Perhaps you feel as though you are one of the people who are doing everything by the book, but you just see fluctuations and stalls on the scale. You feel you just aren’t moving forward no matter what you do. There are some practical things you can do to overcome fluctuations.
One of the first things that is so important involves keeping a food journal. Guessing or trying to recall things is full of discrepancies, and often you would be surprised at how much little “tastes” or “bites” add up. You discount them because they don’t involve a sit-down meal or a true snack, but that’s not how your body sees it. Loosening of the rules is the number one contributor to weight fluctuations and/or stalls, and keeping a food log is the most effective way to manage your outcomes.
Most people don’t realize that every time you eat something, even if it is small, you provide your body with fuel so that it doesn’t have to go to your fat stores for energy. So, even if you just eat something small a couple times a day, thinking it’s no big deal, you can halt your weight loss. You think it’s no big deal because it’s small, but you are calorie thinking again. It’s about how that food affects your body’s chemistry rather than about counting calories.
People often think that if they are eating on plan most of the time, but are enjoying things off plan on the weekends, they should still be losing weight. Most of the things a person will cheat with are high-glycemic foods that spike blood sugar, hence spiking insulin. Insulin is a fat storage hormone.
A great aspect of a food journal or food log is that you can see patterns.
Many people are affected by a particular food, but they don’t realize it. The logs show a pattern of eating that may need to be changed, and without it we will find it very difficult to make a recommendation. Food logs are helpful, and they’re not intended to be an “I gotcha” sort of thing.
Another reason why we may experience fluctuations, and that is we aren’t getting the right nutrients. You may not realize this, but people who are overweight or obese, are usually very nutrient deficient. This is why we use supplementation during your weight loss program. While it’s not the only “key” to weight loss, it really is a big factor.
Make sure to use your supplements regularly. They aren’t a gimmick, but rather they serve an important purpose. And while you are taking your supplements, you are learning to get the proper nutrition from the food you eat.
Your body responds to variation. It gets used to the same foods and gets lazy. Try new foods. It will help wake up your metabolism. A varied diet is a balanced diet that supplies all the nutrients you need. It is associated with a lower risk of metabolic diseases like hypertension and diabetes, helps decrease waist circumference and yields greater weight loss.
Another major reason for fluctuations is your sleep pattern.
Sleep loss alters your body’s inflammatory markers, and inflammation is probably the top reason why someone would encounter difficult weight loss.
In the same way it took years to develop an unhealthy lifestyle, it will take time to heal. You can’t short circuit the issue. There is no quick fix. So, sometimes what we might perceive as a stall or fluctuation is the body healing at a new level before it can move forward again.
Your body may even be sculpting during this time (losing inches), as there is much more going on underneath your skin than fat burning… it is healing. Fat burning is often secondary. But don’t let that discourage you. Accept that it is where you are, and keep moving forward.