If you’ve been on a weight loss journey for a while, you’ve likely given up alcohol and sugar, committed to exercising multiple times per week and have shared a few progress pics on your Instagram feed. While you’re happy with your results, you know that everyone hits a plateau eventually — and if you haven’t yet, you will soon. Whether you’re trying to shed those last few pounds now or later, it’s good to have a few backup tactics to trim that extra weight and accomplish your fitness goals.
Words: Mia Barnes
Image: S O C I A L . C U T
1. Avoid Cooking Oils
When you cook meals, odds are you add more oil to the pan than you should. Most oils contain 120 calories per tablespoon, and you can quickly pass your daily calorie limit if you aren’t careful. Therefore, it may be best to forego cooking oil altogether.
Sometimes, however, you might have no choice but to use oil in a recipe or meal. In this case, it’s wise to choose a heart-healthy kind, like extra virgin olive oil. Others, like coconut and avocado, might even help you trim off a few extra pounds.
2. Fast Intermittently
In a desperate attempt to trim that extra weight, you may have tried just about every diet under the sun. From juice cleanses to the baby food diet, women are going to great lengths to slim down. However, there may be an easier — and more dignified — way to accomplish your weight loss goals.
Intermittent fasting entails choosing regular times to eat and fast. For example, you might eat freely during an eight-hour period each day and fast for the rest. Alternatively, you may decide to fast for a full 24 hours one or two days a week. Both strategies can increase fat oxidation, boost insulin sensitivity and help you cut calories so you can lose weight faster.
3. Try IV Therapy
Intravenous therapy is a relatively new treatment that can help you recover from a hangover, replenish electrolytes and vitamins, minimise headaches and even lose weight. Of course, pairing healthy lifestyle choices with IV therapy will make treatments more effective. However, it may help you get over your plateau if you already have healthful habits.
Many IV therapy formulas contain vitamins B and B12, which can boost metabolism, especially as you age. Some also include ingredients like methionine inositol choline, which targets fatty deposits and metabolises them to help you lose weight.
4. Add an Extra Day of HIIT
If you’ve hit a plateau, ditch long jogs on the treadmill and trade in an hour on the rowing machine for an extra day of high-intensity interval training. From Tabata sprints to quick sets of burpees, squats and pushups, HIIT can give you more bang for your fitness buck. Even a few minutes a week can and help you shed weight quicker than a low-intensity workout.
Why is HIIT so effective? During intervals, your muscles will burn a significant amount of sugar stores, causing them to refuel using glucose from elsewhere in the body. Intense exercise also depletes oxygen within muscles, forcing them to burn fat for energy instead.
5. Take Fish Oil Supplements
Women struggling with thyroid issues may find that fish oil is the secret to slimming down. Ordinary fish oil supplements contain omega-3 fatty acids, which boost thyroid function, sending your metabolism into overdrive. Naturally, this acceleration aids in burning energy and subsequent fat.
If you already enjoy eating fish, incorporate oily-fleshed, wild-caught fish and shellfish into your diet two to three times per week. Salmon, mackerel, trout, mussels and crabs are all decent options. Otherwise, you can take a daily supplement that provides 700 to 1,000 milligrams of eicosapentaenoic acid and 500 milligrams of docosahexaenoic acid.
6. Get More Sleep
Sometimes, the key to weight loss isn’t more work but more rest. If you’re actively using all the above tactics and doing everything in your power to lose weight, the one thing standing in your way may be a lack of sleep.
Shortchanging your sleep slows fat oxidation and doesn’t allow your muscles enough time to recover between workouts. Consequently, sleep deprivation can prevent you from gaining muscle and even lead to loss of it over time. Eventually, this can make working out and accomplishing your weight loss goals more challenging. Make the journey easier on yourself by turning in early and getting at least eight hours of shuteye.
Give Yourself a Break
Losing weight comes with a slew of health benefits. From increasing your energy levels to reducing blood pressure and cholesterol, trimming the extra weight can greatly improve your quality of life. However, you must remember that obsessing over weight won’t do you any good in the long run. You want to feel good, but you must prioritise your mental and emotional health, too.
If your efforts to lose weight leave you feeling angry, sad or simply not good enough, it may be best to give yourself a break. Have a cheat day, skip a workout and be lazy for a bit. Everyone deserves to let loose every now and again.