How I broke through my plateau…
My experience with hitting a plateau while dieting and breaking through it!
So, I have been trying to loose weight since last five months now. I started taking baby steps — first by walking within the house and later by taking my walks outside the home. Motivated by this, I joined a gym, got a trainer and a Fitbit Flex — this was my very first sincere effort at losing weight. Till now, a few extra pounds didn’t bother me much, but this time I am determined to work through these pounds.
It is common to hit a plateau while exercising regularly. There comes a time that your routine exercise fails to reduce your weight. I was no exception. I hit my first plateau a month ago, when I was at 123 lbs. I was disheartened a bit for putting efforts without any gain (loss in my case). The inquisitive me looks for answers on internet and that’s what I did this time too. Internet exposed me to a gamut of things that one can do to come out of the plateau. Some were easy while others took some effort. Here are the things that seem to work for me:
Drinking tons of lime water: I was drinking water anyway. Maybe not as much, but what helped me was infusing lemon and orange slices. It keeps you hydrated, detoxifies you and cuts the fat.
Tip: Try drinking water as soon as you wake up. Drink from a tall glass as much as you can, till you cant drink anymore.
Apple cider vinegar with cayenne pepper: Try drinking apple cider vinegar with cayenne pepper every morning on empty stomach. Or after drinking glass of water in the morning.
Tip: It does not taste that great initially but then you get used to it ☺
Cut those carbs: I cut my dinner carbs. Which meant no breads for me at night. And yes, no artificial sugar or packaged foods. I replaced them with proteins. My choice of protein were chicken and more chicken.
Tip: Mix veggies with protein. I would take cabbage soup for fibers.
Mix it up with different exercises: I would do four days of circuit training with some strength training and cardio. Then, I would follow it up by a day of only cardio and two days of rest. These are part of Jillian Michaels’ workouts.
Tip: Choose exercises that are complimentary rather than working on same body parts. Try changing your exercises every other day. It will keep you interested anyway!
After doing this for about a month, I have been able to move my weight to 121 lbs. This wasn’t my first plateau nor is it going to be my last, I just think I am a bit more aware and more confident about dealing with it.
