Tips to help when your weight loss has stalled:
(thanks to Debbie for this…)
Firstly, let’s understand a stall. The definition of a stall is when neither weight nor measurements have shifted for a minimum of 3 weeks. If yours is less than 3 weeks, it’s not a stall or plateau.
Secondly, it’s good to understand a little of why they happen so let me give you an example to illustrate.
It is a myth that overweight people have a low metabolism. In fact it’s the opposite. Say a person starts off at a weight of 20 stone. That person’s metabolism has to work incredibly hard to carry that extra weight. (Those huge bottles of water in an office weigh a stone each. Imagine carrying 6!). As the person loses 3 stone, the body sighs a huge sigh of relief as it has 3 stone less to lug around every day and the metabolism needs to re-adjust it’s energy balance. It needs time to do this.
OK, let’s get to it. Try each of these for minimum of one week and don’t do them at the same time otherwise you won’t know which has made the difference!
1 If you haven’t already, give up milk!
2 Increase your water intake. The body needs water to flush what is left of your broken down fat out of your body. My weight comes off best when I’m drinking 4 litres a day BUT – it’s very important you drink consistently throughout the day and not all at once AND you have your electrolytes! If you feel dizzy, light-headed or faint, cut down on the water immediately and have your salt, potassium and magnesium.
3 Cut out sweeteners.
4 Cut out alcohol.
5 Cut out cream.
6 Stop snacking.
7 Move to decaf drinks.
8 Cut out the chocolate, even if it is over 85%.
9 Cut out the fruit.
10 Try clean keto. Just real food, no substitutes and nothing manufactured.
11 Make sure you are not having too much protein.
12 Cut out seeds, nuts and avocado pears. Cut out all 3 at the same time.
13 Introduce gut healing foods. (Especially if you have auto-immune conditions, long term illnesses, type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance or have been on anti-biotics).
14 Start exercising or up your exercise. Weights and Resistance exercise are ideal for weight loss and improved shape as opposed to Aerobic. Work out in the fat burning zone.
15 De-stress. Don’t underestimate what cortisol does to your weight. It makes you gain just as cortisone does.
16 Sleep! If you are struggling with sleep, do everything you can to sort it out. Most of the fat burning happens at night and if you aren’t sleeping well, it can’t happen.
17 Get your medications re-assessed. Lots of medications can affect weight loss and some of them need to be reduced downwards pretty quickly on keto to avoid a counter effect.
18 Have a gap between meals of at least 5 hours. In that time, do not allow anything that stimulates insulin into your mouth. Therefore, only water, decaf tea and coffee is allowed.
19 Eat by latest 7pm then let nothing that stimulates insulin into your mouth. Therefore only water, decaf tea and coffee is allowed.
20 It’s essential that you check all measurements – neck and calves included and measure both sides. You can come down 2 sizes with absolutely no weight loss. It happens.