The typical human form is capable of a number of amazing feats that seem to suspend or challenge the way science tells us things work. Athletes, through sheer willpower, can end up lifting something their body shouldn’t be able to without suffering anything worse than muscle cramps. People can adapt to the severe physical trauma of a car accident and defy predictions that they will never walk again. While these amazing feats are generally beneficial in a number of situations, there are physical reactions that some people view with a bit of resentment. Among these “unwanted reactions” is what is known as a “weight loss plateau”.
Essentially, “plateau” is a term used to describe a condition in which the body becomes unable to lose any additional weight, usually due to the development of tolerance to weight loss pills and the methods used. Essentially, a plateau is hit when the body develops a tolerance to the restrictions and practices of the regimen, allowing the body’s metabolic rate to adjust to whatever pills or techniques have been used to lose weight. Most diet books categorically ignore the existence of the plateau, because it can be seen as negating the purpose of the diet and therefore bad for marketing. However, there are ways to counteract the human body build tolerance with training regimens and weight loss pills.
Human metabolism, when presented with a pattern, will eventually adapt to that pattern. This natural adaptability of the human body can cause a weight loss plateau, especially if a person’s diet and eating habits are changed to lose weight. As such, changing the pattern, once enough time has passed, will allow your diet plan or weight loss pills to become effective again. This trick mainly involves confusing the human metabolism, and is often seen as a somewhat drastic way to return the body to “diet mode”. There are, of course, several ways to effectively change this pattern without causing permanent damage to the body.
Adding strength and weight training and modifying an exercise program can also help a person go through a plateau, in most cases. The body will still burn through nutrients during physical activity, although the metabolic rate of the digestive system can adjust so that more weight is retained rather than burned during exercise. Increasing the difficulty of the exercises, or changing movements to target areas of less developed muscle, can effectively force the body to readjust. While the body is busy adjusting to the changes, it can also start losing weight again. This method is best used with changes to a person’s diet, however, for maximum effectiveness.
Another trick used to circumvent the plateau problem is to make changes to the time frame between meals. The internal clock on which the digestive system of the human body operates can be altered to suit one’s purposes, provided one implements appropriate adjustments to one’s diet and eating habits. An action as simple as changing your meal schedule, such as adding more meals and reducing the bulk of each, can have a measurable effect on changing your metabolic rate. The basic concept of this method is to trick the body into burning food faster, thus getting your weight loss and diet program back on track.
When considering options, it is helpful to keep in mind that what works for one person may not work for another. Some sluggish metabolisms may require a combination of diet and exercise regimen adjustments, while others can be overcome by simply shortening the rest period between meals. The crucial point is to find an effective and efficient method for the specific metabolism, which can be a time-consuming process.
