Beat the Plateau

As I get closer to my Ideal weight of 125 (I am 5 foot 4 inches, 27 yrs old), it gets harder and harder to lose those last pounds. I started at 153, the largest I have been my entire life, although I wasn't tipping the scales at 200, it was still the wake up call I needed. I am now down to a solid 137 lbs, 136.6 on a good day!

The closer you get to your goal the harder weight loss gets. It is a fact that is hard to swallow. It has been a hard road. I just got over my second plateau (a period of time where your weight stays the same... usually a week or two), a tough thing to overcome, ask anyone who has lost weight. I thought I was stuck at 140 and would be there my entire life. After stepping on the scale day after day and seeing no progress I started to get frustrated. There are lots of ways to beat the plateau woes, here are my suggestions.

Keep Going
The first and best way to beat a plateau is to refocus and keep going. Keep eating right, keep exercising, and keep it up! You will overcome it, even if it doesn't feel that way.

Mix it Up
Mix up your exercise. Doing the same old, same old gets boring, and it also slows your weight loss. Your body/muscles get used to the same workout. There is good news though. Simply switching up your workout and doing something you don't usually do can bring you out of a plateau. Plus its good practice anyway!

Eat Right
Healthy eating is essential to weight loss, but the longer we go without those unhealthy treats the more we want them. Especially as it gets closer to summer and all that goes with it, more drinks, cookouts, ice cream, etc, it gets harder to make the right decisions. If you are plateauing make sure to reevaluate your eating habits and make sure that you are eating enough fruits, vegetables and lean protein.

Overall just remember not to give up. I'm not giving up anytime soon. My clothes fit better, I am losing weight and gaining confidence as well as muscle tone! I even had to go buy new bathing suits because mine weren't fitting anymore! I got to buy Mediums!! SO awesome. You can do it too!