Mighty Transformation

Nothing is more frustrating when you don't see progress on your fat and weight loss journey.

 

Before we try to decipher what the problem may be, you need to understand that proper fat and weight loss can take a long time.  You did not get OUT of shape overnight so if you think you can get IN shape overnight then you don't have realistic expectations.

 

You may be tempted to do extreme methods like detoxes to lose a rapid amount of scale weight in a short amount of time, but know that you will likely just lose water weight and it will not be true fat loss.

 

 

Now if you have been patient and still can't see any progress there are 3 main things that could be wrong:

1. Your calories are set too high.
2. You are eating too much unknowingly.
3. You have a metabolic or hormone issue.

 

YOUR CALORIES ARE SET TOO HIGH

 

This is the easiest thing to fix. If you were previously seeing success and all of a sudden your progress stopped, it could just mean your body has now adapted to your current caloric intake and you need to reduce it further to keep things moving.

 

When you lose a good amount of weight your body no longer requires the same amount of energy to maintain its current state.  This is called adaptive thermogenesis.  An analogy would be if you are downsizing your home to half the size, you likely won't use as much electricity as you did previously.  You won't need all your furniture either and you would probably reduce everything you own as you no longer have the space for it.

 

Your body is the same way.  Once you lose a good amount of weight, you no longer need to eat as much to maintain its current state, so if you want to keep losing weight you will need to reduce your calories further.

 

However, before you cut calories make sure you read the next section below. There is a good chance you are eating too much unintentionally or unknowingly.

 

 

YOU ARE EATING TOO MUCH UNKNOWINGLY

 

So you swear up and down you are eating in the right amount.  You are tracking your food using MyFitnessPal, but nothing is budging.  The scale is stuck.

 

Here are the common mistakes:

 

BLT

Bites, Licks and Tastes.

• all those little treats you get from your coworker's desk.
• getting a 'tiny' bit of extra peanut butter.
• finishing that extra piece of food from your kids' plates so it doesn't go to waste.
• taking a little sample of that sauce when cooking.

It doesn't matter how small you think it is IT ALL ADDS UP.  Be honest with your intake and be accountable. Here is an extreme example of BLTs but hopefully you get the point.

 

 

Liquid calories in drinks

Liquid calories from juice, fancy coffees, alcohol, "healthy" shakes can all wreak havoc on your calorie intake.  It's easy to miscalculate and even forget about.  These types of items can be empty calories so it's easy to drink more, but like BLTs these add up very fast!

 

 

Calories from oils, dressings, sauces and spreads

This is a very easy one to underestimate.  You think you are only using a little teaspoon of oil but really you are using double the amount.  Was that a spoon or a HEAPING SPOON of peanut butter?  When in doubt make sure to weigh the amount to see if you are accurate.  As an example, if you believe you are only using a teaspoon of oil (40 calories) but in reality it's a tablespoon (120 calories) you can see how fast this error compounds if you do this multiple times a day.

 

Healthy high calorie items

Eating healthy is not a guarantee for fat loss.  People often assume as long as they eat clean they can eat an unlimited amount, which is a fatal fat loss mistake.  Many healthy items like avocados, nuts, seeds, bananas, quinoa, beans, lentils can be very high in calories.  That healthy salad you eat can be a lot more calories than that burger combo you vilify.  Remember for fat and weight loss the amount you eat is the real key. If you have a scale, weigh out those items to be 100% sure you aren't overeating because there is a high probability that you are.

 

Eating back your calories from exercise

Exercise is great for overall health, but unfortunately it does not burn much calories compared to the amount of food you can consume in the same amount of time. Moreover, exercise can make you very hungry and lead you to think you can eat more.

 

What's worse is using devices like FitBits or those cardio machines that measure your calorie burn making you believe you can eat back those calories.  I am sorry to break the news to you, but you likely did not burn close to the amount it claims and if you eat those calories back you just erased all your work in the gym.  It's like working triple overtime and then spending your money recklessly.  What a waste of time and effort.

 

This is one of the biggest reasons why you see people who exercise a lot can't lose weight.  They are in this vicious cycle.

 

 

 

Eating at restaurants and trusting their nutrition information

It is great that many establishments are now offering their nutrition info on their website.  However I caution you to use this as a guideline only.  Don't forget chefs are human and can add more than what the website claims.  Chipotle for example often adds more than what you ordered so if you trust what they say on their website you are likely eating more.  Ethnic restaurants will usually add way more oil and sauces so this can drastically bump up the amount of calories you eat.  Don't just blindly trust what MyFitnessPal says.  Do your due diligence and make sure you are being accountable for every little thing.

 

 

TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS

 

Ok now that we have gone through the common mistakes what can be done to bust out of this fat and weight loss plateau?

 

Simplify your meals, eat your greens and protein

The less complicated your meals are the easier it is to track.  Follow the general template below:

 

 

As our parents used to say: eat your vegetables!  Dominate your plate with veggies.  You can eat them in high volume for low calories.  Not only is it healthy for you, but it will keep you full for much longer than things like starchy carbs for the same amount of calories.

 

If you want some tips to add more veggies into your meals click here.

 

If possible limit the amount of salad dressing and seeds/nuts. As discussed above, it's easy to overeat and blow your calorie intake with these healthy high calorie items.

 

As always ensure you are consuming adequate protein.  Choose lean, grilled or baked items when possible over fried.   Aim to have 25-30% of your calories in protein everyday.  Try to get your protein earlier in the day as this will help keep you full while in a calorie deficit.  You will likely be less tempted to snack or have cravings.

