Anyone who has ever tried to lose weight is familiar with the dieter’s plateau.  After an initial weight loss, many people find that they get stuck before reaching their goal weight.  The trick is to use the plateau as an opportunity to get clear about your goal and to reevaluate your methods of achieving lasting weight loss.

1.  Get clear on your ultimate weight loss goal.

Be sure that your weight loss goal is realistic and that your expected rate of weight loss is reasonable.  Reasonable weight loss is between one half pounds and two pounds per week.  Everyone has his or her own ideal weight and size.  Don’t compare yourself to anyone else, but listen to your body and notice what feels best for you.  A simple way to approximate your ideal weight is with the following formula:

Ideal weight range for women = 100 pounds for 5 feet of height + five pounds for each additional inch, allowing +/- 10 pounds for a slight or heavy frame.

Ideal weight range for men = 110 pounds for every 5 feet of height + six pounds for each additional inch, allowing +/- 10 pounds for a slight or heavy frame.

2.  Eat a protein-rich breakfast every day.

Protein at breakfast is essential for weight loss as it is key to balancing blood sugar.  Eat at least 20-30 grams of protein within one hour of rising.  A protein-rich breakfast is particularly important, especially if you crave carbohydrates.  By cutting back on carbohydrates your body is encouraged to burn fat.

What is a protein-rich breakfast?
A protein-rich breakfast may be a protein smoothie, 2 eggs with turkey or chicken sausage, veggie patty with whole grain, high-fiber toast, cottage cheese with flax meal and fresh fruit or (my favorite) a salmon patty with sliced tomato.  Of course there are many other examples just remember that breakfast must include protein.  Every day.

Meat, poultry and fish have about 7 grams of protein per ounce, so three ounces of meat will get you in the protein ballpark.  Eggs have 6 grams of protein each.  Cottage cheese has 13 grams of protein for ½ cup.  A protein smoothie can be made to order, but remember to use water, unsweetened soy milk or regular milk for the liquid portion as fruit juice is loaded with natural sugar.  A great smoothie will include healthy fat and fiber, two important players in balancing blood sugar.

Basic Smoothie:

• 8-12 ounces water, unsweetened soy milk or regular milk
• 1-2 scoops of protein powder (look on label to see how much protein there is per scoop)
• 1 tablespoon flax oil, lemon-flavored cod liver oil, or a nutritional oil blend such as Udo’s Oil
• 1 tablespoon of flaxmeal, oat bran, psyllium or a fiber blend
• ½ cup fresh or frozen fruit
• stevia to taste

3.  Become aware of hidden sugar.

Often when we begin reading food labels we are shocked to discover that our favorite foods are loaded with sugar. Some 6 ounce-size yogurts have as much as 32 grams of sugar lurking within. Avoid fruit juice altogether.  It is better to eat the whole fruit, which includes more fiber and nutrients than juice alone.  Remember bananas, dates and all dried fruit are concentrated sources of sugar.  Bananas continue to make sugar even after they are picked, so if you choose to eat bananas make sure they are firm and not showing brown speckles.   Look for sugar in unexpected places like ketchup, salad dressing, teriyaki and barbecue sauces.  Be wary of low-fat foods where the flavor is enhanced by sugar and other carbohydrates.  Calculate your carbohydrate consumption to see whether it falls between 25 and 45 grams.  You may discover that hidden carbohydrates are keeping you stuck.  Eliminating them may help you to move past your plateau.

4.  Don’t go hungry.

Cutting back on how often you eat can have a negative impact on your diet plateau.  Many studies show that small frequent meals are more satisfying and produce better weight loss results than the same number of calories consumed in three large meals. When we go too long without food our blood sugar drops and when that happens we are likely to make poor food choices.  Combine protein, fat and fiber for the best snacks.  Raw nuts and seeds and their butters (such as almond butter or sunflower seed butter) make great snacks.  Nuts and seeds are a natural combination of healthy fat, protein and fiber (and they are a good source of some minerals and vitamin E.) Also they are easy to transport and to store.  An ounce or two of almonds can keep your blood sugar on track and your hand out of the cookie jar.  Other snack ideas include whole grain crackers with a slice of cheese or a smear of nut butter, humus and veggies, an apple with a handful of walnuts or fresh slices of raw veggies like celery, peppers, cucumber and jicama.

5.  Stay hydrated.

Water is essential to our health.  Dehydration may be masked as headaches, fatigue and joint pain.  Thirst is one of the last signs of dehydration, so drink before you feel thirsty.  Consume half of your body weight in ounces of water. For example if you weigh 150 pounds your water goal would be 75 ounces per day.  It is best to drink water between meals.  Too much fluid with meals disrupts digestion.  Remember that other beverages do not count as water and some of them (coffee, sodas and alcohol) are actually dehydrating.

6.  Add resistance training to your program.

If you’ve hit a plateau it is time to adjust your exercise routine. Increase the duration or intensity of your workout.  If you haven’t already done so add weight training to your program.  Lifting weights builds muscle mass, which allows you to burn more calories faster.  Working out can increase your metabolism for up to 21 hours after an intense workout.