I think everyone goes through this at some point. I'm going through it right now. I lost all the pregnancy weight except for the last 10 pounds... and I've been stuck for about a month. I'll share at the end of the post the plan I'm working with to try to kick those last 10 to the curb...
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| This thing has not moved in weeks.... |
Where's the Progress?
When I say "progress", it could mean either weight loss or inches lost.
If you have stopped seeing weight-loss, you may have hit a plateau. A plateau usually occurs when your body gets used to what it's been doing. As much as I love Turbofire, if I did it everyday for 6 weeks, and nothing else, my results would slow down. However, if I am doing Turbofire and throw in a different workout on alternate days, my body won't be adapted to the program, and will keep changing.
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| Have you hit a plateau? |
On the other hand, if my running seems stuck- I can't get past 2 miles, for example, maybe I am overtraining. Maybe I need a little crosstraining. Mix it up a bit...
Are you doing a lot of the same thing?
Are you a cardio junkie, doing running, turbofire, step, etc... but very little weight work?
I saw a big difference when I added strength work during a semester break one year. I had been doing primarily cardio all semester- I needed that endorphine high of cardio, and it was a busy semester, so it was hard to fit both cardio and weight work in, so I just did cardio. Over the holiday break, which was about a month, I started doing a moderately heavy total body strength workout 3 times a week. I did a little less cardio.
When I got back to school in January, everywhere I went, people were saying, "Did you lose weight?" I truly believe that shock to my system helped me see progress.
So, if you love the cardio (like I do. I love it), you may want to consider slowing things down with some heavy (or moderately heavy) weight training. Chalean Extreme or P90X is a good start- these programs have you lifting 3 days a week.
What about the eating part?
Another thing to think about is your diet. Do you follow your calories closely? Do you measure everything? EVERYTHING?
Ugh. I know, I hate it too. But, if you're not seeing results, this could be why.
What is my plan?
Well, I've been doing a lot of one thing: Running. It never really gets super easy, but I think my body is getting used to it. And... I'm doing it a lot. So, I wasn't really surprised when I stepped back and looked at my activity that I haven't seen much progress in the past month or so. Here's what a typical week looks like:
Monday: Run
Tuesday: Run
Wednesday: Turbofire
Thursday: Kettlebells (maybe); Run
Friday: Turbofire
Saturday: Run
So, there's not a lot of resistance training going on. As I said before, I know for a fact the difference that strength training can make... so I'm going to add 2 days of a total body strength workout (such as Cathe's Power Hour, Jari Love Slim and Lean or Ripped and Chiseled, etc..)
The race is coming up in just over a month, but I can still keep my maintenance runs pretty short and down to 2-3 times a week (long runs on Saturdays), so this leaves me room for at least 2 days of strength training.
So, we'll see how it goes.
Have you ever gotten stuck at a weight-loss plateau?
What did you do to get out of it? Share with us....
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