What Can You Do to End a Weight Loss Plateau?

When on a diet to lose weight most people will eventually face the dreaded weight loss plateau.  Here are some tips to help push past it.

• Keep a Food Journal.  Keeping track of everything you consume can help you identify areas where you may be tripping yourself up.  Be honest and include every nibble and sip.  The bite of a cookie, the oil you used to saute your chicken or the tablespoon of salad dressing you had at lunch can start to add up.  Remember, even 100 extra calories a day can lead to a weight loss plateau or even weight gain.

• Eat More Often.  If your weight loss plateau is caused by your metabolism slowing down, you may consider eating more, smaller meals throughout the day.  This can help control hunger and keep your metabolism up.

• Eat More Protein.  Foods high in protein help suppress ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite.  Protein also promotes lean muscle tissue which is beneficial to fat burning.  You actually need 1 gram of protein for each pound of desired body weight daily.

• Eat More Fruits and Vegetables.  Eating lots of low-calorie, high-volume fruits and vegetables fills you up and helps keep you from eating other foods that are higher in fat and calories.  They also provide your body with healthy vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and fiber.

• Watch Your Carbs.  Be sure to eat plenty of healthy carbs such as fruits, veggies, beans and whole grains.  But be wary of the extra refined carbs that you might be eating.  These include not only white flour and sugars, but also carbs hidden in foods like ketchup, salad dressings, yogurts and other processed and even “diet” foods.

• Make Sure You Eat Enough. Don’t make the mistake of cutting calories too much. This can slow your metabolism and cause a weight loss plateau. You need to consume adequate fuel in order lose body fat, especially if you are active.  Eating a well balanced diet that includes plenty of lean protein, lots of fruit, vegetables and small amounts of healthy fats will keep your metabolism humming and could be the boost you need to end your weight loss plateau.

• Watch Your Alcohol Intake.  Alcohol contains empty calories that contribute nothing to your body.  Alcohol also slows down fat burning, because the body focuses on using the alcohol as fuel, rather than burning fat for energy.  Alcohol also dehydrates, and dehydration can make you hungry.

• Drink Plenty of Water.  Thirst is often mistaken for hunger. So when you feel the urge to snack, drink a glass of water first and see if the urge goes away.  Drinking 16 ounces of COLD water can also increase your BMR so you burn a few more calories.

• Vary Your Calorie Intake.  If you’ve been eating a certain amount of calories every day but you’ve hit a weight lossplateau and it’s not working anymore, try alternating high and low calorie days. If you’re consuming 1,700 calories a day, try eating 1,400 on some days and 2,000 on others.  Just be sure not to increase your overall calorie intake for the week.

• Vary Your Exercise Routine.  Your muscles get used to the same old routine and become more efficient.  Varying your activities will force you to use different muscles which can jump start your metabolism and push you past your weight loss plateau.  If walking briskly or jogging is your only form of exercise, try adding swimming, cycling or yoga or pilates to your regimen.

• Intensify Your Work Outs.  The work out that  was challenging for you when you first started may not be so tough anymore.  Boost calorie burning by adding short bursts of higher-intensity movement to your usual routine.  For example, during your 2 mile morning walk, include a few intervals at higher speed or at a higher incline (climb hills if you’re walking outside).  Most experts recommend 30- to 60-second bursts every three to four minutes.  Research has shown you will significantly raise your heart rate during and for up to 6-9 hours after a workout, burning more calories during and after exercise.

• Increase the amount of time you exercise by an additional 15 to 30 minutes.  You can also add another shorter work out early in the day or in the afternoon to increase your metabolism and end your weight loss plateau.

• Include Strength Training.  Building and preserving muscle mass is a key factor in reaching a healthy weight because muscle requires more calories to maintain than fat. In fact a pound of muscle burns 50 calories a day compared to a pound of fat which burns a measly 4 calories!

• Join The Daily Fitness Center and get free tools to help you monitor your calorie intake, give you motivation, nutrition facts and exercise programs.

Don’t Give Up!  Remember why you wanted to lose weight to begin with.  Picture the end result and refocus your diet and exercise efforts.  Don’t let a weight loss plateau, which is no doubt temporary, destroy your motivation and send you right back to where you started.

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The above is not intended as medical advice. Always consult your physician when starting a diet and exercise program.

