top 3 weight loss Plateau mistakes
Break through fitness and weight loss plateaus by avoiding making these 3 mistakes!
1. Stop Starting Over:
Quitting, taking a break or trying something different with your workouts only prolongs your results. This is because every time we stop taking small steps forward or change things too much, we stop the progressive overload cycle.
Progressive overload is when you are able to do more reps of the same exercise, or keep the same number of reps but increase the weight or difficulty. For example, if on week 1 of your fitness journey you did 10 squats with a 20 lb dumbbell, by week 4 hopefully you are doing 12-15 squats with that same 20 lb dumbbell, OR you are still doing 10 squats but with a 25 or 30 lb dumbbell. (A good coach will program this for you by giving you targets to aim for each week).
By keeping your exercise choices the same you are able to see these changes over time. If you are picking workouts at random however it will be much harder to control and monitor this.
Let’s say you are following along to the same youtube workout week after week, to develop stronger muscles you should still be increasing the intensity each time you do the class. You could do this by adding bands, dumbbells, a weighted vest, or doing a harder version of the exercise as it gets easier for you over time. Think of a plank, where you might have started out on your knees, but now can do it on your toes, and eventually maybe with one arm or leg lifted! Making these changes would be much harder, if you were to choose a different youtube workout every week.
Having “randomness” to your workouts will likely not get you the results you are looking for.
Pick one thing and stick to it, even through the plateau.
And, if you are implementing the progressive overload techniques mentioned above, than the workouts might not be the reason you are in a plateau to begin with. Look at common mistakes 2 & 3 instead.
2. You have unintentionally loosened up the reins on your nutrition. Often, when people start to see the results they desire, they think they can ease up a little on the habits that got them there. Or they ease up without even really realizing it. Maybe you were tracking your water daily to make sure you hit that 2L mark when you started your fitness journey but now you don’t measure it at all because you feel like you are probably still getting the 2L’s. Try measuring for a couple days again.
Maybe you were eating protein at every meal and snack, plus having a protein shake on workout days but now you only have protein shakes when you think about it and you can’t actually remember the last time you had a protein based snack.
You start out being really intentional with what feels like a few small things, and let them go without realizing that these little things were really making a big difference in your progress.
Go back and look at the habits that got you the results in the first place and make sure you are still implementing them.
Get really honest with yourself.
What were you doing when you started? Are you still doing it now?
3. You are still doing everything but with less intensity. This is when the program stays the same but you just aren’t putting as much into it. You go to the gym, do the reps and get your steps in but you aren’t in it. You aren’t pushing to improve, moving with intention, or even getting a sweat on anymore.
Maybe you were running 3x per week and now you just kind of walk-jog instead. Have you ever gone to the gym to do cardio by yourself vs with a friend. Do you find when the friend is there you don’t push as hard because you are too busy talking? It’s the same with being at the gym but spending more time on your phone between sets, chatting up the receptionist, and “waiting” for the equipment you want to free up instead of just putting in the work.
Get in, do the work, be intentional, bring intensity and get out.
If you are really struggling with this however, then maybe it is time to change up your workout environment, get a hot new outfit, or update your old playlist from 2020. You can even sub lat pulldowns for pull ups, or dumbbell bench press for barbell bench press to keep things fun. You can change up an exercise without changing the program.
Find a way to get excited again, and carry on!
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It’s in these plateaus that people lose motivation, start bringing less intensity to their workouts, start loosening up on their food choices, and stressing more about their progress.
It’s in these fitness or weight loss plateaus where the best way to break through it, is often not changing anything!
Stay the course. Check-in. Repeat.
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If you have been stuck in a plateau and truly can’t get out after a solid 6-12 weeks, then it might be time to bring in a professional.
Click the link below to book your free consultation.