Pushing Past a Dieting Plateau

So you took all the basic steps to revamp your diet, and you lost a little weight. But now your number on the scale won't budge, and you can't conquer that last bit of bulge.

I hear it all the time.

"I've been eating super healthy and working out, why won't the weight come off?!?"

Believe me, I feel ya.

Unfortunately I've found that just like with working out, you can also hit a dieting plateau. Once you've hit that wall, easy dieting efforts like eating whole wheat and ditching dessert, no longer cut it.

You have to get seriously strict, and take your nutrition to the next level if you want to continue seeing results.

Below I summarize some points from a recent Shape article to show you how to go from a nutrition newbie to a healthy eating expert.

1. Get "Holier Than Thou" About Whole Grain.

It's not enough to simply eat products labeled "wheat." For one, we all know that many products are merely enriched wheat (not 100% whole grain). Another problem is that many of these products have added sugar and fat. Stick to natural products without additives like quinoa, brown rice, and oats. When in doubt, read the label!

2. You're Only Cheating Yourself

When you allow yourself to eat whatever you want 1 or 2 days a week, you undermine your entire dieting efforts. Now before you blast me for being a hypocrite (I traditionally abide by the weekend freebie rule: healthy Monday-Friday, free-for-all on the weekend), let me say I acknowledge this is an area I need to work on. While it's ok to allow yourself to splurge once in a while, the bottom line is: weekday abstinence is not going to absolve you from eating 4 or 5 days worth of food on the weekend.

3. Just a Spoon Full of Sugar...

Cooking at home is a good strategy for avoiding unnecessary calories. Countless websites like mine provide tasty recipes for health conscious cooks. But if you don't follow directions to a tee, you might end up packing on some extra pounds. Neglecting serving sizes or adding just a splash of oil each time will add up. Make sure to measure everything if you are really trying to stick to a strict diet. One place where I have to be careful is with "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray." It's only 5 calories a serving, but that's for 5 sprays, not 50.

4. Your Friends Are Making You Fat

Ok, that was a little harsh. But seriously, studies show that people eat a lot more when out to dinner with friends. Social settings like cocktail hour and dinner parties can take your mind off your goals, and lead to mindless munching. Try to pre-determine what you're going to eat before you attend an outing. That way, when you're distracted by a juicy story about your ex, you won't accidentally overindulge.

5. Your Friends Are Making You Fat, Part 2

While the buddy system works well when navigating new territories, the table isn't one of them. The problem is that people will often mimic the behavior of their dieting bud, whether that behavior is good or bad. So when your friend falls off the wagon, you're likely to too. I'm not saying friends shouldn't encourage each other in their efforts, but be careful not to base your success on someone else's.

For more info about these concepts, read the full article here.