At Modern Human CrossFit, we love kicking off the new year by helping our members set and achieve their goals. During our New Year’s Goal Sessions, we’ve heard many of you mention weight loss as a top priority. While it’s an excellent goal, we know how frustrating it can be to hit a plateau. Luckily, there are strategies you can use to push through and keep making progress.
Let’s break it down into two key areas: increasing activity and decreasing calorie consumption. Success comes when you’re burning more calories than you’re consuming. These tools and tactics can help you achieve just that.
Increasing Activity
If you’ve been consistent but progress has stalled, small adjustments to your activity level can make a big difference.
1. Join the Committed Club
Are you part of our monthly Committed Club? Logging 16 workouts each month, whether in class, through 24/7 access, or at-home workouts, ensures you’re staying consistent. This level of commitment builds momentum and helps you burn more calories without overloading your schedule. If you haven’t hit 16 workouts per month yet, make this your first goal.
2. Walk 10,000 Steps a Day
Walking is one of the simplest ways to increase your daily calorie burn. January’s monthly focus on 10,000 steps per day is perfect for boosting energy expenditure. Walking helps improve your metabolism, reduces stress, and is easy to incorporate into your day. If you’re already hitting the gym regularly but aren’t walking, this small change could be the missing piece.
3. Avoid Overdoing It
While it’s tempting to double down on workouts when trying to lose weight, more isn’t always better. Adding two workouts per day or running outside of class multiple days per week often backfires. Doing more than six workouts a week increases your risk of injury and doesn’t lead to significantly better results. Instead, focus on quality over quantity.
Decreasing Calorie Consumption
Cutting back on calories can feel challenging, but simple changes can make a big impact without making you feel deprived.
1. Don’t Drink Your Calories
Sugary drinks and alcohol are sneaky sources of extra calories. A single soda or beer can add 150-200 calories—or more! Instead, stick to water, unsweetened tea, or black coffee. Set a rule to avoid any beverage with more than 50 calories. This one change can save hundreds of calories daily.
2. Avoid Processed Carbs
Most people know to steer clear of sweets, but processed carbs like bread can also stall weight loss. Instead of reaching for bread, swap it out for whole foods like fruits and vegetables. These options are lower in calories and packed with nutrients to fuel your body.
3. Try Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting involves shortening your eating window to 6-8 hours a day. This approach naturally reduces your calorie intake without requiring strict calorie counting. For many people, this method feels sustainable and eliminates late-night snacking.
4. Track Your Food
Tracking your food intake is one of the most effective tools for weight loss. Apps like MyFitnessPal and Cronometer help you log what you’re eating and identify areas where you can cut back. To do this accurately, you’ll need a food scale and some practice. While it’s a bit of work at first, the insights you gain are worth the effort.
Putting It All Together
To push past a weight loss plateau, aim to combine strategies from both areas. For example, commit to walking 10,000 steps a day while avoiding sugary drinks. Or, join the Committed Club and pair it with intermittent fasting. Small, consistent changes lead to big results over time.
Need Extra Support?
Breaking through a plateau can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone. At Modern Human CrossFit, we’re here to guide you every step of the way.
Book a free intro session today to try out a class and meet with a coach. Already a member? Request a free nutrition consult with one of our experienced coaches. Together, we’ll create a plan tailored to your needs and goals.
Let’s make this year the one where you crush your goals and feel amazing doing it. Take the first step and reach out today!
