Hitting a weight loss plateau
Dear Donovan,
What are some simple things that I can do in my day-to-day routine, besides working out, to see results faster? I am 5 ft 8 and 160 pounds, and would like to get down to 135. I exercise at the gym three times per week, and my diet consists of the typical Jamaican fare — boiled food and stew chicken or ackee and saltfish for breakfast; white rice and protein for lunch, and the same for dinner. I snack on fruits mainly and nuts. I have been on my fitness regimen for about six months, and managed to lose 15 pounds already.
Congratulations on your 15-pound weight loss. However, at this point I suspect you have reached a weight loss plateau. This just means that your intake of calories or foods is roughly the amount that you will need to stay alive and carry out your daily activities. At this plateau point there will not be significant weight loss or gain.
I see where you would like to lose some more weight. In order to do this you will have to cut your calorie intake. So changes in your diet and exercise will play a key role in your weight loss programme going forward. It should, however, be pointed out that how quickly you want to lose weight will determine what changes you will have to make in your exercise and diet programme.
If you just simply want to lose one to two pounds in the first week you could just cut all your meal portions from breakfast to dinner in half. In this way you might not have to go home and eat a late dinner. In addition, adding one more day to your exercise programme will definitely help you to get the one to two pounds weight loss in the first week. However, if you would like to get, say, three to four pounds weight loss in the first week you would have to make more significant changes in your diet and exercise programmes. For example, instead of the stew chicken or eggs for breakfast you could do fruits or meal replacements shakes, or yoghurt, or even steamed vegetables. In addition, for lunch and dinner you could replace the rice with more raw and steamed vegetables.
Light soups and salads would push your weight loss faster. Baking or broiling of your meat would be better than frying. Also, cooking with less oil, fat and sugar can definitely help your weight loss programme. You could also cut the amount of fruit you are presently snacking on in half. Although nuts may be healthy, they are usually rich in calories. So instead of snacking on nuts you could add two or three of them to your salads.
A healthy snack choice could be vegetable juices especially green juice and other coloured vegetable juices like carrots and beet. It is also important for you to eat on time as well as drink water between meals. This will definitely help you to control your appetite.
The only way to lose weight and keep it off is to make your diet and exercise changes into a lifestyle. Also, I want to point out that after a week or two this new programme will also run out of steam and you will again hit a weight loss plateau. So, over time your diet and exercise programmes will need further adjustments in order for weight loss to be continued.
Good luck.
We will answer your weight-related questions
Are you struggling to lose weight or just need some advice on living a healthier life? Tell us about your health issues and we’ll have nutritionist and wellness coach Donovan Grant answer them for you. Grant has over 12 years’ experience in the fitness industry and is the owner of DG’s Nutrition and Wellness Centre, 39 Lady Musgrave Road. Call him at 876-286-1363. E-mail questions to clarkep@jamaicaobserver . com .
