Why weight is worth it and what to do about the plateau effect. Plateau effect: how to get the weight off the ground

There are contraindications, consult your doctor.

Most women who have struggled with excess weight at least once in their lives know that at the very beginning of the diet, body weight goes off the fastest. Unfortunately, after 1-2 weeks, the scale needle freezes in one place. This period is the most difficult for a woman. It most often becomes a reason for abandoning the diet, as it undermines the motivation for further weight loss. What to do if the weight stands still? The answer is obvious: measures must be taken to reduce it further. To do this, use our tips.

1. Eat more often, in small portions.

Hunger, long periods of time without food, negative energy balance in the body - these are the reasons why after a few weeks from the start of the diet, the metabolism slows down. The body is doing its best to survive, so it turns on the “economy mode”, consuming calories more efficiently. What to do?

Obviously, we cannot influence one of these three factors. It's about about the negative energy balance, which, although it provokes a slowdown in metabolism, is still necessary for weight loss. But we can and should influence the feeling of hunger and the regularity of food entering the stomach. To do this, you need to turn on the fractional power mode.

By eating small portions of food at short intervals, we let the body know that we have no problems finding food. Products enter the stomach regularly, the concentration of nutrients in the blood, if it decreases, then not for long. Fractional nutrition not only allows you to overcome the plateau effect, but also makes the diet more comfortable. But at the same time, you should carefully control the size of portions, since 5-6 full meals a day are unlikely to make your figure slimmer.

2. Pay attention to the drinking regimen.

If you have ever bought drugs or supplements for weight loss at least once in your life, you probably noticed that in the instructions the manufacturer always gives a recommendation according to which the intake medicinal product should be combined with plenty of fluids. Any diet for weight loss also involves an enhanced drinking regimen. Well, the need to drink plenty of water during training is not even discussed.

If the weight stands still, pay attention to the drinking regimen. When you drink less, you lose weight more slowly. Lack of fluid slows down metabolic processes. Drinking plenty of water allows not only timely removal of decay products that are formed in large quantities during the restructuring of metabolism, but also contributes to the suppression of hunger. Water in the amount of 1.5-2 liters per day increases the effectiveness of the diet and improves its tolerance.

3. Consciously increase physical activity.

After restricting the diet, the body goes into "economy mode". These changes suggest not only a decrease in metabolic rate, but also a decrease physical activity. It happens unconsciously. The person becomes lazy. Even without noticing it, he increasingly prefers to lie down in front of the TV than to go for a walk or to the beach.

This process must be controlled consciously. Laziness and apathy are just an energy-saving mechanism that the body turns on in order to survive in conditions of hunger. You must show will and still move, walk, actively rest, even if you are reluctant to do so. To lose weight, energy must be spent, not saved.

4. Enter an additional workout.

To lose weight, you need not only to eat little, but also to play sports. Restricting energy intake into the body is only half the battle. The second half of it is the increase in energy costs. If your weight is standing still, and you are not yet exercising, this is very good, because you have the opportunity to get off the ground quite easily. To do this, you just need to arrange for yourself regular jogging, going to the pool or training in the gym.

What should people do who are already involved in sports, but the weight still stands still? It is necessary to introduce additional training, which will allow you to spend a little more energy than you spend on this moment. For example, if you run in the morning, sign up for a fitness class. Perhaps you should allocate an additional 2-3 hours a week for aerobics classes or buy a good exercise machine for home workouts.

5. Tighten your diet.

If you regularly exercise, exercise, diet, and still do not lose weight, you will have to cut back on your diet even more. What to do, everyone has a different metabolic rate. For some, a small dietary restriction is enough for stable weight loss, while someone is forced to completely give up sweets and fatty foods, eating mainly fruits and dietary meat.

6. Use drugs for weight loss.

Losing weight using pills alone is hardly possible. However, drugs can increase the effectiveness of other methods of weight loss. If the body weight stands still, you can use the following means for weight loss:

- blocks the absorption of fat, but has many unpleasant side effects (abdominal pain, diarrhea, fecal incontinence).

Glucobay - blocks the absorption of carbohydrates, but is also not without side effects (abdominal pain, flatulence).

Sibutramine (, etc.) - depresses appetite, is harmful to the heart and psyche.

- depresses appetite, has a minimum of side effects, but you need to take pills only before meals, in large quantities, with water.

- works well in combination with training, is contraindicated in insomnia, hypertension, heart disease.