 

Overestimate, overestimate, overestimate

Have the mindset to overestimate everything you eat and drink especially any high calorie items. For example if you think you are having 4oz wine, just log it as 6oz.  Using half a teaspoon of oil, just round it up to a tablespoon. Weighed the nuts at 87g? Log it as 100g. Always overestimate to give yourself some buffer room in case of error. Never log at the exact amount.

 

Eliminate or reduce treats and healthy high calorie items temporarily

Do your best to limit treats and high calorie items to ~15% of your whole intake.  Example if your daily calories are set to 2000, eat no more than 300 calories per day in these items. This can be the biggest culprit in your plateau so take this part very serious.  That means any fancy coffees, wine, chocolate, cake or any other non nutrient dense foods or drinks should NOT exceed 300 calories in total.

 

My suggestion is to log any treats you think you may consume ahead of time.  Do this at the start of your day.  And don't add any more.  So if you know you will be having 1 glass of wine for dinner, log it in the morning and don't have more.

 

For your treats save it for the end of your day. Make sure you hit all your nutrition FIRST before treating yourself. Often times I have found when people do this, they don't need their treats because they are full and satisfied.  But if people have their treats first, then there is an easy tendency to eat more than what was planned.

 

If you want to get real serious then I would also apply this 15% to include any of the healthy high calorie items as discussed above.

 

Eliminate or minimize eating out at restaurants for now

Eating out can be so volatile as explained above.  You are at the mercy of the chef so even if you think you are being diligent with your calorie intake you just never know what he/she will be putting in your food.  Remember they don't care about your fat or weight loss goals.  They care about your taste buds and will add all sorts of high calorie goodies to make sure of this.

 

A good rule of thumb is that if you eat out, allocate about 1500 calories minimum for a meal.  This can easily go to 2500-3000+ calories if alcohol, appetizers and desserts are included.  Don't try to lowball as you are cheating yourself.  Always assume it's going to be very high calories.

 

If you must go out to eat, then focus on the Simplifying Meals template.  This will be the "safest" thing to keep your calories relatively low.  Always get sauces on the side and ask if they can minimize or eliminate oil.  Elect to skip alcohol, appetizers and dessert.

 

Water

Aim to get 2-3L a day. This may be tough to do at the beginning so start slow and build up to it.  I suggest to put a reminder in your calendar to tell you when to drink. As silly as that sounds people get busy and forget.  Another suggestion is to drink a glass of water before you eat.  Thirst can often be confused for hunger.

 

Tips to have consistent water consumption

1. Purchase a big water container (1.5-2L) and fill it up.
2. Drink a glass of water before each meal.
3. Put it in your digital calendar to have a sip of water every hour.

 

Mindful Eating

Eat slowly. Don't be distracted when you eat.  Eating while watching a movie or Netflix can cause you to be careless and mindless with your consumption.

 

Chew your food and don't rush.  When you feel you are getting about 80% full, stop.  Drink water and wait.  If you don't feel hungry anymore then stop eating completely.

 

Environment

As we know the environment has a huge effect on your appetite.  You can have the best diet or exercise plan in the world, but if your environment is one big food trap then you are just setting yourself up for failure.

 

Replace, reduce or eliminate things from your house that are temptations or inhibiting you.  This is where a lot of the BLT (bites, licks and tastes) can come from. Why make it harder for yourself? You are just shooting yourself in the foot. These are just distractions that will get in the way of your progress.

 

If your goals are a priority to you, then take the necessary steps to fix your environment.  Change nothing, nothing changes.

 

Rest

Rest is one of the most underrated components for weight loss.  Not having consistent rest can disrupt hormones that regulate hunger and appetite.  When you are tired or stressed you will likely crave certain foods that will be non nutrient dense and cause you to overeat.

 

Suggestions for consistent good sleep

1. Go to bed at the same time every night.
2. Turn off your electronics one hour before bed time.
3. Do not consume caffeine or alcohol a few hours before bed time.
4. Create a cool and dark environment which is often correlated to deeper sleep.
5. Prepare your clothes or meals the night before so you are not stressing in the morning.
6. Try not to go to bed hungry or angry.

 

THAT'S IT!

 

Phew!  That's a lot of tips.  It can be daunting to implement everything so pick one or two to work on first.  Choose the low hanging fruit and the easiest thing to implement and see if that fixes things.

 

Now if you try all these tips and you still do not see success over a period of time, then it's time to book a doctor's appointment.

 

 

HORMONE, METABOLIC ISSUES AND MEDICATION

 

So you have tried everything and have been patient with the process.

 

If you suspect you have a metabolic issue, then consult with a qualified medical professional to determine if this is true or not.  Don't just speculate you have a problem as you are not doing yourself any favors. Get it checked!

 

Ask for a comprehensive blood test to measure your sugar levels, kidney and liver function, thyroid levels, electrolyte and fluid balance and any vitamin deficiencies you may have.

 

If you are on medication it's a good idea to determine the side effects as this can affect your metabolism as well.

 

If the results are positive and you do have a metabolic issue, work with your doctor, dietician, nutritionist or nutrition coach to put together a plan in place for your specific needs and goals.

 

 

SUMMARY

 

Fat loss and weight loss plateaus are frustrating.  Remember it can take time to see results.

 

Before you start cutting calories and blaming your metabolism, just ensure you are being 1000000% accountable for every little thing you consume.  All those little bites, licks and tastes add up.  Don't cheat yourself.  The more complex your food and drink choices are, the more you go to restaurants, then you are likely eating a lot more than you think.

 

Simplify your choices. Focus most of your intake in whole foods with the emphasis in protein and greens.  Reduce or eliminate treats, high calorie items and eating out for now.  Clean up your environment, drink enough water and get good rest.

 

And if all else fails, then get a blood test to see if there is an underlying problem.

 

If you have any questions feel free to reach out to me!