Since going Paleo my family has fallen even more in love with our grill. Paleo and grilling just work well together. The past couple of years I've even been stepping outside my grilling comfort zone more and more. Grilling things I'd never thought to have grilled before and trying new flavor combinations. I have to say I'm pretty thrilled with the results of most of my flavor experiments. In the past I'd never have thought to grill fruit, but it's amazing. Grilling fruit and adding it to traditionally savory dishes? Brilliant. Oh yes, and? New rule: every burger recipe for the rest of forever must contain grilled pineapple. OK, maybe more of a guideline. It's a seriously delicious combination though. This Smoky Grilled Pineapple Burger is always a crowd-pleaser at my house. It's not only Paleo, but Whole30, glutenfree, lower carb, and clean eating friendly. I promise you won't miss the bun! paleo, grilled pineapple burger, smoky
Julie V.'s comment about a plateau really got me thinking. In the past I thought plateaus were, sorta, bunk. That people had probably just not tracked their calories in as well, or hadn't burned as many calories in their workouts as they thought, or whatever. But, one day of too high calories simply can't explain gaining a pound this week. The weight training MIGHT explain the last two weeks, but I really don't think it's that either. Surely last week I didn't gain EXACTLY the same weight in muscle as I lost in fat?
So, I did a little research on weight loss plateaus. It seems they are fairly common. Thoughts and recommendations seem to vary widely on them, but from what I've read I think I may have actually hit a plateau. Whether or not that's true, it makes me feel better. Like I can be proactive, make a game plan, and fix this. For whatever reason my body likes it at this weight and seems to be hanging on for dear life!
Recommendations I found that I am going to try:
I am just a blogger, not a doctor or any sort of professional. What you read here are my personal experiences and opinions. Of course, always consult your doctor before trying a diet, diet pill, or new workout program.
So, I did a little research on weight loss plateaus. It seems they are fairly common. Thoughts and recommendations seem to vary widely on them, but from what I've read I think I may have actually hit a plateau. Whether or not that's true, it makes me feel better. Like I can be proactive, make a game plan, and fix this. For whatever reason my body likes it at this weight and seems to be hanging on for dear life!
Recommendations I found that I am going to try:
- Up your protein and decrease your carbs a little. This was something I was considering already, I have always done better on lower carb diets. So, I will be cutting out most bread (it makes me feel kinda bloaty anyway) and trying to get in more protein. My focus will be on eating fruits, vegetables, beans, and meat.
- Track your calories religiously. I have been pretty dilligent about tracking my calories, but for the next week I am going to be extra careful. This could cause a major problem even if I were off only a hundred calories a day. To be certain I'm burning what I think I'm burning when I workout I'm going to wear my heart rate monitor more consistently.
- Change things up. This was a recurring theme I found. Change up your calorie intake, workouts, everything. To mix things up I am going to try to keep my calories as close to 1200 for the next week as I can. Previously I floated between 1200 and 1600. To mix up my workouts I am going to throw in workouts I haven't done in a while and do 2 a days whenever I can. Last, I'm going to be better about my water intake.
- Another recommendation I found several times was to re-do your math. After you've been losing weight for a while your body weight goes down, as does your calorie requirements. So, while I was losing weight at a certain calorie intake before, now that I'm a bit smaller it may be too much. Also, I may not burn as many calories working out as I did when I was heavier. So, I need to recalculate my BMR, etc to check my plan and may need to permanently adjust things such as my daily calories and workouts.
I am just a blogger, not a doctor or any sort of professional. What you read here are my personal experiences and opinions. Of course, always consult your doctor before trying a diet, diet pill, or new workout program.