Here are some diet tricks to break the weight loss plateau.
1. Watch Your Carbs — cut back on “bad” carbs
When I say “watch your carbs”, I am not saying to decrease your carb intake drastically. I am simply saying cut back on your carb intake if you hit a weight loss plateau. The best way to do this is to cut back on refined, dense carbs, like white loaves of bread, pasta, and baked goods, instead, you should start consuming more water-rich and airy unprocessed good carbs like fluffy whole grains such as quinoa, fresh fruits, and vegetables. The low-carb diets help control hunger, provide a feeling of fullness and help to promote long-term weight loss.
2. Track Your Calories — and be honest
Keep a track of your macronutrient and calorie intake. Are you eating too fewer calories? Too many Calories? Tracking your food can provide accountability and will help you know if there is a need to make some dietary adjustments in order to begin your weight loss journey again. Eating fewer calories doesn’t mean that you will lose weight faster; if you do so, it won’t be a healthy way to lose weight and it will come back. Nourish your body.
3. Drink More Water — stay hydrated
Drinking water can help to boost your metabolic rate and help in weight loss. Water helps in burning calories and also helps to flush out any toxins, excess sodium or any other fluid you might be hanging on to. Drinking water also helps to keep hunger at bay and help you power through workouts more efficiently. If your urine is dark yellow in color, you are dehydrated and you should start sipping in more water.
4. Increase Protein Intake — spread out your protein throughout the day
Protein helps to boost your metabolic rate and aids in weight loss. You should include at least 20 grams of protein at each meal. If you have hit a weight loss plateau, you may need to increase your lean protein intake. Eating lean proteins help you fill up faster, so you will stay full for a longer period and consume fewer calories. Protein also helps the body to retain its muscle while scorching fat.
5. Eat More Fiber — add more of filling fiber to your plate
Fiber aids in weight loss by slowing down the movement of food through your digestive tract, reducing appetite and decreasing the number of calories your body absorbs from food. With an increase in fiber intake, you also need to drink enough water, else you will get constipated. If you are constipated, you will not lose weight.
6. Intermittent Fasting — give it a try
Intermittent Fasting aids in promoting the loss of body fat and weight. Intermittent fasting helps you eat fewer calories, maintain muscle mass, and may also slightly boost your metabolism.
7. Cut Back on Sodium — reduce your salt intake
If you are struggling to lose weight, you should start tracking your sodium intake. Consuming too much sodium can leave you to feel bloated. The best way to cut back on sodium is to skip the salt shaker or sodium-laden seasonings and eat more unprocessed and fresh foods.
8. Don’t drink your calories — don’t get cheated on satiety
Cut out calorie-containing beverages from your diet such as alcohol, and other soft drinks, milkshakes and even fruit and vegetable juices. Alcohol may interfere with your weight loss by providing empty calories, making it easier to increase belly fat storage and make you overeat.
9. Change How You Get Caffeinated — drink more green tea
Your coffee habit might be halting your weight loss progress. Green Tea makes a wonderful choice of caffeinated drink for weight loss. Green Tea is loaded with fat-blasting compounds that help to reduce the belly fat by boosting the metabolism and then speeding up the liver’s fat burning capacity. Making the switch from coffee to green tea may be just what your body needs to kick-start your weight loss journey again.
10. Ditch fat-rich foods — fill up on water-rich, fiber-filled foods
Foods that are rich in water provide a lot of stomach-filling volumes, but not a lot of calories. Increase your intake of vegetables, fruits, hot cereals, beans, corn, potatoes, yams, brown rice or whole-wheat pasta. Foods that are rich in water and fiber also have additional health benefits also such as lowering the rates of heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes.