5 Ways I broke through a weight plateu

Have you ever had that moment where you feel as though no matter how hard you try you just can’t break through that weight plateau??

Yeah I hear ya, believe it or not I’ve been there before and know exactly what it feels like!

Today I wanted to share with you 5 ways I broke through a weight plateau. I used one or more of these strategies at each point when I reached a plateau and discovered more on my healthy living journey.

There are so many different diets and opinions out there when it comes to both diet and exercise and there really is no one size fits all approach to everyone. Ie. do this exercise X times per week and eat this meal plan will not work for everyone.

We are all a little bit different which is what makes us unique. These tips will not be telling you exactly what to do, however they will be giving you some advice on things you can try to see if they work for you.

// Exercise
Firstly I began to actually do some exercise! Sounds easy enough however I know when the only exercise you get is walking between pubs on a friday night because you are too cheap to pay for a taxi (true story), it is actually quite hard to do.

My best suggestion here is to start easy and find something you enjoy doing. If you don’t enjoy doing it you’re not likely to stick to it. If you enjoy going for a walk make a point to schedule at least two walks in a week.

If you prefer group fitness then either join a gym or bootcamp with classes, or join a social sports team.

In the beginning it doesn’t need to be drastic, start with 2 days per week and then slowly work yourself up to 3-4 days per week. Once you are comfortable with your chosen form of exercise add something else in.

For me, I started out with running twice per week, because I actually don’t mind running (and it’s free!). I then progressed to a resistance based gym. Both of these worked for me in the beginning.

// Counting Calories
*snore* I know, I know. Counting calories doesn’t sound like the most fun in the world but trust me, you will have some revelations when you realise that some foods which are supposed to be good for you are full of sugar or salt!

My best suggestion here is to track your food for a week (weigh it if you can as well) and see how many calories you consume on a normal week. I personally would ignore what apps like My Fitness Pal tell you to eat as often it is far too low.

Please DO NOT do the 1200 calorie thing, it is not enough food if you are active and eating good healthy foods!

Track for a week (being 100% honest) and then take a look at how many calories you averaged over the week. Now have a look and see how you can drop this number by 100-200 calories per day.

Some examples could be, if you’re having sugar in your coffee slowly reduce it down. Eat more protein and vegetables compared to carbohydrates and fruit (high in sugar). Add protein to your lunch and breakfasts to help keep you fuller.

It doesn’t need to be a drastic change in the beginning, small changes each week or month will add up over time.

// Reducing Alcohol
I was stuck on a huge plateau and had been for a long time until I finally listened to my brain and acknowledged that my drinking habits were not doing me any favours on the scale.

To begin with I started changing my drinks from pre-mixed vodka and cola to mixing my own with diet coke. Great choice calorie wise, not a fantastic choice nutrition wise.

I even managed to work the alcohol into my calories by eating less throughout the week so I could indulge on the weekend. Not a bad idea if you have a special event on, so long as you are not starving yourself. However not a good strategy if you drink every weekend.

I slowly began reducing the amount I was drinking, by setting myself a limit of only a couple of drinks per night or just making sure I had singles instead of doubles. No-one else needed to know I wasn’t drinking as much as them!

I then began to alternate sober driving for parties so that I could have completely sober weekends. These days I would be lucky to have one drink a month, I could probably count on one hand the number of drinks I’ve had in the past 6 months!

These days I don’t miss it at all! You don’t have to go teetotal but reducing the amount of alcohol you are consuming can definitely make a huge difference. My belly saw a HUGE change just by doing this!

// Having Support
I had no idea how much having someone support me made a difference. In the past I was always trying to do things alone and constantly being faced with events and the easy option of takeaways for dinner.

Find at least one person in your life who shares the same values as you and understands the journey you are going on. Whether your goal is to loose weight, get fitter or healthier or all three.

As the saying goes, surround yourself with those on the same journey as you. Find a walking or gym buddy, join healthy living groups on facebook and read blogs and websites where the people motivate you every time you read them.

If you can get your significant other on the bandwagon as well it will help tremendously. Having two people doing food prep is awesome as you can spread the jobs around.

It also helps when you’ve had a long day and all you want is takeaways, the other person is more likely to encourage you to eat the food you have prepared earlier in the week, or at least go for a healthier takeway option.

// Lifting Heavy
My newest discovery and something I advocate to everybody! Lifting heavy! Lifting heavy transformed my body and broke me through my last plateau. I have since put on weight on the scales due to having a higher proportion of muscle to fat however my body fat percentage has changed drastically and I look WAY better.

Your body needs to be challenged in order to be able to make a real significant change. Constantly doing the same thing both food and exercise wise is a sure fire plan to eventually giving up because you just aren’t seeing the results for your effort.

By striving to increase the weights whenever things are being too easy you are challenging your body and therefore it is more likely to respond and make the changes you really want too see.

I’m not saying you need to follow my lead and head down the powerlifting route, all I am saying is that you need to step away from the 1kg weights. If you can complete your sets without struggling for the last few reps of at least the last set, it’s too easy and you need to go up a weight.

There we have it, 5 ways I broke through a weight plateu! I hope some of these will help you on your journey!

I’d love to hear what has worked for you – just leave a comment below

If you enjoyed this post you may like my latest post, 8 Steps to a Flatter Belly