o you’ve tried everything but you still can’t lose weight…The good news is there really is a solution to your problem. Remember, this is science we’re dealing with and when it comes to body transformation there IS always an answer. I’m going to give you the best solutions to getting your weight loss back on track even if you’ve been following your nutrition and exercise to the letter and haven’t lost any weight for weeks. The first thing we have to get out of the way is that you’re actually following a healthy diet and exercise plan that truly works. If you’re dieting and not doing any resistance based weight lifting then I can tell you right now you’re sacrificing short term results for long term hardships with weight loss. Eventually you can only eat so few calories and then you’ll begin losing muscle and your body will begin holding its fat reserves…In the long run that destroys your metabolism. You don’t want that. So the 1st things you must do before you can say that you seriously still can’t lose weight (body fat) is to complete these 3 steps:
1. 3 Metabolic resistance based interval workouts per week
2. 1-2 Interval cardio workouts per week
3. Eliminate all inflammatory foods for 21 days and then gradually reintroduce some
I recommend a healthy lifestyle plan that incorporates long term nutritional approaches combined with exercise and an overall well-balanced lifestyle approach. I’m obviously biased towards my Fatlossity and Trim, Tone & Tighten Online Personal Training Programs because I get to see them work every single day with my studio and online clients. However, you’re welcome to use any program you’re drawn to just as long as it has a PROVEN track record with thousands of people who have successfully used it AND kept the weight off (anybody and any low-calorie diet can help you lose weight in the short-tem). So, now that you’ve picked your body transformation program you should follow it EXACTLY as it is laid out for 12 weeks. This is enough time to give it a fair shot and to see if it works for you. (As a side note: Any program such as the ones I offer that are scientifically based to help you lose weight will work for everyone – not just some people. Below, I explain why and what to do if any of these programs stop working.) Now a lot of people have great success when first starting on a weight loss program, but eventually they reach a plateau and stop dropping the pounds. (Not losing weight for 1 week is not a plateau… not losing any weight for 2-3 weeks is). Typically, this plateau comes as a result of your body’s stubbornness to burn fat as a fuel source. There are many reasons for this, but today we’re not going to get in to how hormones and inflammation factor into this resistance. Instead, let’s just see how to correct this issue and get your body dropping the pounds again! So, you still can’t lose weight after not cheating on your nutrition and exercise for 21 days and you can’t figure out why… In almost 100% of the cases I see it ALWAYS has to do with high levels of inflammation/stress in your body. The good news is that we can work on decreasing your cortisol/inflammation levels immediately. Here are my top ways to get you back on track to losing body fat when all else has failed:
1. Reduce Daily Stress
Cut back on stress in all forms… I know easier said than done. My best advice is to begin concentrating on your breathing and making sure you are not tensing up or holding your breath throughout the day. My next recommendation is to pause before reacting to stressful situations. Take a slow deep breath and control/manage your response.
2. You Need Sleep
The bottom line is that we’re all busy and stressed, but if we don’t have any time to recover that means we’re in a constant tail spin of high stress and breakdown. You NEED 7-8+ hours of sleep a night. Make it a priority and schedule it.
3. Meditation & Yoga
This doesn’t mean you need to join your local yoga studio, but I am saying that you should take 10-20 minutes per day to sit down and either just sit relaxed and concentrate on your breath or take some time to stretch and breathe. If you decide to take a yoga class or two, it should be a slow Hatha or beginner yoga class only (NO advanced or power yoga).
4. Too Much Exercise
Many times when your cortisol/inflammation levels are high what you need to do is actually take time off. If you’re currently training5-6x per week I would suggest taking a day off and then going to an every other day workout routine. I’ve used this with many clients and it’s worked wonders for them. More is not always better.
5. Cheat Meals
If you’ve already been eating quality lean proteins, good fats, and vegetables without any cheating AT ALL, then you’re going to like what I’m about to say. I’ve found that for clients who are struggling to lose weight that if they keep their diet perfect for 5-7 days straight they will actually lose more weight by adding in a cheat meal (starchy foods + drinks) once every 5-7 days. This will restore leptin levels within your body and signal your body that you are not starving. Just keep in mind that you may weigh a pound more the day or two after the cheat meal, but by the end of that week you will definitely be down in weight.
As I said earlier, none of this holds true if you aren’t actually already working out and eating well. If you’re not doing that, I suggest first getting serious about staying strict with your nutrition for 21 days and then revisiting these 5 solutions if you’re still not losing weight.I hope that if you’ve been struggling to lose weight and haven’t found a reason as to why you can’t drop the pounds that this article served as the blueprint showing you how to achieve your goals without the stress.
by Stephen Cabral
