Breaking Through Plateaus

Personal Trainer’s Reasons for Weight-Loss
Plateaus 
By: Sondra Lieder, CSCS, CPT

 You’ve followed your personal trainer’s instruction. You've put in the hard work and the weight has melted off.  You've cleaned up your diet and put in countless hours at the gym and on the trail. And then it happens: you hit a weight-loss plateau. Hitting a plateau is frustrating and discouraging. Fear not--this eventually happens to nearly everybody who has tried to lose weight, and it's perfectly normal for your weight loss to gradually slow down or stall. Don't let this cruel trick mess with your mind and throw a loop through your efforts. Work with your personal trainer to adjust your home workout schedule
because with the proper personal training plan, you can continue to shed pounds and tone up. 

Any personal trainer in Austin will agree that the more weight you lose the fewer calories are needed to maintain the lighter
weight. When you initially reduce your caloric intake through a
reduced-calorie diet, exercise or both, you drop weight quickly. 

Another reason for plateaus is muscle loss. This is especially
true if you lose a lot of weight in short amount of time. Muscle needs more calories than fat for maintenance and activitiy. The more muscle you lose, the more your metabolism slows down. This translates to fewer calories burned performing the same activities you had at a heavier weight. This is why it’s especially important to incorporate a strength component to your personal
training routine.

 With continued weight loss, you need to exercise more or consume less in order to continue to create a calorie deficit that will lead to further weight loss.

 Consulting a local personal training expert will guide you in the
proper home training program that will help you achieve all your health and fitness goals.


 Personal Trainer’s Program for Overcoming Weight-Loss Roadblocks 

•Step up the frequency and/or intensity of exercise. Even adding an extra 15 minutes to your personal training regimen can produce huge results. Consider adding an extra mile to your walk/jog or extending your warm-up and cool down routine.

 •Cut calories with small changes to your diet. Cutting just
150-200 calories per day, the typical amount in a snack, can result in a couple pounds lost per month.

 •KEEP A FOOD LOG! Track your food intake and
exercise.  Make sure you're not increasing portions or slacking off on your workouts.

 •Talk to your trainter to switch up your personal training routine. As you become fitter the body becomes more efficient at performing the same activities. Take up a completely new type of exercise to keep challenging your muscles. Add another
strength or personal training session to your workout. Weight-lifting adds calorie burning muscle which helps you burn more calories all day long, even while your body is at rest. 

Remember to try not to lose sight of what is most important--your health. The majority of my personal training clients whose motivating factor is improved health instead of a certain body size or weight have had the most success with losing and maintaining that weight loss over a long period of time.