It happens to people every day, and it could even happen to you. You start a diet and exercise program, plug along for weeks and lose weight. Then you hit the diet wall! You stop losing weight, stop noticing results and quickly find yourself disenchanted with all of that effort you’ve put in.

What you have hit is a weight loss plateau. The good news is this: you can break through that plateau and begin to see the weight start falling off again. If you’ve hit the wall and are struggling to get over it, here are some ways that you can jump that hurdle and get back on track:

1. Try to Stay Realistic

   Try to not get too discouraged when you hit a weight loss plateau. When you’re heavy and have a great deal of weight to lose, the pounds will come off more quickly. As your body inches closer to its smaller self, the weight loss will start to slow. Remember that this is normal! Keeping the proper mindset can help you get over your weight loss hurdles. While it’s incredibly motivating to lose five or more pounds a week, a healthy weight loss is actually one to two pounds per week.

2. Adjust Your Diet

   You were heavier when you started down your path to a healthier, slimmer you. People forget that calorie intake needs to be adjusted! Consider this: when you weighed 170 pounds, you restricted yourself to about 2200 calories a day and your weight melted away. Now that you’re 155 pounds, you’ve found that the needle on the scale has stopped moving. Have you adjusted your caloric intake to match your new weight? You should revisit your caloric intake whenever your weight loss plateaus.

3. Revamp Your Exercise Routine

   There’s nothing that will get you over the wall more quickly than revamping your exercise routine. If you’ve been walking to lose weight, consider interval training. If you’ve been riding your bike, get off of the flat road and head for the hills. If you haven’t been lifting weights, add resistance training to your routine. By changing up your exercise regime you’ll find that the needle on the scale starts moving again.

4. Motivate Yourself

   You were highly motivated when you started your diet. Hitting a weight loss wall can quickly sap your motivation! Sit down with a piece of paper and write down all of the reasons you want to lose weight. Include your goal weight somewhere on the page and hang the paper on the fridge. Look at what you’ve written every day to boost your motivation when you feel it wavering.

    

5. Reconsider Your Goals

   For some people, a weight loss plateau isn’t a plateau at all! For many, it’s their body’s way of telling them that it has reached its desired weight. Take a look at your weight loss goals with a fresh eye. Is your goal weight realistic for your age and height? Stop worrying about the number on the scale! Instead, make it your mission to maintain your new, healthier lifestyle.

If you’ve hit a weight loss plateau, there are ways that you can surmount the hurdle! Revamp your diet and exercise programs, take a fresh look at your goals and find motivation. If you do these things, you’ll quickly see yourself breaking through the wall and back on the path to a healthier you!

Guest author Rita Jonson is a freelance blogger for accessrx.com where you can order medications online. To learn more you can visit the Accessrx Site or their Accessrx Facebook page.