QuestionIn 2005 I weighed 215 pounds/ Size 18. I am 5'8 1/2. After various diets and intense workouts 6x a week; an hour or more a day, I am holding steady at 155/Size 6. However I still carry excess weight around my middle and inner thighs. I change up my exercise regime every 4 months or so to continue to get results. But I have hit another plateau. I diet and still have intense workouts with weights and cardio and yet my body is not changing. I have been told to continue the diet and not exercise for 1-2 weeks to give my body a break. They say I will start to see results again after the time off. Do you agree?
AnswerHi There,
Congratulations thus far on your fat loss journey. Sounds like you've been consistent. You are right to say that you need to change your workout routines but you also need to change your diet to shock your body into changing. I don't know what you're eating, but you need to go from eating say
chicken to turkey as your protein source or eating lettuce instead of brocholli. These are only examples. You need to have a couple of low carb days then switch it up with some moderate and rotate your protein as well.
That's good advice about giving your body a break. I would try and take 1 week off every 3 months to let your body rest. The human body needs to recovery otherwise it will release all sorts of nasty hormones which inhibit fat loss. Just like if you're stressed in your daily life your body secretes cortisol which makes losing weight very hard.
But you're diet must be even better while on your break so you can maintain your weight. One of my clients has gone from 210kgs to now 159kgs in about 14 months and she drinks approximately 5 liters of water each day. She doesn't like taking breaks, but I force her to. She needs to learn that it's a cycle of exercise, diet and rest.
If you can maintain your weight to the half kilo while on your break it's almost certain when you start doing 6X workouts per week, that you'll start losing weight again.
Most of my clients are females looking to lose bodyfat. Thus all my newsletters have been written to accommodate for this. There is a tone of information that I offer for free on my website as part of my newsletter archive.
http://www.xfitness.com.au/newsletter%20archive.htm
Please feel free to view, download or print. And I'd love you to get on my newsletter e-mail list. Again it's free and the information I provide is real, honest and tackles the struggles or roadblocks women face on a daily basis concerning weight loss. You can sign up on my website..no obligation.
Good luck
Yours in health
Robbie
