Winning the diet Plateau - Offers on how to lose stubborn belly fat

One of the most common and frustrating situations for those trying to lose weight occurs when no matter what you try and do (cut carb intake, exercise more…), you just can’t figure out how to lose stubborn belly fat, in other words, You have reached the diet plateau.

“I keep on eating only salad and chicken but only manage to lose a quarter of an ounce per week…”

This might be a familiar problem, but few actually know that there are some important points and some very good tools to cope with this issue.

The “Fake” Plateau

Before we dive into plateaus and discuss ways around them, I want to touch on what might seem to be a plateau but is really a “fake” plateau. Often times, our clients do not own the right measuring tools or misuse them and are therefore not aware of their progression.

Another common mistake occurs when our clients trust solely on their scales and become frustrated when day after day, their weight does not budge. Assuming you are working out and doing light to moderate muscle training, you must not overlook the important fact that you are gaining muscle! And additional muscle weight can easily conceal fat loss.

The simple solution to this misleading measurement is to not only trust the scale, but to use additional measurement tools. We recommend using all three of the following measurement tools as they will not only assure progress, but will provide you with the progress you desire.

1.  Body fat caliper– This is the most accurate at home measuring tool for body fat percentage. For only one or two dollars, you can purchase one of these devices and within 5 minutes or less, you can get a true sense of whether you are gaining or loosing body fat.
2. Measuring tape– This tool can be found in almost every household or hardware store. Although it isn’t considered accurate for measuring body fat, it can provide an indication as to your weight loss. Muscle is denser than fat, and therefore,  if you’ve gained a pound of muscle and lost a pound of fat, your measurements will become smaller. This is especially true at the abdomen area for men and the gluteal area for women.
3. Pictures– “But I hate taking pictures of myself” Guess what, you might hate it, but this method actually works! Taking pictures of yourself in equal intervals can be a great tool for answering the most important question of all – Am I actually looking better than how I looked before?Every week for three months, take pictures of yourself to help find the answer to this question. We love hearing stories of people looking back and telling themselves, “I can’t believe I used to look like that!”

“I can’t believe i used to look that way!”

What causes a plateau?

Once you have determined that your case is not that of a ‘fake’ plateau, we can take a deeper look into understanding the factors that can cause an actual plateau, and look for ways around it.

Normally, our body receives energy from food intake (calories). When calories are limited  our body will attempt to obtain the additional required energy from carbohydrates stored in the muscle and liver. In order to avoid muscle loss, the body’s metabolism will slow down. As you continue exercising, the body will adjust by burning less calories, and it might even come to a complete halt. Before you know it, you’ve reached a plateau!

But i want to know how to lose stubborn belly fat…

How to lose stubborn belly fat

Let’s take a look at some tools that can help us overcome this hurdle:

• Keep a diet notebook – Many people work hard to create a diet but are often unaware that they are not sticking to the plan . Keeping a notebook is an easy solution to this problem. By writing  everything that enters your mouth (preferably during the meal), you will be able to look back and calculate the calories consumed. This will help you understand what might have gone wrong and will allow you change it. If you have stuck to the plan and are still not seeing the results you desire, consider making a small change to the current diet by reducing the caloric intake by 200 calories and reevaluating your results after some time.
• Make extreme dietary changes– Every 6-10 days, make sure to make an extreme change to your diet. Try raising your caloric intake by 1000-2000 calories for a day or two. This can “trick” your body causing it to return to higher metabolism rates, and you may be pleasantly surprised by the sudden weight loss the following week. One of our clients shared an experience he had when he assumed no dietary restraints while on vacation. Once he returned to his regular nutrition and training program, he witnessed his biggest weight loss ever.
• Prevent your body from “playing defense” – Make sure that your next diet is not too extreme. A common rule of thumb is not to reduce your caloric intake by more than 500 calories from your TDEE. This will assure that the body will not enter a “defensive” state, or at the very least, this will postpone the metabolic changes for a while.

• Seek professional help – With all due respect to today’s technology, it can’t always tell you what you look like or how to create the best plans and routines. Schedule an appointment with a fitness professional or talk with one at your local gym.
• Have realistic expectations –  If you’ve got 3% body fat and muscles popping out of every body part, this is a situation where you’ve reached a plateau you just can’t pass (And keep healthy). On the other hand, if you have extra weight to lose and feel you are burning fat but not as fast as you’d like, verify your goal numbers you are thinking about are are realistic, you might just have to be more patient. Rome wasn’t built in one day!
• When nothing else works, take a break – Many people lose hope when they reach a plateau and quickly return to their old habits. In cases where nothing seems to work, take a conscious break from it all for a week or two, then get back on the horse!

Knowing is half the battle

Now that you better understand the plateau and are equipped with several solutions for how to lose stubborn belly fat, I’d like to add one last comment. Never, ever, give up! The easiest thing to do at this stage is throw in the towel. Don’t. Everything is solvable and the satisfaction you will receive when you surpass the plateau is extremely rewarding.

Good luck in your fitness journey and make sure to enjoy the ride!