Ways to break through weight loss Plateaus

You're tracking calories, working out every day and the last few pounds refuses to come off. You're eating clean and doing everything you did, when you first started working out and nothing is happening. The numbers on the scale remains the same. This is the moment when you realize that you have hit your plateau and some changes need to be made.

When I started working out, the pounds shredded quick. I had no problems. I was eating clean, working out everyday and staying active. After a few months of working out I hit my plateau. I was very frustrated. I was doing everything I did when I first started working out and nothing seemed to be working. The scale refused to budge.
In moments like those it is easy for individuals to fall back on unhealthy foods like pizza, burgers, fries, sodas and chinese food. It can get very emotional hitting that plateau. I know!!
But you have to be strong and not gravitate towards the unhealthy food. You don't want to work hard to end up where you first started.

Here are a few tips to try when you hit that plateau

1. You need to relax.
I have learned that when we are stressed our body tends to hang onto the fat. There are many contributing factors that is caused as a result of stress. It is the same thing as trying to have a baby. If you are stressed out or become stress after your first try of trying to have a baby then that can hinder you from getting pregnant. Until you are able to relax and just breath then you will not get pregnant. When you're stressed, your body sends out higher levels of the hormone cortisol that,  can encourage your body to hang on to fat.
There are many things that causes us to be stressed on a daily basis. We have to learn ways in which we can control our stress levels.Sometimes even just a smile or laughter can ease your stress. Yoga or meditation are other ways to relief stress. Sometimes if you just stop and breath for a minute or two that could help. Don't let your stress take over you. You take over your stress.

2. Get more sleep.
It is very important for you to get enough sleep. The body does not perform on little to no sleep.
Try going 2 days with no sleep. Your body feels exhausted, you are sleepy, you are not able to function or pretty much do anything. When you are working out you give it 100%. In order to have a successful workout you have to give it 100%. If you can't give it 100% then it is like you did not do anything. When you train hard you need to sleep hard. Get enough sleep.
 

3. Change or switch up your exercise routine.
 If you start out with an exercise routine and have done it for a few months then switch it up or try something new. It is important to change your routine so your body does not get use to it. When your body is use to an exercise routine, you tend to burn less fat because it knows what you are doing. In the beginning of every weight loss journey you lose the weight quick. But after a month of two of doing the same routine you realize that the weight is shredding off slower.
If you do the same workout each day, eventually it can start to become less challenging, and less effective. You already know what's next and it is easier for you to do . If you push yourself to new levels of strength or exhaustion, you'll almost certainly see a difference.
The better you become at something the less challenging it becomes and it also starts to become boring.
If you are a cardio person, try lifting some weights. If you love walking, try running. Try something different and new or up your workouts.

4. Change your diet
Eating the same foods everyday can become boring. Not just boring, but your body will get use to what you eat on a daily basis. Remember that the body gets use to certain things real quick. You always want to keep your body guessing what's next.The key to weight loss is to keep your body constantly guessing what's next. As I mentioned above you have to switch or up your workouts just as you have to switch or up your diets. Some people tend to eat less when they have hit their plateau but you do not need to eat less you only need to change our diet. Eating less will only cause you to gain weight not lose weight. When the body is hungry it tends to hold onto fat, so you want to eat not starve yourself.
If you eat 1,300 calories a day tomorrow have 1,500, then the next day have 1,200. Then go back to your 1,300 and  then higher, then lower. So you see where I am going with this. The trick is to always keep your body guessing.

Justin Holberg "Most people who hit a plateau are undereating. If you are indeed undereating, adding calories for a few days, then lowering them again, will help you force your body into a hormonal response that will not only help you break out of a plateau, but—as you learn to recognize the signals—will teach you how much food you should be eating."