If you have bad genetics, lofty goals, or both, you'll hit another plateau and need to work smarter to continue losing weight. Most people will not need this level of dieting, but may find some of these strategies make their current diet easier.
Ignore Taste
Most of our lives, we eat based on what tastes good. As you diet, you begin replacing taste with the nutritional function of food. In the Intermediate stage, that meant tapering back the use of fats and sweets for flavoring. In this stage, you may need to eliminate those altogether and rely on just spices and your cooking ability. Instead of looking to each meal as a pleasant diversion, it is simply a function to fuel your body, like a cow eating grass. If you don't have a wide array of hobbies and interests, this will be more difficult.
Fasting
Some people respond well to intermittent fasting. You can try going a day without eating or just a few hours. Always keep experimenting because what didn't help you 3 months ago, might work for you now that you've changed something else.
Routine Eating
Each of today's meals are a feast compared to what people used to eat. In fact, holidays, even Thanksgiving, have trouble competing with the average family's weeknight meals. Instead of treating each meal like part of a festival, make as many of your meals and snacks routine as possible. Some people can eat the same oatmeal for breakfast every day for years and others find lunch is the easiest to eat a healthy, routine meal because they are rushed and too busy to enjoy something fancy. If you find this to be near impossible, then at least try and eat the same thing for one meal for a whole week. Put a slightly different spin on it the next week. Small changes will start feeling like big ones.
Carb Types
Carbohydrates fuel the body which means your blood sugar rises when you eat them and you feel more energized. However, the faster carbs are digested, the faster that energy spikes and falls off. This can create a carb-craving rollercoaster that sabotages your diet. Even if you're eating few carbs, you should strive to make them low Glycemic Index ones and pair them with protein and/or fat. That will slow digestion and keep your energy levels more stable.
For this reason, it may be better to space your carbs evenly throughout the day, but depending on your workout, it may be better to consume them in a couple specific batches. Whatever you do, try to recognize when you're craving carbs instead of hungry. That will go in an hour so you don't have to maintain a willpower of steel all day.
Protein Types
Not all protein is equal. If you are bodybuilding, you'll need to learn which proteins to eat and when.
Fat Types
Everyone knows to stay away from Trans fats, but for heart, brain, and joint health, you need to get specific about the types and amounts of fats you consume.
Clean Cheats
The most hardcore dieter can't afford cheat meals. Instead, you'll need to find all kinds of ways to have healthy versions of cheat foods like cookies, ice cream, or pizza. There are some good pre-made products, but some of them can only be made by cooking. While they have a few more calories than your usual clean meals, they aren't totally out of line. An average person would balk at the taste or texture in comparison to the real deal, but you haven't had the real deal in months so it will taste like a slice of heaven and give you the relief to stay motivated.