7. Be prepared to slow down the weight loss process.

Often the refusal of a diet is a consequence of a person's increased expectations from a diet. He reads on the Internet that a certain diet allows you to lose weight by 10 kg per month and adjusts to such a result. After 2-3 kg is lost in the first week of severe dietary restrictions, motivation increases.

But then disappointment sets in - the mass does not go away at all, or it decreases extremely slowly. At this stage, most people get upset, lose faith in success and stop the diet, eating their grief. big amount sweets. Naturally, after applying such methods of dealing with depression, the weight no longer stands still; against the background of a reduced metabolic rate, it begins to increase sharply.

It is very important to realize that body weight cannot decrease too quickly, even if you significantly restrict your diet. Losing weight by 1-2 kg per month is a completely normal pace. By allowing yourself to lose weight slowly, you will solve the problem of decreased motivation during the period of a low-calorie diet. Be patient and you will succeed.

Source:

Article protected by copyright and related rights.!

Changes as a result of the experiment

From the very beginning, as you remember, all participants had an approximate body weight of 70 kg.

How did further body changes occur during fasting:

After the start of fasting, the subjects began to lose weight dramatically, they began to turn into walking skeletons.
At the sixteenth week, physiological changes became visually noticeable to any person (refined facial features, protruding cheekbones, atrophied muscles, protruding collarbones, narrower shoulders, prominent ribs, protruding shoulder blades, protruding spine, etc.). Even the adipose tissue in the buttocks region disappeared, the skin began to hang in folds. Sitting became painful, I had to put pillows under the priests.
The heartbeat slowed down. It was 55 beats per minute, now it's 35 beats per minute.
They started going to the toilet "for the most part" once a week.
Blood volume dropped by 10%.
Decreased size of the heart muscle.
Swelling of the face was observed due to the use of large amounts of water.
Rough skin.
Constant dizziness, muscle pain, ringing in the ears, unnatural whiteness of the eyes.
Oddly enough, vision returned to normal, and hearing improved (the body adapted some systems to increase survival).

Despite the fact that the whole thing looked terrible, the participants in the experiment began to think that they were normal, and the rest of the people were fat (this is observed in patients with anorexia).

And also, decreased endurance and strength indicators. It was hard to climb stairs, take a shower, and even lift an inkwell.

The most interesting thing is that there were no problems. Apparently, due to the use of potatoes and other vegetables rich in vitamins.

The Minnesota subjects were constantly cold, even in the heat of the summer they wore jackets. They found it hard to listen to loud music and even noisy conversations.

Gradually, the participants in the experiment began to feel that their minds and souls were changing.

Their company became dull and very apathetic, they preferred loneliness, there were outbursts of anger, they were afraid to make decisions.

Libido is gone completely. They didn't want sex.

The testicles began to produce less hormones, the spermatozoa were few and less mobile.

Everyone had apathy, depression, nervousness, emotional instability.

Rehabilitation

The average weight of the subjects dropped to 52 kilograms (previously it was 70).

Rehabilitation took place as follows.

Keyes divided the subjects into 4 subgroups:

I got 400 calories more per day than before.
Received 800 calories a day more than before.
I received 1200 calories more per day than before.
I received 1600 calories more per day than before.

Some additionally received vitamin and protein supplements to see how this would affect rehabilitation.

After a few weeks, it turned out that these supplements were useless for the subjects.

The men in the first subgroup (who ate 400 calories more per day) DID NOT RECOVERY AT ALL!

Conclusion: As a result of the experiment, it turned out that in order to return the body to a normal state, the subjects need to consume about 4000 calories per day.

How did the experiment end?

Now the subjects could eat whatever they wanted.

For some, Kees continued to observe with their consent during the period of "unlimited rehabilitation".

It was noticed that men began to eat 5-10 THOUSAND calories per day. Moreover, they admitted that they could not satisfy the feeling of hunger, no matter how much they ate.
Four months after the end of the fasting period, all participants began to eat about 3200-4200 calories per day.
All participants EXCEEDED their pre-experiment weight.
Those who entered the experiment dry and fit were now rounded.
Libido returned after 5 months.
The heart returned to normal size.
The volume of the lungs was restored.
There was shortness of breath due to excess weight.
Good manners are back.

