The Importance of “Constant Change”
”Hitting a weight-loss plateau is not the end of a diet but to continue to lose pounds means constantly changing lifestyle habits, said registered dietitian Amanda Musin. RD Dana Angelo White recommended slow but steady weight loss and maintaining a challenging exercise routine that promotes muscle-building, which can bolster metabolism.”- USA Today (4/18/19)
Y’all already know how I like to break it down…let’s detail these highlights!
“Hitting a weight-loss plateau is not the end of a diet…”
Unfortunately, weight-loss “plateaus” are definitely a thing! However, this does not mean you reach this plateau and stay there forever. Let’s view plateaus as more of a “checkpoint”- an opportunity to slow down, check in with yourself, evaluate and refine your methods, then get excited about switching things up a bit.
“…to continue to lose pounds means constantly changing lifestyle habits…”
Key word here: “constantly”. It is imperative that we stay in constant pursue of healthy lifestyle habits. Maybe hitting a plateau is a sign that you’ve gotten a bit complacent in your wellness efforts. Changing up some of your habits is good for shocking the system, forcing your body to work outside of its comfort zone and hopefully burn a few more calories in the process.
“…slow but steady weight loss…”
No need to beat a dead horse here. I know I’ve already harped on this point in plenty of my other blogs. So I’ll just use this as a soft reminder that it’s not my opinion that slow & steady weight loss is the way to go. This principle is backed by sound research + so many other wellness professionals.
“…maintaining a challenging exercise routine that promotes muscle-building, which can bolster metabolism.”
Yaaassss! I don’t solely promote strength training because I love it. I also promote it because of the scientific evidence supporting the role of muscle-building in weight loss. For one, our resting metabolic rates (calories burned at rest) are responsible for up to ~70% of the calories we burn in a given day. Muscles mass has a faster resting metabolism than does fat mass. The more muscle we have, the more calories we burn in a given day (apart from calories burned during workouts). For two, bringing muscles to a point of true fatigue ignites a recovery process that entails heightened energy expenditure for up to 48 hours post-workout. This means you’re not only burn a hefty amount of calories during your strength training workouts, but you’re also burning extra calories for up to 2 days after workout completion. Knowing this, who’s ready to go pump some iron?!
Keep in mind, this information is not just important for weight loss. It is also applicable to weight maintenance. 😊