Failing To Lose Weight Anymore?

     It is an exciting time at the start of a diet plan as it is usually pretty easy to lose weight at the beginning. Those initial pounds just seem to melt away and then, as you get closer to your goal weight... the dreaded plateau derails you.

Sound all too familiar? But don't fret, just follow these tried-and-true strategies and you will soon be back on the road to slimming down and more importantly, staying that way over the long haul.

Strategy number 1: Strength train - Most people think of performing cardio type exercise like walking, jogging or cycling rather than strength training to aid in weight loss. Some people even deliberately avoid strength training while on a diet in fear that they will become even bulkier than they are already. Bad move.

The fact is, strength training accelerates fat loss and the reasons are twofold.
First, muscle tissue increases your metabolic rate, which directly aids in the burning of fat as fuel. For each pound of muscle tissue added to your body, you burn anywhere from an additional 30 to 50 calories a day at rest. Just a few pounds of muscle tissue can sky rocket your calorie burning by an extra 1000 odd calories a week which can cause a major meltdown of your excess blubber.

If you avoid strength training, your body ends up cannibalizing its own muscle tissue, which slows your metabolism causing your body's engine to use less fuel. This will lead to a rebound effect causing you gain back all the weight you have lost and more. This is what happens when you work against your body rather than with it. It is a futile exercise.

Cardio type exercise is focused only on what calories are burned during the exercise session while strength training exercise focus's on what calories are burned long after the exercise session is finished. This is where you will get lasting and permanent fat loss.

Strategy number 2: Add a cheat day - Calorie restriction is actually counterproductive to enduring weight loss. For one, it causes feelings of deprivation that often leads to uncontrollable binge eating. For another, it elicits a starvation survival response initiated by leptin - a hormone responsible for fat gain and loss. Hunger goes up, metabolism (the rate you burn fuel) goes down, and weight loss comes to a screeching halt.

The solution: Have a scheduled "cheat day" where you eat your favorite foods once a week. Go ahead and order that pizza or get stuck into that ice cream. Whatever your heart desires, indulge yourself without any guilt whatsoever.

This not only helps to satisfy cravings, but it resets your leptin levels tricking your body out of going into starvation mode and speeding back up your metabolism. The net effect is easier, faster and longer lasting weight loss... and that's a win/win situation.

Strategy number 3: Interval train - Most people choose to lose weight by performing continual, moderately intense aerobic exercise in the so-called "fat burning zone" (60 to 80 percent of maximum heart rate). While the concept of a "fat burning zone" might sound good in theory, it is now outdated and old fashioned. We know a whole lot more today than back in the 1980's when this fad was popular.

A better strategy is to perform interval training, where short bursts sometimes of only 10 seconds of all out, full speed activity is alternated with much slower activity. An example would be sprinting for 10 seconds then walking for 30 seconds or longer. Repeat 8-12 times. Studies have shown this to be up to nine times more effective in reducing body fat.

Start out with longer rest periods to recover and as you get fitter you can reduce the rest time. This type of activity performed once or twice a week will supercharge your body fat loss and combined with the other strategies above will incinerate your excess body fat revealing a sleek, trim, toned lean and mean physique. Perfect.

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