I am sure we all have had the same experience.  We have tried a new diet - usually the latest craze! - and it worked.  We are estatic as the pounds fall off.  We think we have found our ultimate diet - no more fat days.  Woohoo!

And then -reality hits like a truck coming at you at 90 miles an hour.  We find out the weight loss is only temporary as we hit the dreaded "weight loss plateau".

So many diets are created to provide you with an initial hit that shocks your body with something new. Because this is new your body will start burning fat in order to sustain it's usual levels.   A lot of diets also incorporate water loss which means that in the first few weeks those pounds that are shifting would probably have gone regardless of what diet you chose.

Within a few weeks your body will have become accustomed to the new diet program. Your body becomes used to the new diet and (if you have one) new exercise program and is no longer shocked into burning energies. This is what makes so many people give up diets so very quickly.

So how do you combat this weight loss plateau? 

Well firstly stop concentrating solely on counting calories.  There is nothing more damaging to your chances of success than becoming obsessed with your diet.  You need a life otherwise you will be constantly thinking of food.  It is hard to ignore food cravings if you are thinking food, food and more food.

Secondly, you need to introduce an exercise regime in order to help get rid of those pounds. To burn fat successfully and fight plateaus you need to create a high metabolic rate. Exerise is one way of doing this.  You don't need to join a gym or become a fanatic.  A little exercise such as a brisk walk, swim or bike ride a few times a week will make the world of difference to your weight loss goals.

Put a carb curfew in place - don't eat carbohydrates after 5pm.  Why?  Carbohydrates whilst a necessary part of your diet, can cause bloating and an overfull feeling meaning you skip on breakfast the next morning.   For effective weight loss, you want to front load your day i.e. eat most in the mornings and less as the day goes by with lighter meals near bedtime. 

Starvation diets don't work simply because your body thinks that there is an actual food shortages, as opposed to your decision to starve, and thus it reduces your metabolism rate to conserve fuel.  This is a leading cause of the weight plateau.