The human body is an amazing machine. It can adapt to a dizzying range of changes. But because the body is a very smart machine, and it wants to avoid starvation at all costs, most dieters will encounter a bodily adaptation that brings a great deal of frustration with it - "the weight loss plateau." The body fanatically wants to keep that abdominal fat, and most new moms find to their dismay that they need several months of work to get rid of the postpartum belly fat. This problem is worse if the mother is nursing her baby; then, the body keeps every bit of fat it can to make nourishment for the infant.

Until recently, the only thing a dieter could do was to "wait out" the plateau, and hope the weight loss would resume eventually. Many dieters would resort to skipping meals, but skipping meals is a direct route to skipping the benefits of weight loss.  When food is scarce, the body automatically slows way down and does not lose weight.

Now, several techniques have been discovered that can help the dieter get off the plateau and continue losing weight. To outwit the body's metabolic processes, these techniques require changes in diet or training routines. It takes some attention and careful work, but it can be done.

What is a weight loss plateau? A weight center lecturer probably won't mention this phenomenon until someone in the weight loss group experiences it and brings it up in a meeting. In a nutshell, the "plateau" is a situation where the body has stopped losing weight, usually because it has developed a tolerance for the methods and techniques the dieter is using. In developing this tolerance, the body has learned to match its calorie requirements to the new metabolic rate that has been set.

Once the body has matched the dieter's efforts, the body goes into maintenance mode. The weight seems stuck, and so does the belly flab.  Then, the worst thing can happen: The frustrated dieter takes comfort in the wrong foods, and reduces or gives up on exercising altogether; or, worse, the dieter starts skipping meals and therefore skipping benefits of weight loss.

There is good news, though: There are ways to counteract the human body's ability to build up this tolerance.

The human body's metabolism, when given a pattern, will adapt to that pattern. Once a plateau has been reached, rather than giving up, a dieter must confuse the body and change the pattern again. The body will notice the change, and it will adapt again. The important thing to remember is that the change must be towards the healthier lifestyle, not backsliding into the unhealthy patterns.

So, essentially, the dieter must confuse his metabolism in order to move his body back into "diet mode." There are plenty of ways to alter that pattern effectively without causing the body any harm at all.

In most cases, repeatedly changing the exercise routine, and adding in some strength and weight training, will jog the body enough to make the change out of maintenance mode. Using tougher exercises, or working on muscle areas that the dieter may habitually ignore, can confuse the body enough to force it to re-adapt. While the body is busy adapting to the changes, it will become a fat burning furnace and start losing weight again.

To get the most benefit out of this method, the dieter should also make positive changes in their diet. Of course, eat more fruits and vegetables, but another good technique is to change the intervals between meals. Surprisingly, the internal clock that runs the human body's digestive system can be changed to suit one's purposes.

A trick that many people are using now is to eat more meals, but make each meal smaller. This can make a big difference in changing the body's metabolic rate. In doing this, the dieter is showing his body that it isn't starving, and that food is available. When the body "knows" this, it will then burn food faster and naturally run at a higher metabolic rate.

Naturally, what works for one person may not work for another. While some dieters may get by with merely shortening the break between meals, others may require a good bit of tweaking of their exercise regimen and diet program. It may take some trial and error before a dieter finds the right balance.

The important thing is to find a method that works and is effective for your metabolism. This can be a time-consuming process, but it's certainly worth it in the improved results.

Remember that the body will lose fat from all over, not just from one specific spot. Therefore, avoid exercising only your "problem areas." Spread the wealth around, and develop all your muscle groups. Not only will you feel better and look better, but lean muscle requires more calories than fat does, even when the body is in its resting state. The more lean muscle you develop, the higher your metabolism will be through the entire day, even while you sleep. So don't despair if your abdominal fat or postpartum belly fat seems to be out of proportion. Just keep switching your routine, eat the foods you know you should eat and avoid the junk (most of the time), keep tricking your metabolism so it doesn't plateau, and keep at it. You'll reach your goal.