Quote from the conclusion:

“The experiment showed that adult men are not able to get meaningful rehabilitation on 2000 kcal/day. A more reasonable result is 4000 kcal / day, at least for a few months. The composition of the diet is important, but if there are few calories, then additional protein supplements and minerals are useless.

Weight stopped when losing weight. TWO main reasons for stopping fat burning

Did you notice that none of the participants in the Minnesota experiment had any "plateau" in losing weight?

Why? After all, the weight should stand in one place?

Yes, it is possible, but for a very short period, because. even a slowdown in metabolism cannot prevent further weight loss with insufficient calories.

Absolutely ALL participants in the experiment lost weight. How so?

The fact is that based on scientific data, it was found that two reasons can contribute to stopping fat burning on a diet:

Violation of the regime(often unconscious).
New balance point.

Let's understand what these reasons are.

Violation of the regime

The more rigid the diet, the more you sit on it, depleting your energy reserves, the more often it happens that you violate the diet and your activity.

Most likely, you are not doing this on purpose. Unconsciously.

The body tries to minimize energy expenditure and trick you into eating more at the same time.

It's an amazing adaptive mechanism.

You start snacking more and more, grabbing and eating some snacks on the fly, you start using cheat sweets more often, you stop noticing that you are eating something forbidden that is not on your list of products.

At the same time, you try to minimize energy costs by reducing your motor activity.

Before, let's say you ran on your feet for half a day, and now you try to ride or sit more.

The body prevents fat burning that is unfavorable for it, using all its adaptive reserve mechanisms.

If you don't specifically focus on what you eat and how you move, then the weight may no longer shift down.

This is the MOST POPULAR reason to stop losing fat on a diet. It seems to you that I seem to be eating what I need, moving, exercising, but the weight is worth it.

In fact, you can add a lot of calories every day with your snacks. Remember in the last article I talked about my client, who gained 800 extra calories per day in this way?

New balance point

This reason is rarer than the first, but it also has a place to be.

Our body has amazing adaptive mechanisms. The body tries to adapt to any conditions environment, if there is such a possibility.

The body perceives calorie restriction as new conditions of existence to which it is necessary to adapt. If these restrictions go smoothly and not in large volume (as on a diet), then the body is able to get used to them.

After some time, the body learns to maintain energy consumption at that level of food energy supply and nutrients that you created for it.

The point is that the food restrictions that once allowed you to lose weight will no longer be sufficient, and the current amount of food will no longer be scarce.

In other words, your body is reaching a NEW BALANCE POINT!!!

This means that you will stop losing weight on the same amount of food that you receive.

To put it simply, this is called "slowing down the metabolism."

If this happens, then you need to:

Or cut back on calories a bit.
Or increase the calorie content for 2-4 weeks.

body temperature.

By body temperature. It's simple: the lower the body temperature, the lower the metabolic rate. The higher the body temperature, the higher the metabolic rate.

In numbers it looks like this:

36.9-37.0 C \u003d 105-110% of normal metabolism (acceleration).
36.6 = 100% (normal metabolism).
36.0 C = 90% of normal metabolism (slowdown).
35.5 C \u003d 80% of normal metabolism (strong slowdown).
35.0 C = a dangerous metabolic slowdown that can lead to death.

This body temperature is indicated for measurement UNDER THE ARM, because V different parts body temperature may vary.

According to the state of the vegetative nervous system .

The autonomic nervous system is the part of the nervous system that regulates internal organs, glands of internal and external secretion, blood and lymphatic vessels. It plays a leading role in maintaining homeostasis (balance) internal environment organism and in adaptive reactions.

The ANS regulates salivation, heart rate, pressure, etc.

It is divided into:

Sympathetic system (intensifies metabolism, activates organs, excites tissues).
Parasympathetic system (restoration of energy resources).

These systems must be in balance.

If the balance is disturbed, the activity of the sympathetic system drops, and the parasympathetic system grows, then the metabolism slows down.

Similar changes in the balance of the autonomic nervous system can be tracked by the following signs:

Redness of the skin (not blanching).
Reduced arterial pressure.
Slow heart rate.
Profuse salivation (lots of saliva).
Often want to go to the toilet (increased urination).
Lethargy (very sleepy).
The mood is apathetic, calm.

According to these simple signs body temperature and the autonomic nervous system, you will be able to understand what is happening with your metabolism.

If you are very lethargic, often run to the toilet, your blood pressure is low, then you have probably cut your calories too much and your metabolism has slowed down.

