Hi guys, its Petrina.
Your go to girl for learning how to make fit work, in a crazy busy world.
And I have been so crazy busy, I haven't uploaded a video in over a week.
And for that I humbly apologize.
I did do a give a way recently, the winner was Maggie B, and I sent her a stability ball,
and a cool free T-shirt, and a weeks worth of Shakeology.
So that was really fun for me to send that off at the post office.
I do these ever so often; it's usually on a whim.
I'll be like, I'm gonna do a giveaway now.
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You can click on that link right over here, and you'll get yourself a 5 day clean eating
meal plan, as a bonus for signing up.
And you will be the first to know, the next time I do one of my fun little giveaways,
as well as any specials that are going on in magical Beachbody land.
I wanted to make a video this week, talking about one of the most frequently asked questions
and frustrations that I hear from people, that I work with.
And that is about Plateaus.
Plateaus freaking suck.
And they happen to just about everybody who's on a journey to better health and fitness.
So you're not alone.
This is not something you have to feel like you have to try uncharted waters on.
I've been there; several of my clients have been there.
And I know what it's like, and I know how frustrating it can be.
And the first step in tackling a plateau, is determining whether or not, in fact you
are actually at a plateau.
If you're someone who steps on the scale every day, and very alarmed that it's not moving
after a day or two.
Or even a week or two, that's not a plateau.
Things happen, and your body composition changes.
You may not be at the standstill that you think that you are.
I say give it 3 weeks maximum, and if you're still at the same exact weight, then maybe,
just maybe you are on a plateau.
I'm hoping that you're not one of the people, who are basing your success just on the number
on that scale.
Because that is just a piece of the puzzle.
I hope that you're taking measurements of yourself.
And if you're in fact losing inches, even when the scale isn't moving.
You're still making progress.
Your body composition is changing, you're making changes.
Don't think of it, if the scale is at standstill, but you're losing inches, that you are on
a plateau.
Getting back to that sticky issue, the scale.
I would ask.
Are you in a healthy weight range?
Some people who complain that they're at a plateau, or who are in a healthy weight range,
maybe that is where your body is meant to be.
If you're someone who, let's say who is trying to get to a specific number on the scale,
because let's say that's how much you weighed in high school.
Or before your baby was born, or anything.
Just don't be so stubborn and set on that one number.
I think as long as you're within a healthy weight range, you should see that as a tremendous
positive.
How do you determine if you're in a healthy weight range?
There are lots of calculators online.
I'm going to provide a link in the description, of a place that you can see to check to see
if you're in a healthy weight range.
I'll even pull up the chart right here, and show you.
What I'll be showing you, it's gonna go all the way up to 6 feet tall.
So if you're a tall woman or man, you can go to the link in the description, and figure
out what that range is.
As you can see, it's pretty varied.
For the normal range, it can go 30 pounds and up.
So it's a pretty wide range number that you can fall in.
My height is anywhere from 118-154.
I will tell you, I have gone as low as in the 120s, and I did not look or feel my healthiest
at that.
So if you're somebody who is looking at that range, and you wanna shoot for that lower
number, realize that, that may not be the healthiest option for you.
And number 2, this is based on the body mass index.
Which I think if you're someone who strength trains a great deal, or has a great deal of
muscle, as part of your body composition.
You may fall in that overweight range, and that's okay.
You probably look and feel fabulous.
So there's a little disclaimer there.
If you're someone who does have a great deal of muscle tone, lucky you.
And you fall in that overweight range; don't take it to mean that you should be shooting,
for that normal range.
You're probably just fine the way that you are.
Okay so the next piece of the puzzle is.
If you're not in that healthy weight range, or you are maybe at the far end, and you want
to get a little bit more snuggly, towards the middle.
Or you are not losing inches, the scale isn't moving, the tape measure isn't moving.
Then ah-ha, it' been 3 weeks and you're probably in a plateau.
If you are on the dreaded plateau, it is time for you to put your detective hat on.
And start trying to figure things out.
I'm hoping that you're one of these smart people, who in weight loss is actually tracking
your foods.
You know your numbers.
You know the calorie ranges you eat, typically from day to day.
You know your macros.
You know what breakdown is between carbs, fat, and protein.
You need to ask yourself.
Are you eating the same foods, and same meals, day after day?
Is the calorie count pretty much the same day after day?
Are you doing the same or similar work out routines day after day?
You're not really mixing things up.
You're just sticking to, like that half hour walking on the treadmill, or you're just putting
in the same workout tapes in, over and over again.
That's the clear sign that probably, when you do the same things over and over again,
and you expect different results.
Or you expect changes to continue, you are wrong.
You need to switch things up, vary things a little bit.
Otherwise you know, you're not gonna show progress, both on the scale, and how you are
looking, and how you are feeling.
And the second topic you should tackle, and investigate as your own plateau detective
- is being honest with yourself, and figuring out whether or not, you;re eating enough.
I know it sounds counter intuitive, but if you are someone who maybe has been sticking,
to that 1200 strict calories per day.
And you are spending an hour, 90 minutes doing workouts; you may be putting your body into
starvation mode.
Where it's clinging on to every single ounce of fat that it can.
