18. Vary Your Caloric Intake
Here’s the thing about the human body: It’s much smarter than you think. If your daily caloric target is 1500 calories and you hit that number consistently every single day, your body is going to recognize it and your metabolism will start to plateau (so to speak). If you want to “trick” your body into jumpstarting your metabolism again, all you need to do is vary that daily caloric intake to keep it guessing. Try downing 1200 calories one day and 1800 the next. As long as it all balances out, you should be fine and there’s a good chance your increased rate of metabolism should help you burn fat faster.
According to a 2011 article on
Livestrong.com, “The idea is that you keep your body guessing and avoid plateaus in weight loss. Some recommend you calorie shift daily, while others suggest that you eat consistently six days each week and schedule one ‘cheat’ day in which you eat your guilty, calorie-laden pleasures. For example, author Lyle McDonald writes in ‘The Ketogenic Diet’ that many people successful restart fat loss by alternating calorie intake daily.”
Change, it seems, can be a very good thing.