How to continue losing fat if progress has slowed down

I think you are wondering how to solve this problem.

We figured out how to understand that there is a problem, now I will tell you how to solve it.

How to Cope with Disruption and Restore Your Metabolic Rate on a Low-Carb Diet

The question is difficult, but solvable.

As a rule, such a violation of the regime (decrease in activity and snacks) is unconscious!

The brain tries to force you to use excess food by any means in order to prevent fat burning.

A person may tearfully claim that he continues to follow a diet, but in fact he consumes a lot of excess between scheduled meals, plus reduces physical activity.

One of the reasons why the metabolism is inhibited is the REDUCTION of LEPTIN LEVEL in the blood.

Leptin is a peptide hormone that regulates energy metabolism. Or, in a simple way, the "hormone of satiety."

The more leptin, the less you want to eat. Leptin suppresses appetite.

On a diet, leptin levels are consistently low. Why? Find out below.

On a diet, we must spend more energy every day than we get from food. All of this is directly regulated by leptin through the hypothalamus.

If we restrict ourselves in calories and carbohydrates, then the concentration of leptin falls over time.. This leads to a slowdown in metabolism.

Weight loss stops. The diet stops working.

Leptin acts in a complex way. It not only affects your central nervous system through the hypothalamus to signal a slowdown in metabolism.

It works in parallel on your pancreas, kidneys, sympathetic nervous system and immune system.

What Happens When Leptin Is A LOT In Your Body:

Acceleration of energy consumption (fat burns faster).
Accelerated satiety (no hunger).
Decreased secretion of insulin.
Go to the toilet more often (urine production increases).
Stimulation of immune cells.
Accelerated bone growth and increase in their density.

It can be seen that leptin plays important role in the effectiveness of the diet.

When there is a lot of leptin (in the first 2-4 weeks of the diet), then you lose weight pretty quickly. When leptin becomes low, fat burning is inhibited.

Additionally, strength training activates the leptin signaling system in the muscles! Because of this, there is an increase in energy consumption and it seems to us that our metabolism has accelerated.

Food = Leptin INCREASES (satiety).
Hunger = Leptin FALLS (we want to eat).
We are fat = Leptin levels are MORE (it is easier for fat people to lose weight at the beginning of the journey).
We are lean = LESS leptin levels (the last 5-10 kg are the hardest to lose).
Lots of insulin in the blood (when eating carbs) = HIGHER leptin levels.
Low blood insulin (if) = LESS leptin.
We are freezing (cold) = Leptin DECREASES (easier to lose weight in summer).

You may have noticed that the main factor in reducing leptin in the body is FOOD, namely CARBOHYDRATES and, as a result, the production of INSULIN (transport hormone).

As soon as the body realizes that the level of leptin has decreased, energy consumption begins to slow down and the feeling of hunger increases.

With regular strength training, this feeling is only STRONGER!

Which exit?

Use refeeds.

Refeed(English “refeed”) is a conscious increase in the amount of carbohydrates in the diet from several hours to several days and even weeks.

Refeeds are very helpful. Now I will explain why.

The essence of carbohydrate refeeds is that you do not reduce the intake of the main source of energy (carbohydrates) into a big minus.

You periodically, usually within 3-30 days, increase the amount of carbohydrates by 50-100%. That is, if you ate 150 g of carbohydrates per day on a diet, now you eat 225-300 g.

The scheme is as follows:

When to use a refeed, you need to decide along the way. Depending on how you feel. Usually the first month and a half of the diet is the simplest. Progress is fast, restrictions are minimal.

What does this give us:

Energy consumption increases. Energy consumption due to good level leptin does not slow down and you can continue to lose weight comfortably.
No feeling of hunger. You eat the main source of energy (carbohydrates). Leptin is elevated. It gives a feeling of satiety.
Easier to follow a diet. Psychologically and physiologically. I have moments when I can no longer forcibly push myself into chicken breast with Greek. In such cases, refeeds save.
After the diet, the weight does not return. Your body is consistently receiving carbohydrates and calories. The level of stress for the body is reduced and there is no need for an emergency "reserve".
Decreased muscle catabolism. Muscles are better preserved, because. present in the body every day a certain level insulin (produced in response to carbohydrate intake).
good health and appearance . Bags under the eyes and puffiness disappear, muscles are filled with glycogen, lethargy and irritability disappear.

Cheat meals or refeeds?

I think a lot of people have asked this question.

