by Rick Kelly

Whether you are right in the middle of a diet and exercise program or successfully completing one, the main thing that you will notice is that the amount of fat you are burning off is slowing down. Those amazing results that you experienced when you first started have almost disappeared, or are simply not there at all.

Known as a plateau, your body’s metabolism has adjusted to its new operating level and is quite happy to stay there. This makes it both difficult and frustrating to shed those last 10 or 15 pounds. The strategy here is to restart your metabolism through fresh ways of diet and exercise. So here are a few tips to pull you and your body out of that weight-loss plateau.

Add more fat burners to your diet: Limit your intake of fresh fruits to red grapes, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and cherries. Not only are these fruits low in carbohydrates, but they also break down fat so it can be eliminated faster from your body. An even better fat burning combination is berries with low-fat yogurt.

Burn abdominal fat faster: Limit your caffeine intake to green and black teas. They both specifically burn belly fat, and with lemon, work even faster.

Use more olive oil: Olive oil metabolizes fat naturally. A recent weight loss study showed that two tablespoons of olive oil daily could reduce body fat by up to 2 pounds a week.

Eat more greens: Spinach, kale, and Swiss chard are natural appetite suppressors, while broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts release the toxins that help store fat.

Take your exercise plan outside: If you have lost a lot of weight on the treadmill or in aerobic classes and it isn’t working any more, it’s because your body has gotten used to the intensity of the exercise and is no longer burning fat as efficiently. Our first instinct is usually to increase the intensity of the workout, but your body will still resist. The best approach is to change your exercise venue. For example, trade the treadmill for walking or jogging outside. This will wake your body up, get your heart going, and burn more fat because your body isn’t used to the ever-changing terrain of the great outdoors.

Change up your strength training: Building lean muscle is the best way to get rid of fat because muscle burns more calories, even when you are at rest. However, if you don’t ever change your workout, both you and your body will become bored with it. If your strength training involves three sets of 10 to 12 reps, then it’s time to mix it up. Try doing one rep followed by six reps with the heaviest resistance you can manage. Repeat this, and then finish with ten to twenty reps using a very light weight. This workout will not only make you stronger, it will keep you interested in your strength training.

Use the treadmill to your advantage: If you can’t get outside to walk or run, make sure to mix up the settings on your treadmill. Speed intervals really work: run 60 seconds at your top speed and then a minute or two at an easy jog. If you have access to a high-end treadmill where you can change the incline, you can also program a hilly course to walk or run.

The main thing to remember is that when you reach this level of training, it’s not necessarily the intensity, but the variety that will burn off the most weight, particularly when it comes to fat.