Weight loss plateau… How to get unstuck!
Most people will see a plateau in weight loss 3-4 weeks into starting a paleo/primal diet. 100% normal! But, most people still have some weight they want to shed and don’t know how to get “unstuck” without visiting a clinic to do coolsculpting in Boston or something of the sort.
Here’s a few tips…
1. Go have a cheat MEAL (not a cheat day) on Sunday! Yep, I said it! Grab some sushi, gluten free pizza, a big brunch, whatever your belly desires! Ok, maybe not whatever… don’t go overboard with ice cream and bread or pastas, your body probably won’t tolerate it too well.
2. For the rest of the week, you’ll need to increase your caloric and carbohydrate intake by adding in some starches such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, as well as a small amount of berries daily.
Why did I plateau? The most likely reason is because your body’s basal metabolic rate adjusted to your diet change. A low carb diet can unnecessarily slow your metabolism. A simple change in carb intake levels can kick start your body off a plateau. By cutting calories too much, you can possibly hinder weight loss basically because your body thinks there is a famine and is holding on for dear life to every bit of fat that it can.
You also want to make sure to look at the whole picture, outside of just your diet and exercise. Are you sleeping well? Are you constantly stressed? If your answers were along the line of, “what is sleep?!” and “who isn’t?!”, well then, it’s time to get your sleep and stress levels in check! These are factors that can be playing a role in your weight loss plateau as well. Sleep deprivation can make you more hungry and high levels of stress hormone can cause you to eat more and store more fat. Although detox drinks and pills (view now) can help reduce the amount of fat, nothing can beat working out on a regular basis.
After you’ve gone a week of upping your carb and caloric intake, it’s time to drop it back down. Sad, I know. Take out the starches and berries. Do not cut your calories down too low and be sure to take in your healthy carbs from lots of veggies.
If you’re still not seeing any weight loss results, here’s very good reasoning from Mark Sisson:
“It may be that your body has reached its “ideal” weight – its effective, genetic set point. Reaching this level is generally painless and effortless, but it won’t necessarily correspond to your desired level of leanness. Women, especially, tend to achieve healthy homeostasis at higher body fat levels. Breaking through plateaus can be hard enough, but plateaus ordained by the body itself can be nearly impossible. It’s probably going to take some serious tinkering with carbs, calories, activity levels, sleep, and stress. If everything else is on point and accounted for, you may be looking at healthy homeostasis. Then, the question becomes: do you want to mess with a good thing?”