Chitmil(from the English “cheat meal”) is a one-time or short-term violation of the diet in order to prevent the slowdown in metabolism and psychological relief dieting.

I used to be a fan of cheat meals. I've been going carb-free for a whole week so I can carb-load with a cheat meal this weekend!

I gorged myself on pizza, condensed milk pancakes, Snickers, burgers, etc.

It often happened that over the weekend I limited all the achievements that were in the week. It was sad.

Yes, and it is very difficult to always be in psychological tension due to the fact that there are no carbohydrates. for a long time. Because of this, it is very difficult to control yourself during a cheat meal.

Such swings really strained.

I found another solution for myself, to use refeeds.

When using refeeds, we CONTROL the concentration of leptin and the quality of the food we eat (and not "throw" everything in a row). When we use the cheat meal, the leptin level is uncontrollable (first it skyrockets, and then drops sharply). When cheating, we do not eat those foods that are beneficial to our body.

Latest Scientific research they say that cheat meals do not work very well to speed up the metabolism, they work to fill the muscles with glycogen.

Conclusion: If you have been diagnosed with a slow metabolism on a diet with a low-carb diet, then use REFID for a period of 3-4 to 14-30 days. Then return to a full diet.

Conclusions + 3 important questions

The article turned out to be quite interesting, in my opinion.

Let's recap a little what we've learned today:

Two reasons can contribute to stopping fat burning on a diet:

Violation of the regime (often, unconsciously).
New balance point.

To find out if the metabolism has slowed down on drying or not, you can find out by:

body temperature.
The state of the autonomic nervous system.

To speed up a slow metabolism uses REFIDS.

Carbohydrates in the diet are ALWAYS in small quantities (diet).
Periodic refeeds = LOTS of carbs (+50-100%).

Now, if your weight has stopped while losing weight, you will know what to do. I hope the information in this article was helpful to you.

Answer a couple of my questions:

Thanks a lot to everyone! And special thanks for the retweets and reposts.

P.S. Subscribe to blog updates. It will only get worse from there.

With respect and best wishes, !

Why weight is worth it and what to do about the plateau effect

"Nightmare! I went on a diet: I eat 5 times a day in small portions, excluded sugar and pastries from the diet. I do fitness 3 times a week. Lost 4 kg in a month. And now the weight is worth 2 weeks. I'm desperate and afraid to break. What to do? Why is weight worth while dieting? ” Such a desperate post can be found on any forum dedicated to weight loss. How to cope with the situation and not gain weight back? We have tried to answer this question in as much detail as possible.

Plateau phase - what is it

Many losing weight people carefully monitor weight loss. It brings a certain joy and pride. But sooner or later there comes a moment when the weight stops. And that's okay. This is how it should be and this period is called the plateau phase. As a rule, it lasts from two weeks to one and a half months.

At the beginning of weight loss, we lose excess fluid and fresh fat deposits through increased exercise and diet. But the body gradually gets used to the amount of energy received and is in no hurry to get rid of the fat reserves set aside for a rainy day. Evolution.

There are two scenarios for the development of events:

weight does not fall, but volumes decrease;
weight in place, volumes in place.

In the first case, one cannot speak of a plateau, since changes in the body are taking place, but due to an increase muscle mass instead of fat. Losing weight is not about weight alone. This is not the most important indicator. It is more correct to monitor the percentage of adipose tissue in the body. And since a kilogram of fat is larger in volume than muscle, it turns out that the weight is worth it, and the volumes are gone.

But the second case is a pure plateau phase. The main thing here is not to despair and not to give up. It is important to remember that this period is important for the restructuring of the body. If it is too long, it makes sense to give an impetus to shift from the "dead center".

Reasons for dietary plateau

Here's why weight loss is worth it:

How to move the weight from the "dead center"

It will not be possible to fully prevent a plateau - this is an important and necessary step in the process of losing weight, but you can significantly reduce the period of stagnation.

How can you force the body to start losing weight again. Especially if the plateau period dragged on. There are several options.

Conclusion

We lose weight in order to improve our well-being, to become more beautiful and healthy. Treat the plateau as a milestone in weight loss and an opportunity to make changes to your weight loss strategy. Have the patience to get through it. Realize that the path you have chosen is the only right decision for yourself.

The most important principle for any creature is do no harm. Stick to it for yourself as well. Love yourself in every way, but strive for best version myself.

