If you’ve been working hard to follow a healthy diet and exercise regime it can be tough to see your weight loss hit a standstill even though nothing you do has changed. Although it can be disheartening, it’s completely normal for this to happen during any weight-loss programme, and it’s important that you don’t give up your new healthy habits if it happens to you!
Why has my progress stopped?
When you start a new diet or weight loss programme such as Bodyline, the first few weeks are always the best. Many of our clients see brilliant results within the first few days of starting their Bodyline medication, with an average weight loss of one stone in their first month of joining. We encourage a 1200 calorie intake per day, which is 800 less than the average intake needed in order to maintain a healthy weight, and our medication helps to reduce cravings and keep snacking and portion sizes to a minimum.
When you start your weight loss journey, your body releases its store of glycogen, which is a carbohydrate made up mostly of water, found in the muscles and liver. The release of this water results in rapid weight loss, which is an effect that is short lived and stops when the reserve is used up.
Muscle is also lost during weight-loss, which will cause your metabolic rate to slow down and your body will take a little longer to burn calories compared to when you started.
When the calories you burn equals the calories you eat every day, this will cause a plateau, and your weight-loss will be at a complete standstill.
How do I get things moving again?
If you’ve not yet hit your target weight, you will need to adjust your diet plan and make some changes before you begin to lose any more.
Less Calories – Try to be honest with yourself and reassess how many calories you’re consuming in the day. Have you started to snack in between meals or after a workout when you’re not supposed to? Have you started to increase your portion sizes without even noticing? And if nothing has changed with your calorie intake, try making changes in other aspects of your life instead.
More Exercise – If you’re already eating a reduced calorie intake of 1200 calories per day, then we would recommend looking at upping your exercise during the week in order to shift those extra few pounds so that you are still getting all the nutrients your body needs in order to maintain all of its natural functions. Try adding an extra hours workout to your weekly schedule, parking further away at the supermarket or doing some vigorous spring cleaning to burn some calories during your day.
How do I stop myself from gaining weight again?
Don’t let all of your efforts be in vain! Try to work out where your problem lies, and if you still can’t think of what might be stopping your weight-loss, talk to your family and friends for some advice. The people that you live with especially may have noticed you subconsciously cutting corners or reaching for snacks, and might be able to offer an insight into what’s holding you back.
If you’re still at a block, call our bookings team to arrange a phone consultation with one of our nurses and we might be able to help!
