Top Reasons Why Your Weight Loss Has Stopped

for melsinct - taken directly in its entirety from Cathe.com website.

"How many times have you gingerly stepped onto the bathroom scales, only to leap back off in disgust at the result? There’s nothing more frustrating than counting calories, doing extra work-outs, and saying no to dessert, only to find the scales have refused to budge yet again. If you’re tired of being good and not seeing the results you deserve, don’t give up. It could be down to a very simple reason.

Watch That Coffee Shop Habit

Do you regularly pop into the coffee shop for a frothy fix? If so, you should be aware that drink could be costing you in excess of 500 calories. Hot chocolate is the worst culprit. A large one can be as much as 549 calories, or even more if it’s white chocolate. When buying a latte, cappuccino or frappuccino, the trick is to ask for a small cup of the skinny variety, (low-fat milk). When having hot chocolate, or mocha, again ask for a small, skinny one, and say no to the dollop of whipped cream on top. An Americano, on the other hand, is very low in calories, as long as you don’t ruin it by asking for full-fat milk.

Too Much of a Good Thing

If you’re only eating healthy food and still putting on weight, you will find it’s your portion size that’s letting you down. It’s a shame to go to all the work of preparing a low-calorie meal, and then undo your hard work by eating too much of it. An easy way to reduce the amount of food you eat is to dish it out on a smaller plate than usual.

Hidden Calories in Your Salad

When you’re on a diet and eating out, salad is the best menu choice, right? Wrong. Salad can be a good choice, but if it’s swimming in a full-fat salad dressing, it’s probably one of the most calorific items on the menu. If you do want salad, ask for a low-fat dressing, served on the side. That way you can add as much, or as little, as you like.

Nibbling Without Thinking

When you are actively trying to lose weight, you need to be aware of everything you put into your mouth. Don’t let preparing the kids’ packed lunches catch you out. It’s easy to pop that leftover chunk of cheese into your mouth without even thinking about it. Or maybe when you’re out for a meal, you order something healthy off the menu, then absentmindedly pinch a couple of fries from someone else’s plate. Even a square of chocolate here and there, will add up through the week. Make it your new habit not to nibble, and that could be all that’s needed to get your weight loss back on track.

Alcohol

Are you aware of your alcohol intake? Ignoring calories from alcohol has been the downfall of many a dieter. Think of your alcoholic beverage as a liquid cream cake, that way you can’t deny you’re consuming calories when you fancy a tipple. Avoid creamy liqueurs as they are extremely calorific. If you choose spirits with diet mixers instead of your usual beer or wine, you could halve the amount of calories consumed per drink.

Exercise Optimism

If you’re working out at the gym regularly and the weight still won’t budge, then you’re eating more calories than you’re burning off. After a long session of sweating your socks off, you may feel that you can eat whatever you like. If only this were true. In reality, running on a treadmill for an hour may not even burn off that large hot chocolate from earlier. You either need to increase your activity level, or eat less.

If your weight loss has stood still for a period of time, don’t give up hope. All it takes is a bit of fine-tuning to turn that plateau into a regular weight loss again."