Every healthy person monitors their weight. It takes a lot of effort to get in shape. And after some time, plumb lines disappear. For weeks on end, the scale needle does not move one iota, as if someone has magnetized it. And instead of euphoria from the loss of excess body fat comes disappointment.

So, don't despair! You are just one of those people who have been hit by the "plateau" effect. A common occurrence in which a person follows a diet, is actively involved in sports, but the weight is no longer reduced.

The human body is a complex structure that works like a well-oiled mechanism, but often has failures and individual characteristics. In order to deal with all sorts of reasons for stopping the dropping of extra pounds, you need to exclude the most obvious factors. It would seem that this is understandable, but one should play it safe.

Correctness of scales. Simple mechanisms tend to break or distort data. Therefore, it is necessary to choose one scale that stands on level ground. And measure the parameters at the same time, preferably in the morning on an empty stomach. In this way, common errors in data acquisition can be avoided.
Nutrition. Diet does not mean that you will lose weight all the time. Not everyone is suitable for a diet prescribed by someone, with a fixed calorie content. The preparation of the menu should be based on your individual need for trace elements and vitamins. To do this, you need to build on your weight and height, physical activity. You can start a diaryin which you write down all the foods you eat. So you can understand on which days the volumes increase, and what was the reason. Total control allows you to see all the nuances that are invisible at first glance.
People often tend to underestimate the amount of food they eat. And if at first the rejection of a bun for dinner will be enough for a little weight loss, then in the long run you will have to reconsider your diet early.
premenstrual cycle. Of course, this applies to weight stagnation lasting 1-2 weeks. female body tends to swell these days: the chest, legs swell, as well as slight nervousness and an increased feeling of hunger. If during this period you observe the established diet and physical activity, then at the end of the cycle, the weight will return to normal, and the arrows of the scales will crawl down.

Cause and effect

It is known that the numbers that are shown on the arrows of the scales include not only fat, but also bones, muscles, the weight of our organs, the food and liquid eaten. Human beings are generally 80% water. And this means that even a loss of 1-3 kg per day does not have the proper meaning. Of these, a maximum of 200g of fat can go. Accordingly, when gaining such a number of kilograms, a similar situation. The proportion of real fat gain is minimal. But if this has been observed for a week or more, it is worth investigating.

If you have ruled out the possibility of incorrect weighing, busting with consumed calories and cyclic changes in the body, the reason lies deeper.

To sort it out, below is a list of possible reasons for your unpleasant weight stagnation:

Video “Why are you not losing weight? What slows down weight loss?

How can you help the body quickly deal with hated kilograms?

This section suitable for those who reviewed their behavior and eliminated possible reasons weight stagnation. You can wake up your body, shake it up and ensure that all systems are rebooted! This will speed up the dormant metabolism.

How to move everything off the ground? Use the swing in nutrition. This does not mean uncontrolled eating of everything. But the alternation of days with high and low calories. Let's say 1 day - 1000 kcal, 2 - 1200 kcal, 3 - 800 kcal, 4 - 1500 kcal and so on. This will not allow the metabolism to relax and adapt, a constant tone will be maintained. And try new dishes, change your usual taste preferences!

Changing workouts also helps. If you're into strength training or cardio only, this is for you. It's easier. But it's easy - it's not for losing weight! This is not how volumes go. Change the type of activity for a while or radically change the training program. Arrange an explosion to your muscles!

Massage can influence the activation of metabolism. It not only relaxes the body, but also improves blood circulation in the tissues. Which has a positive effect on weight loss.

Change your daily routine. Why not? Get up instead of the usual 10 at 6 in the morning and vice versa. Shift your active activity to another time of day.

Visit a bath or sauna. Opening pores helps release oil. It also restarts many systems.

Good plumb lines and a harmonious figure for you!

Despite your best efforts, has the scale needle been at the same mark for several weeks now? Congratulations: you are among those who have experienced the plateau effect. This tricky name hides a common situation: while still dieting and exercising, for some reason you stop losing weight, although there is still room for it. And, of course, get upset about it.

But do not rush to despair: sooner or later, any slimming woman faces the plateau effect. A complaint from the category “I can’t lose weight, my weight is standing still” is one of the most common on interest forums.

Fortunately, this problem is completely solvable. The main thing is to listen to the advice of those who know what to do. Today we will act as such advisers - we will tell you why weight is worth while losing weight and what to do to cope with this problem. Shall we start?

