Breaking weight loss plateaus

As the weeks pass in our weight loss competition you my start hitting a weight loss plateau. This is a pretty common problem. The reason is our body works very hard to keep itself in balance, always monitoring our energy intake and output. The body does not like to lose weight and after that initial loss your progress will start to slow or even stop as you continue to exercise and eat at a deficit. This is why we have to constantly be switching up our workout routine.

Here are a five things that could be causing you to plateau:

#1: Make sure you are getting at least 2-3 days of exercising in per week. A combination of both weightlifting and cardio.

#2: Lowering your calories to much can actually cause you to stop losing weight. If you decease your calorie intake to low your body responds by lower your metabolic rate. You need to make sure you keep your calorie deficit around 500 - 700 calories maximum.

#3: Not getting enough sleep can actually make you gain weight. Experts are not exactly sure why a lack of sleep causes the body to gain weight, but it has been shown that women who sleep 5 hours per night where 32% more likely to experience major weight gain (an increase of 33 pounds or more over 16 years) and 15% more likely to become obese over the course of the 16 year study, compared to those who slept 7 hours a night.

#4: Losing weight requires cutting more calories. You need to remember that once you have lost some weight, it takes less calories to keep your body going. A loss of weight leads to a reduced energy requirement, which means you need to recalculate your daily calorie need.

#5: You are now in better shape. The more you exercise the better the body gets at performing these exercises. The better you get at it, the more efficient you are, and the fewer calories you burn. This means it's time to switch up the type of exercise you are doing.