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Diet Tips and Tricks

to Help You Lose Weight

There are lots diet tips and tricks you can use every day to help you increase your weight loss efforts…

Eat In: I rarely eat out myself. Did you know that restaurant serving sizes can be more than twice as much as you would tend to serve yourself at home? Not to mention, you don’t know exactly what’s in the food.

Use a smaller Plate: This will help you cut down on your portion sizes and help lead to weight loss. This is one of my favorite diet tips.  I always use a salad plate at dinner time!

Eat your vegetables first: They taste better when they’re hot anyway!

Cut the Junk: Make every calorie count. Avoid the empty calories in processed and fried foods, salty snacks, candy and sugary drinks.  Choose water or green tea and fresh fruits and nuts as snacks.

Avoid added fat: An obvious diet tip – adding butter, sour cream and certain other condiments to your food is just adding calories.  One of my favorite diet tips: always order your salad dressing on the side.

Eat when you’re hungry: Listen to your body and eat when you’re hungry.  There are schools of thought that tell us to “eat within an hour of waking” or “eat every 3 hours” or “eat 6 small meals a day.”  But we’re all different and the bottom line, for the most part, is that to lose weight we need to eat fewer calories than we burn.  Waiting until you’re starving to fuel your body not only slows metabolism but can encourage you to make poor food choices.  Diet tip – keep healthy snacks handy to avoid temptation between meals.

Why I Chose The Diet Solution

Lose Weight and Reduce Belly Fat Once and For All

The Diet Solution has helped me lose excess weight and get my flat stomach back!  If you’re like me you’ve had your own weight loss ups and downs.

I’ve been thin for most of my life.  But over the past couple years the weight has been creeping up on me, especially around my waist, so I finally got up on the scale and faced the truth.  I guess seeing that I weighed 171 pounds was enough to push me over.

I was tired of feeling bad about the way I look.  I hated to go out.  I couldn’t fit into the nice clothes I have in my closet, so wore baggy T shirts and sweat shirts that I “borrow” from my husband and son.

I allowed this to happen, and I deserved better, so I decided it was time to do something.  It was 12 days before Christmas, a crazy time to start a new exercise and eating plan, but I was ready to make changes right away.  Changes that would reduce belly fat in particular.

What is “The Diet Solution?”

There are lots of weight loss programs out there but I had seen some great reviews for The Diet Solution online and had thought about giving it a try, you know, some day.  Maybe in January, or when Summer rolled around.  But the day I weighed in at 171 pounds I knew the time had come!

Click Here to Get Your Free 7 Day Fat Loss E-Series

Isabel Before The Diet Solution

Isabel After The Diet Solution

The Diet Solution isn’t a fad or a crash diet.  It’s a long term lifestyle change that includes a healthy way of eating along with exercise. It teaches you how you can eat delicious food, combined the right way, to lose weight and keep it off, permanently.

The Diet Solution Program is an easy to follow, comprehensive weight loss program that will help you reduce  fat, increase your energy and improve your overall health without going hungry!

Isabel De Los Rios – Founder of “The Diet Solution”

Why Should You Try The Diet Solution?

• Get Results Fast – I’m living proof that it works!  I lost 4 pounds and 2 inches off my waist in the first 3 weeks (which included Christmas & New Year’s)
• Individualized Meal Plans and Shopping Lists Based on Your Metablolic Type
• No Calorie Counting
• You Don’t Have to Give Up Carbs!
• Easy to Start, Understand and Maintain
• Never go Hungry – Eat Real Delicious Food!
• Great Recipes
• Online Support
• Newsletters and Diet and Fitness Tips

I found out that I had a lot of misconceptions when it came to healthy eating and weight loss.  I’ve always been a carboholic and have avoided fat of all kinds as well as many sources of protein.  I admit that I clung on to calorie counting at first.  Wrong!

What The Diet Solution Taught Me:

• Calorie Counting Doesn’t Work for Long Term Weight Loss
• Restricting Calories is the Worst Thing You Can Do to Lose Weight
• Why Some So Called “Health Foods” Can Make You Gain Weight
• That You NEED to EAT in Order to Lose Weight…Amen!

It’s been 27 days for me and I’m still on my weight loss journey. But I’ve already come a long way to reduce belly fat and I’m looking forward to Summer for the first time in a long time.  First I gave up bathing suits, then shorts, then tank tops.  Not this year!

