Diet guru Michael Mosley has issued some guidance for anyone on a weight loss journey that has suddenly stopped seeing the results that they'd hoped for.
When you're on a diet and losing weight, it's really important that you stay motivated if you want to keep on track. One of the best things for this is noticing physical and mental results, as they'll make you feel as though your journey is working.
And while you might have started off by dropping the pounds rapidly, this can sometimes stop suddenly - even though you've not made any changes to your routine.
But Michael, who is the author of the popular Fast 800 Diet series, says this is a very common occurrence and you shouldn't give up on your journey when this happens.
In a recent blog post, he explained the reasons why you might be seeing a plateau and how you can reduce the chances of it happening.
What is a weight loss plateau?
A plateau is a period of time where you suddenly stop losing weight, even if you're sticking to a strict diet and exercise plan.
It can happen for a number of different reasons - for example, at the start of your weight loss journey, you lose a lot of water weight rapidly. Once this has gone, dropping pounds is more of a gradual process.
This can sadly mean that you end up losing motivation and falling off the wagon, going back to old habits and eating badly once again. However, it's important that you push through and keep applying your new healthy lifestyle if you want to start seeing more results.
It's entirely normal for this to happen, so it's important to prepare and keep in the right mindset.
You can do this by maintaining and building muscle mass where possible, since your metabolic rate will stay the same or increase, and you'll continue to lose weight.
Michael is a huge advocate of the Mediterranean diet, which is great for maintaining muscle mass as it's rich in things like protein and healthy fats. You should also make sure you're exercising - HIIT classes and resistance workouts are especially good for building muscle.
How to start seeing results again
While plateaus are sometimes inevitable, there are a few things you can do to help you break through.
These phases shouldn't last long, and if you continue to exercise and stick to the right foods, it won't be long before you start losing weight again.
Even just anticipating that it's going to happen can be useful as it means you're in the right mindset and won't be too disheartened when you step on the scales.
But if you're getting tired of not seeing results, Michael suggests switching to a lower-carb diet, as this can help you to flip your metabolic switch from burning sugar to burning fat.
You can also try adding more fibre into your daily intake or try time-restricted eating. This involves only eating during a certain timeframe, usually during the day, and extending your fast so that you consume less calories.
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