Overcoming a Weight Plateau

by kelsey | May 9, 2013 | Weight Management, Wellness/Health

The past several months, you’ve been working hard to lose weight and live a healthier life. To your delight, the number on the scale has dropped after making these lifestyle modifications. However, soon you find that your weight loss is at a standstill. You can’t think of anything you’ve been doing differently since losing weight. Your exercise and food intake seems to be the same as during the weeks you were losing weight. Are you starting to feel as if you want to throw in the towel and give up on all of your goals?

You are not alone. Weight-loss plateaus are very common as you begin dropping weight. Your body tends to reach a point where it becomes content with remaining at the same level. However, there is certainly hope in overcoming these plateaus.

One of the first things you can do to get moving on your weight loss journey is to reevaluate your calorie intake. Now that you have lost weight, your body doesn’t need as much energy as it did at your prior weight.

So how can you determine how much your body needs?

A helpful tool you can use is the USDA’s SuperTracker. Visit the website www.supertracker.usda.gov. You will need to create a profile where you will enter the information below.

Your height, weight, and activity level will help determine the amount of calories you need on a daily basis. Remember that calories in=calories out! In other words, in order to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you are consuming. Therefore, you need to either increase your activity or decrease the calories you eat. Another good tracker is www.myfitnesspal.com.

Another suggestion is to change up your exercise. Do you normally walk 3 miles four days each week? Try bumping the miles up to 3 ½ miles and exercising 5 days each week. Continue to work your way up. After a certain period of time, your body starts to adapt to the amount and kind of exercise you are engaging in. Just like your diet, perhaps it is time to reexamine your exercise routine as well. Never get bored with your routine! There are plenty of ways to change your exercise routine and keep things interesting. Focus on staying active throughout your days as well. If you tend to exercise and then are idle the rest of the day, consider becoming more active in other ways. If you are watching your favorite television show, get up and do something during the commercial breaks. Little modifications like this may help impact your weight loss. If you always do cardio, you may also consider adding some weight resistance to your workouts by using a balance ball, resistance bands, or light weights…you may also consider trying pilates or yoga as strengthening exercises. The resistance training will help build more lean muscle mass which will help increase your metabolism and aid in weight loss.

Finally, be patient with your body. More than likely, your body gained weight slowly over time. Likewise, it is going to take time to lose weight as well. Overall, you will be more successful with keeping your weight off if you lose it gradually over time. If you are experiencing a weight-loss plateau, do not be discouraged. Keep a positive attitude and remember that you were able to lose weight before and by making some modifications again, you can continue moving towards your goals.

-Amanda Lambrechts, SDSU Senior Dietetic Student

Time to Change your Routine

by kelsey | May 8, 2013 | Weight Management, Wellness/Health

Have you ever heard the phrase, “If you keep on doing what you’ve always done, then you’ll keep on getting what you’ve always got.”? While the saying holds true in most all aspects of our lives, it certainly is applicable in regards to our health and wellness.

Consider this: For the past several months, you have been working in a full-time position. Throughout the day, you have little time to run home for lunch. Instead, you head over to the convenient drive-thru at your favorite fast-food restaurant. In the afternoons, you find yourself so tied up in work that you are unable to eat or drink anything until supper, later that evening. Once you are home, you are so exhausted from your day that you resort to ordering a pizza for the family and lounge on the sofa in front of the television for the rest of the evening. Before you realize it, your jeans are tighter than usual and the pounds are creeping up on you.

Sound a little too familiar?

Perhaps this was the case for you over the course of this past winter. The South Dakota winter was in full-force and the last thing you wanted to do after a long day was prepare a healthy meal and venture off to the gym. Now that the sun has decided to make an appearance and the snow has melted away, why not change up your routine?

The changing of the seasons offers the perfect opportunity to reevaluate your daily routine and make some appropriate modifications. If you don’t have time to make it home on your lunch break, make a point of planning ahead. Pack a healthy lunch the night before and keep it in a lunch bag the next day. While your afternoons may be busy, waiting from lunch until supper to eat is an awfully long time to go without food. In your lunch bag, pack snacks, such as yogurt and apples, to keep you energized until the next meal. Don’t forget to stay hydrated! Keep a water bottle with you that you can refill throughout the day. In addition to packing lunches ahead, plan your menu for the week on Sundays or your day off. You are more likely to stick to eating well-rounded meals if you have a plan. Now that the weather is finally warming up, take a walk or a jog after supper to unwind for the evening. You will be amazed at how these simple lifestyle changes not only help with your waistline, but also help boost your energy and mood as well.

-Amanda Lambrechts, SDSU Senior Dietetic Student