My Plateau Scare

A very scary thing happened last week. My weight loss stalled. I lost and gained back the same .2 pounds daily. This went on for about five days before I told my husband what was going on. We talked about lots of different aspects of what I had been doing over the last week to see if anything was different. The only thing that had changed was that I was working out a little harder during my exercises. I had previously been keeping my heart rate in or below zone three while doing cardio. In the week that my weight loss stalled, I had been staying in zone 4 more and even spending a small amount of time in zone 5.

I had done some research when I started exercising on heart rate zones and what’s best for weight loss, but I guess I went away from that over time. From what I read online, the top of zone three is a great place to be at for both weight loss and health. I think the main reason that I started to push myself more during cardio was because I wanted to eat more. I knew that if I pushed myself harder I would burn more calories and thus have more calories that I could consume that day. However, through the complicated way that bodies burn calories through exercise, that didn’t work out so great for me.

I’m so glad that my husband suggested that I actually reduce the heart rate zone that I stay in while exercising. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical that his advice would work, but it did! Two days ago I started keeping my heart rate at the top of zone three again, and presto! I’m losing weight again! Now, if I want to eat more I work out for longer, not harder.

* Check with your doctor before changing your diet. What works for me may not work for you.