A Fat Man's Weight Loss Advice: Breaking A Diet Plateau

I've heard a lot of people say it. Heck, I've even said it. When trying to lose weight, occasionally we all hit the metaphorical wall. I'm not a doctor or a physician so I'm not going to give any medical advice and you should always seek the advice of your personal health care provider when attempting to lose weight. However, I will share with you the methods I use personally for myself when I 'hit the wall'.

A lot of people ask me about breaking their diet plateau and most of the time it boils down to something very simple. They don't know what they are doing. I don't mean that to be hateful, but I've seen first hand that the people that take the time to learn how their body works usually do the best. People ask me for advice all of the time, and generally I give a link to my article A Fat Man's Weight Loss Advice or at least give them all of the information. A lot of people come back to and tell me it isn't working for them and that they have hit the wall. However, when I start asking those same people questions they usually admit that they weren't doing this or they weren't doing that. You really can't expect full results if you only give partial effort, and it makes it easier to take the right steps if you understand why you are doing them. The more you know the better off you will be.

As I mentioned above, the most common error I see people make is by not doing everything. I'm no exception to this rule, so the first thing I do when I hit the wall is do an audit on my own diet and work out habits. I check everything to make sure that I am doing everything that I know I should be doing. If I'm not I correct that problem and usually I find that I start losing again pretty quickly.

Yes... It might sound ridiculously simple, but it makes a huge impact. They importance of water for losing weight cannot be over spoken. It is not only simple and cheap but it is the most effective tool for helping to lose weight. When I hit the wall I always increase how much water I drink and a lot of times that gets me back on track.

It's just as easy to hit the wall getting too few calories as getting too many. If you starve yourself of too many calories your body will go in to starvation mode and you won't lose anything. I never ever starve myself. I've lost over 50 pounds since January of this year, and I ate like a king the entire time. OK maybe not quite like a king, but you get the idea. You have to eat.

The next important thing to look at is if you are taking in the right kinds of calories. Obviously If the calories i'm taking in are junk, then I can't expect results. If you are trading your chicken breast for chocolate bars guess what you aren't going to lose as much of... fat. You can't just lower your calories to a certain zone and then eat crap. You need to fuel your body with the right nutrients. A person who eats 2,000 healthy calories a day will likely lose more weight then a person who eats 1,500 calories of junk every day.

The last time that I hit a diet wall I determined that my calorie intake was good, however I thought I might try lowering the spread. Instead of eating 5 times a day with about 4 hours between meals I started eating 6 slightly smaller meals a day with only about 3 hours between meals. I was right back on track losing weight in no time. If you a hit a wall, the answer could be as simple as changing up the schedule of when you eat a bit.

If you are a female and you are reading this don't be difficult. Resistance training is just as good for you as it is for the boys. I can't tell you how many females just refuse to lift weights. If you have hit a wall and you can't seem break through it. Lift weights. If you do lift weights and you have hit a wall well... Lift more weights. I'm not saying go out and kill yourself, but I find that when I'm against the wall if I increase my time spent hitting the weights I tend to break through the wall a little quicker. When you lift weights you telling your muscles that they aren't strong enough. Your muscles in turn break down to rebuild stronger. This process takes a few days and requires calories. So your body will burning extra calories the entire time. If you use a good training spread then you can keep all of your muscle groups burning fat for you.

Sometimes I like to run. Sometimes I prefer walking. If I hit a diet wall I like to lean on one or the other. In other words if I've been walking more often then I might hammer out a long run. However, if I've been running more, then I might do an extra long walk.

Also, park far away. Wherever you go don't fight for the front row. Park in the back and walk the extra distance. It might not seem like much but every little bit counts.

There are all kinds of things you can do to break the diet wall. The important thing is figuring it out. Personally I lay out a plan of perfect behavior for myself and try to live by it so that I have a control. If I'm doing everything perfect and I have hit a wall that seems awfully thick, then I know it is time to try something new. A new exercise or a new eating schedule. There is always something that can be done. I've never seen a diet plateau that couldn't be beaten. There is always a way if you try.

If you have any advice or wish to share your own personal methods for breaking the diet wall please feel free to add it in the comment section below!