Weekly Tips for Your Peak Fitness and Wellness

This Week's Tip: Blast Past a Weight Loss Plateau

Your hard work has paid off--you’ve lost 5, 10, maybe even 20 pounds. Woohoo! But now you’re stuck. Seemingly, terminally stuck.

We hate to say it, but first take a good look at your dinner plate. According to research, most people don’t realize how much they are really consuming, either because we misjudge the portion size or we don’t accurately estimate the calories a particular meal packs. Or, we easily forget about all those “extras” we help ourselves to throughout the day, like a couple of peppermint patties from the office candy dish. Plus, losing weight means you now need fewer calories to support your current weight. Egads, that last one is especially tough to swallow!

On the exercise end: If you’ve been walking or doing some other type of cardiovascular workout as your preferred form of exercise, now might be a great time to add strength training, since muscle burns more calories than fat (see our “Make the Most of Strength Training” tip.) Also consider adding variety to your routine, since our bodies otherwise burn fewer calories the more efficient we get at doing any given activity (see “Boost Your Fitness Fast with Intervals.”)

If you are eating well and exercising regularly, then it might be time to cut yourself a little slack and realize that simply maintaining your weight is an accomplishment all its own. Not to mention you are, and will always be, infinitely more than a number on the scale.