WRITTEN BY JAMIE DUVNJAK, CERTIFIED HEALTH COACH
You’ve sweated off countless calories, cleaned up your diet and watched pounds vanish. But, suddenly the scale is no longer in your favor and has come to a maddening halt. What gives?
Well, losing those last 5, 10 or even 15 pounds can prove tricky sometimes and a real hardship. In fact, it’s an unfortunate law of weight loss: the first 30 pounds are easier to shed than the last 10! That’s because for every pound you lose, your metabolism slows down by up to 20 calories per day. This means, even if you have lost a lot of weight, it can be incredibly difficult to get rid of those last few pounds clinging to your waistline.
Regardless, by following the tips given below, you can push past your plateau:
Acknowledge How Far You’ve Come
Before we begin, throw yourself a party for all the positive steps you’ve taken so far. Seriously, losing weight isn’t easy and the fact that you’re still working on losing those last pounds shows how committed you are to your weight loss program. So, give yourself a treat, share your happiness with friends and stay positive! Just keep in mind that the next few days will be rough and you need to kick up the intensity to get rid of those last few pounds.
Time for Some Intense Cardio
Since you have been following a weight loss program, it can be assumed you have been doing some cardio training to sweat off those calories. But in order to lose those last few pounds, you need to increase the intensity. Intense cardio training can boost your metabolism, which helps burn fat faster. Cardio intervals are very effective, so make sure to incorporate them in your workout as well.
Prepare for a Little Strength Training
Lifting weights can burn 30% more calories. By doing strength and cardio training together, you can blast those pounds into the stratosphere. Therefore, alternate cardio training with strength training. For example, go for 10 minutes of running on a treadmill followed by 10 minutes of lifting weights, then back to cardio again. You get the idea.
Skip Nibbling
Calories really add up over the course of a month. Even sucking on a few mints each day could prevent those extra pounds from falling off. Think about it. If you consume 3 mints or other small pieces of candy per day times 30-31 days, how many unnecessary calories are you taking in? Could be anywhere from 600 to 1800 per month― depending on the size of the candy. And where is the nutritional value anyway? Or when you’re preparing dinner, don’t nibble on everything in site. Wait until the meal is finished and eat only what’s on your plate.
As always, listen to your body. Aim to get more sleep. Do things you enjoy doing and stick to a plan that makes you happy!
Have an active day!
Jamie Duvnjak
Certified Health Coach
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