Are you somebody who has dieted for some time and seen some success, but found that you’ve now hit a sticking point?\r\n\r\nPerhaps this has happened before when you’ve dieted and led to you losing track?\r\n\r\nThere could be many reasons for a stunt in progress and although this can be frustrating, you first need to recognise that this is simply part of the process. In fact, whenever I work with clients, I often talk about beginning with the ‘Minimal Effective Dose’ when planning their nutrition and training. By this, I simply plan for the least amount of working out whilst consuming the greatest number of calories to achieve the desired result.\r\n\r\nWhy do I do this?\r\n\r\nWell, simply put, when pursuing a fat loss transformation, you will eventually hit these roadblocks and when that time comes, we need tricks up our sleeves!\r\n\r\nTherefore, for someone who finds themselves stuck, what can we do?\r\n\r\n1. Reflect on your current habits – keep a food log.\r\nThis might seem pretty basic but for many of the clients I work with, there comes a time in their journey where they take their eyes off the ball.\r\n\r\nFat loss transformations take time. Because of this, sometimes the journey can become a little tedious. As a result, poor habits start to creep into a person’s every day, and they are no longer adhering to the original plan that brought them success. By keeping a food log & using time to reflect on current practices can help to uncover what must be done differently to take back control.\r\n\r\n2. Schedule Diet Breaks\r\nThis relates closely to the above point. Fat loss transformations take time and because of this, it might be advantageous to schedule in structured breaks so that you can reset psychologically and physiologically. Not only that it can act as a great motivator since the individual has a short-term goal and time frame in which to work towards.\r\n\r\nPlease note however, this is a structured break where we still want to establish control despite consuming a slightly higher number of calories for a short period of time (e.g., 1 – 2 weeks). For instance, a person would still track their caloric intake and keep balanced choices, but this could be achieved with an increased intake of anywhere between 200-500 calories each day (this number would depend on the individual).\r\n\r\n3. Consider A Change\r\nFor most, especially for those carrying a little more excess body fat, change is rarely needed in the early days of a transformation: focusing on point 1 will simply suffice for most.\r\n\r\nNonetheless, there will come a time for everyone where change will be needed. This will likely come sooner for leaner individuals but those carrying more weight, will likely see slower results and/or perhaps a plateau when they’ve attained a loss of up to 10% of their starting body weight. This is known as Metabolic Adaptation (Adaptive Thermogenesis). On a very simple level, this is your body’s adaptation to loss of weight & your body will naturally find ways to slow the process in order to survive.\r\n\r\nDue to these changes, you will find a natural reduction in energy output from both NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) and NENAT (non-exercise, non-activity thermogenesis): for instance, general movement across your day (e.g., steps) & other non-activity movement such as fidgeting or sitting upright.\r\n\r\nAs a result, you might need to consider changing your current intake of food and/or perhaps making simple changes towards your activity – this could be as simple as setting a step goal.\r\n\r\n\r\nConclusion\r\n\r\nFat loss transformations take time. When setting out, recognise that there will be occasions where progress slows - this is normal & healthy. Before making changes, consider what you can be doing better, but recognise that in time, small changes will likely need to happen.\r\n