By: Shannon Clark

One of the worst times for anyone who’s on a fat loss / toning program is getting caught in the dreaded weight loss plateau.  Everything seems to be going great and you’re right on track with finally reaching your desired body weight when progress stops dead.

Often this leads dieters to feel extremely confused and frustrated because what worked before no longer has any impact whatsoever. In many situations, this exact occurrence is what causes them to toss in the towel and decide that their dream weight is just not within their grasp.

Don’t be so quick to do this.  With the right strategies you can beat that weight loss plateau and face your goals head on.

Here are some tips to get you started.

Do A Program Overhaul

The first way to beat a weight loss plateau is to perform a complete program overhaul(Browse through GetFitJourney.com for a look at several great programs or train directly with us 1 on 1).  If you’ve been on a four day split program, switch it up for a full body workout performed three days a week.  You might just be surprised at how a simple switch such as this can have a huge impact on your progress.

Even if you don’t change the type of split, at the very least try and exchange some of the exercises for alternatives.  This is a simple way to not only get better results but also dramatically reduce the boredom you experience as well.

Have A Reward Weekend And Focus On Carbohydrates

The next option to get past a fitness plateau is to start adding back in a high level of carbohydrates for a two to three day period.  What this does is sends the message to the body that it’s no longer on a diet so the metabolic rate can speed up again.

Often what causes a weight loss plateau is the fact that you’re burning calories so slowly, hence you aren’t creating the calorie deficit that’s needed to melt off body fat. Once you get that metabolism humming again by eating more food, you’ll start seeing results. Carbohydrates tend to impact the metabolism the greatest so these are the foods to focus on.

Reduce Overall Cardio Activity

Third, another problem that’s often the cause of a weight loss plateau is way too much cardio activity.  If you’ve been doing cardio for what seems like hours each week, it could very well be time to lower this down.

Sometimes the body can respond in a negative manner to too much cardio by slowing the metabolism down just like it did on a very low calorie diet.

Drop your cardio for two weeks and focus more on weight lifting – chances are this will help bust you out of the weight loss plateau.

Take A Complete Break From Everything

Finally, if you’re still finding that you’re stuck in that weight loss plateau and not getting the results you’re looking for, it may be time to consider taking a break from everything. In some situations the body is just verging on being overtrained and the only thing that is going to get you back on track to progress is taking a solid one to two weeks off and giving the body the rest it needs.

Far too many people think that pushing past this is the solution to the problem but instead they just keep seeing negative results.

Take the break and give your body rest.  As soon as you get started again real results will start to take place and you’ll not only look better but feel better as well.

So be sure you’re keeping these points in mind to get past that nagging weight loss plateau that’s hindering you right now.  When you stay rational and think about positive ways to beat it rather than getting frustrating and just giving up, you will see the end result you’re after.

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