It’s up to you to decide for yourself.  Click on the banner below and get your Free 7 Day Starter Kit and lifetime subscription to Isabel’s “Nutritionist Tells All” Newsletter.

You Have Nothing to Lose But Your Unwanted Weight!

The Diet Solution

Obviously you DO have to work at this.  It’s not a magic pill.  It can also be inconvenient that the plan stresses organic foods so strongly.  They can be harder to find and are always more expensive.  But I don’t let that stop me.  I just stick to the program the best I can with what I have, and it IS working to reduce belly fat and help my lose weight.

About Isabel

Isabel De Los Rios, a certified nutritionist and a specialist in exercise,  has  helped more than 25,000 people a world wide lose their excess weight, get back their health and change their lives for the better.  A graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in exercise physiology, she is a certified conditioning and strength specialist.

Always consult your physician before starting an exercise or diet plan

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Happy New Year!

This year is off to a great start!  Last Friday was weigh in number 3 on my flat stomach diet plan with The Diet Solution.  I lost another .8 pounds which brings my total weight loss to 4 pounds in 23 days.  Not bad if you consider that I did celebrate New Year’s by holding a Champagne brunch in my home.

The Diet Solution offers a wide variety of delicious foods to choose from so the food wasn’t problem.  I did indulge in more than one Mimosa though!

I also skipped my cabbage soup last week but I made a big batch yesterday to enjoy this week.  Yes, there are tons of food choices, but I just find it easier to know what I’m going to eat during the day and to have it ready to go when I’m ready to eat.

While I’ve decided to save taking measurements until the end of my first month, I did check out my waist to see how much progress I’ve made there.  I mean, I can tell by looking in the mirror and by how my clothes fit that this flat stomach diet is working.  I’ve lost a full inch already!

I’ve found the Live Strong site to be very helpful as far as calculating the calorie content of foods, the amount of calories I need per day to reach my weight loss goals and the amount of calories I burn through exercise.  There really is so much information and so many resources there, I strongly recommend you check it out!

So with just a few days to go in month one of my flat stomach diet I’ve already exceeded my goal of 1 pound per week.  I’m on track to lose 5 pounds in the first month.  That’s 20-25% of my weight loss goal in only one month.  And it was so easy!

Get started today with Your Free 7 Day ECourse and Newsletter

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Menopause and Weight Gain

What you can do to avoid it!

For many women menopause and weight gain go hand in hand, especially around the abdomen.  It’s true for me and that’s why I started on The Diet Solution.  This type of weight gain, also know as “middle age spread” can be caused by poor diet, changes in body composition as well as genetics, a more sedentary lifestyle and hormonal changes.

As women approach menopause their body’s hormone levels start changing.  As estrogen levels decline, your body will look for other places to get the needed estrogen, and fat cells are capable of producing estrogen. This results in your body working harder to convert calories to fat.

Testosterone levels are also declining and testosterone is the hormone that converts your calories to lean muscle mass.  With lower testosterone levels the body starts losing muscle mass. And, since muscle cells burn  more calories than fat cells, your body loses some of its ability to burn fat.

Menopause and weight gain can contribute to higher levels of bad cholesterol and triglycerides, increased blood pressure, even the onset of type 2 diabetes. These health conditions can have negative effects on the heart and can also increase the risk of cancer, particularly of the colon and breast.

But it can be hard to lose weight as we get older and exercise plays a big part when it comes to menopause and weight gain.  Aerobic activities, such as brisk walking, increase metabolism and help burn fat.  Adding light weight training to your exercise routine two to three times a week helps strengthen bones and tone muscles.  And increasing muscle mass helps the body burn even more calories.  Incorporating Yoga and Pilates into your fitness routine will promote flexibility, increase bone mass and improve your overall balance.

A diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains keeps energy levels high while helping to lower calorie intake. It’s also important to get plenty of protein such as lean meat, chicken, turkey, fish, beans, nuts and flaxseed.  Eating several smaller meals throughout the day keeps your metabolism and energy levels high, while holding hunger at bay.

Avoid sources of empty calories in alcohol, refined flour and sugar.

With a healthy diet and regular exercise menopause and weight gain don’t necessarily have to go together.

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