Learn more about the plateau effect

In fact, there are a great many reasons why weight loss stops when losing weight. Let's name the most popular.

The first possible cause of the plateau is accumulated in the body a large number of water. In fact, there are a whole bunch of situations that can lead to fluid stagnation. We talked about them in more detail in the corresponding article. Carefully analyze it - perhaps the reason for your plateau lies precisely in one of them. There you will also find tips on how to quickly and painlessly remove excess fluid from the tissues.

In addition, fluid in the body can actively accumulate in the second period of the menstrual cycle. In this case, to the question of what to do if the weight has risen, there is only one answer: wait!

The second reason why the weight stopped when losing weight can be too strict diet. It's simple: you limit your calorie intake more than you need. The body experiences stress and reacts accordingly - it makes reserves for the future. And the stricter you treat yourself, the more stressed the body.

The same can be said about exhausting loads. Daily wear and tear is not The best way lose weight: you risk not only not achieving what you want, but also exacerbating the situation. The metabolic processes in the body will be disturbed, and instead of the long-awaited weight loss, an unexpected weight gain awaits you.

In everything you need to observe the measure: sports - several times a week, nutrition - at least 1200 calories per day.

The fourth possible reason why the weight does not come off when proper nutrition, - restructuring of the body. Your efforts to follow the diet were not in vain - the body began active work on:

reshaping of the musculoskeletal skeleton,
change in the position of organs (since visceral fat was burned),
tightening the periarticular ligaments,
skin tightening,
normalization of the heart and blood vessels.

During the period when these changes occur, the scale needle may freeze at one mark. This time you just need to wait. But diet and sports should not be stopped, otherwise the whole effect can quickly come to naught.

Another option why weight loss is worth weight is the “hibernation” of metabolism. This happens if you go a little too far with stability - for months you train according to the same program, eat according to the same scheme. Anyone can fall asleep from such boredom, and your body is no exception. But you can wake him up, and below we will tell you exactly how.

What to do if weight has stopped during weight loss: practical advice

So, what to do if the weight stands still? You have already received several recommendations, now we will talk about all the rest. Here are seven great ways to restart the weight loss process:

Eat in a zigzag pattern. This approach will help you awaken your metabolism from hibernation. The principle of operation is simple: let's say if you consumed strictly 1500 calories every day. change your diet so that today you eat 1200 kcal, and tomorrow - 1800. In other words, “transfer” some of the calories to the next day. It's easy to do: on the first day, reduce the portion by half, on the second - treat yourself to an extra snack. And if you act completely wisely, the “zigzag” diet looks like this: 4 days - a balanced diet of 1200 kcal, two days - unloading 800 calories, one day - a feast for the whole world, but not more than 1800 kcal.
Incorporate strength training into your training program. This is one more effective method solve the problem called “what to do if the weight stands still”: feedback from those who are already practicing power training, speak for themselves. By training in this way, you will certainly speed up the metabolic processes in the body. You can read more about what strength exercises are good for and which training program to choose in our article.
Add variety to your workouts. Many ladies who are actively involved in sports often ask themselves the question “what to do if weight has risen while losing weight”? And the answer actually lies on the surface: just change the type of training! Or at least a set of exercises. Try something new and you will definitely see results.
Analyze the ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. And if necessary, change it. Lean on cereals in the morning - try replacing them with an omelette. Or vice versa, if you eat exclusively meat, add whole grain bread to your diet. And, rest assured, the question of why the weight stays the same on a diet will soon cease to bother you.
Eat more often! This is the golden rule of losing weight, but, unfortunately, not everyone uses it. But everything is as simple as twice two: make portions smaller, add a couple of snacks between main meals, and it's done!
Reduce your salt intake. It is she who retains excess fluid in the tissues. And if you add salt, then only sea salt - no table salt!
Sign up for a massage. This is another answer to the ill-fated question “what to do if the weight stops while losing weight”. Sometimes just a few sessions are enough to wake up your metabolism from hibernation and start the process of losing weight again.

As you can see, there are many reasons why weight stands still when losing weight. Which of the problems visited you - determine for yourself. I can’t find a solution on my own, none of the above remedies help - consult a doctor, perhaps the answer lies deeper than it seems.

We, in turn, named the main possible reasons why weight is in place when dieting. And we sincerely hope that this article will help you cope with the “stagnation”. Good luck!

Categories