recommend, such as macro tracking and low carbohydrate plans, is the amount of freedom it allows to not be completely restricted from certain types of food. Studies have shown that the more restrictive or complicated an eating style is, the less long term success one may have with it. With a less restrictive plan, also comes opportunity for foods that may be off the plan to sneak in.
A common problem with following a macro based eating plan, is not necessarily the plan itself, but maybe the type of food that sneaks into the plan after a few weeks or months of successful tracking. Imagine this: you start off losing weight like crazy, but have plateaued and can’t figure out why. It’s time to ask yourself a few questions such as, "What types of food am I eating?", "How often am I eating?", "How is my sleep and stress?", "Have my macronutrient numbers changed drastically from the starting point and I don’t know why?"
Sometimes the answer to all of this is to go back to the basics. Go back to the first week that you started your plan and ask: "What types of food was I eating?", "What quantities of food was I eating?", "How many fruits and vegetables was I eating?"
All too often, we get away from the intent of any good meal plan and things such as sugar, artificial sweeteners, fast food, and sugary beverages sneak in. Sure, anyone can initially lose weight by eating cookies and drinking soda if the calories are low enough, but what is going on inside of your body is so much more complicated than that. Hormones such as insulin and glucagon don’t like these highs and lows, and can cause your fat burning engine to slow down.
Many times plateaus can be solved by taking a step back, clearing your mind, and going back to how the eating plan was originally constructed.
If that doesn't work… Well, then I’d love to have a chat!
Until next time, catch me in the comments!
-Jon
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ABOUT PERFORMING NUTRITION: JON IS A CERTIFIED NUTRITION COACH THROUGH THE INSTITUTE FOR INTEGRATIVE NUTRITION, AND PURSUING A M.S. IN NUTRITION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BRIDGEPORT. PERFORMING NUTRITION OFFERS TAILORED PROGRAMS FOR MEN AND WOMEN OF ALL SIZES AND BACKGROUNDS LOOKING TO LOSE FAT, GET STRONGER AND BECOME ALL AROUND HEALTHIER.
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