One of the most common frustrations in weight loss is when all progress halts and your weight levels off. Unfortunately, weight plateaus are quite common.

That’s because as you lose weight, your metabolism typically slows and you may need to adjust your caloric intake to a lower level. Simply put: the smaller you are, the fewer calories you burn.

If you’re diligently sticking with your plan and your weight is at a standstill, consider trimming 200 daily calories. Here are four simple strategies for breaking through a weight plateau:

1) Boost Your Metabolism
Since your metabolism naturally slows down as you lose weight, exercise is the obvious way to keep it stoked. Try adding an extra 10 to 15 minutes of cardio-exercise to your daily routine - you’ll burn at least 50 additional calories. Also, add two to three days of strength training.

As your weight goes down, you not only lose fat but also a small amount of muscle. Since muscle is critical to keeping your metabolism revved, losing it can reduce your metabolic rate and hinder weight loss. Strength training helps to preserve/build muscle and revs your metabolism.

2) Check Portion Sizes, Get Rid of Extras
After following a diet for a few weeks, we often loosen up and begin to grab this and that. It’s amazing how much extra food we can munch on without realizing it - so eat mindfully and consider keeping a food log for accountability. Also, pay attention to your beverages (alcohol included) - as well as what’s going into your coffee and tea. And get out your measuring cups and food scale again. Most dieters routinely underestimate portion sizes.

3) Remove All Starchy Carbs With Dinner
You’ll save a few calories when you omit pasta, rice, bread, potatoes, corn, and peas from your dinner. Instead, fill up on lean protein and lots of plain (no fat added) non-starchy vegetables like broccoli, carrots, peppers, spinach, cauliflower, zucchini, and lettuce.

4) Don’t Eat After 8 p.m.
Try to eliminate nighttime snacking for a few weeks. When you’re through eating dinner, put closure on food by drinking an herbal, decaf tea. You can also try flossing and brushing your teeth; this is a good thing to do after all your meals, in fact. You may even want to try the “Crest White-Strips” after dinner - you have to keep them on for 30 minutes and you probably won’t want to eat after you take them off.

source:health.yahoo