You need to really do an honest assessment, of whether you are fuellng your body the way
that you should.
And the easiest way that you can do that is, to figure out what your daily caloric needs
are.
And yes if you are using My Fitness Pal it will spit something out to you, and it will
take into account your activity.
You can also go online, onto self nutrition data.
I'm gonna walk you through exactly, what you would do to figure out, whether or not you
are actually, eating enough calories each day.
So let me go ahead and show you, how to do that online.
Alright, here's a really easy way for you to determine, whether or not you are eating
enough, based on your height, your weight, and your activity level.
You will head over to nutritiondata.self.com/tools/calories-burn.
And I'll also put a link into the description to this video, so you can just click on that.
And head on over here.
You are gonna enter in, whether you are male or female.
And if you are female too, its gonna ask you whether or not you are pregnant, which trimester
you are in.
Whether or not you are lactating.
And we'll pretend she's not pregnant, she's not lactating.
She's 42 years old, she's 5 foot 6.
Based on the lifestyle selection, will give you like equivalence based on miles walked,
or pedometer steps, of how active you are in a given day.
Not taking into consideration, you know any other exercises you do.
Just how much you are out and about, and on your feet each day.
And we'll say this person is active.
And let's say you are doing Insanity Max:30, you can click in a 30 minutes of additional
exercise.
And for Max 30, I'll say that's calisthenics.
Its heavy, vigorous effort.
If you do other things too, there's lots of options down here.
You can, whether or not you play.
Let's see.
You swim, you bike, you canoe.
You play hacky sack is even on here.
Yeah there's hacky sack.
Your archery, Whatever you do you can just kind of add on, how many minutes a day you
spend doing it.
You click on the calculate.
I didn't enter any weight.
We'll say that she's 140 pounds, and tada it will spit out your BMI which we talked
about before.
You can kind of close your eyes, about that one if you want to.
The most important part of this is the calories burned.
It will tell you your daily energy expenditure.
And you know, that's just what you need, to function as a human being, and to take the
steps each day that you take, depending on how active you are.
And it will add in additional calories that you expend, doing whatever exercises that
you do each day, for however amount of time.
And for this person it adds another 288, so the baseline calorie levels that you need,
is 2,657 calories.
If you are someone who is looking to lose weight, which I assume that you are.
You're watching this video about plateaus.
You would deduct anywhere from 500-750.
I think it would be a good not range to shoot from.
From that number that it gives you.
For me I don't aim to hit a set specific number, I shoot for like a range.
So if you want, you can do that.
And keep it within the 500-750.
And don't be super obsessive about hitting these specific number, always go for ranges.
But in the weight range that you wanna be in, and like calories that you should be eating
each day.
So that's a good way to determine whether or not, you're actually eating enough.
A lot of people that I work with who have suffered through plateaus, more often than
not, it's not because they're eating too much.
It's often because they're eating too little.
Not to say that there aren't cases where the person has, let's say lost a significant amount
of weight, and then they're stuck at a standstill.
But sometimes it's because they're eating the same amount of calories they were, back
when they weighed that higher weight.
So you got to determine what's going on there.
Like if you're following a certain plan, like 21 Day Fix, sometimes too you'll lose weight,
and you'll be pushed into a different bracket.
So you should be eating less amount of container each day.
That's my little tutorial on figuring out calorie breakdown for you.
So there you have it.
There's my little plateau soap box vent.
You know, you need to determine whether or not, you actually are in a plateau.
And then be a little bit of a detective.
Try to figure out if you're just been doing the same things, over and over, and day after
day.
If you have, you definitely need to switch things up, and surprisingly you may even need
to up that caloric intake.
When it comes to workouts, and if you're doing the same thing over, and over again.
Again switch it up, do something different.
If you go to a gym, try different classes.
You know, open your mind a little bit.
If you're someone who is a cardio queen, and just pretty much gets on the treadmill, or
you go to Zumba or some sort of cardio class.
Start incorporating weight training into your routine.
It can make a big difference, especially if you are in fact in a true plateau.
But if you do play detective, and you are tweaking, and still nothing, nothing is working-
I will always say, to go to your doctor.
Maybe see an endocrinologist, especially if you are female.
There may be some sort of hormonal imbalance, or thyroid issue, get checked out.
If you are truly suffering from a plateau, and it's not only several weeks, but several
months.
Where you are just stuck at the same weight.
You're not at a healthy weight range, and nothing is moving.
The inches, the pounds on the scale, nothing.
Go see a doctor, and go see if there is some sort of medical explanation for why, you are
not losing weight.
I hope you found it helpful.
I know plateaus can be one of the most frustrating parts of the process, when you're looking
to lose weight.
As always if you have any questions, you can shoot me an email over at coachpetrina@yahoo.com.
You can check out my crazy, sexy, cool website, over at petrinahammfitness.com.
Or if you're up for it, you can sign up for absolutely free fitness coaching with me,
at makefitwork.com.
My aim is to hook you up with your nutrition program, and workout program that gets you
results.
And if you're someone that's battling a plateau, get you out of that plateau.
That's it, take care.
And have a great weekend.
Bye, bye guys.