Hitting a weight loss plateau can feel incredibly frustrating. You have been working hard, following a healthy diet, including activity in your lifestyle, but the scale is not budging! Unfortunately, weight loss plateaus are often part of the weight loss journey. They can happen when your body gets used to your current routine and has adapted to your new weight. It can become a viscous cycle: as you lose weight, your body needs fewer calories, and you begin to lose lean muscle mass. Muscle burns more calories than fat so losing muscle causes your body to burn fewer calories.
The good news is that if you follow some of these smart strategies, you can break this cycle and get things moving again!
Track your daily intake
As you lose weight, your calorie needs can decrease. Using a tracking app or food journalling to see how much you are taking in each day can be helpful. Calories can creep into your diet from small extra snacks, beverages or increased portions. Measuring foods for accurate portions and tracking when you eat can help you to be more mindful. Unhealthy habits can be caught when we are more mindful of what we are doing. Even small adjustments in your diet of cutting 100-200 calories can make a big difference.
Change Up Your Workout Routine
Your body adapts to repetitive exercise. If you are doing the same exercise routine, day in and day out, you may need to take your fitness routine to the next level. Consider challenging your body more by scheduling an additional day of exercise, increasing the intensity of your workout, adding extra time to your activities, or simply thinking of ways you can move more minutes each day. Another thing to consider is working to build and maintain muscle mass. As mentioned, when losing weight you will begin to lose muscle along with fat. Using exercises that preserve and actually increase muscle mass can be helpful in getting through a weight loss plateau. Consider adding strength training exercises a few times a week. You can utilize your own body for resistance with exercises such as pushups, sit ups, squats and lunges or use exercise bands, free weights or exercise machines. Check out these tips for exercises you can do to preserve muscle as you lose weight.
Be Sure to Include Enough Calories
Prolonged calorie restriction can lower metabolism and increase stress hormones. Sometimes the first thought when weight is not coming off is to cut back even more. Reducing calories too drastically can slow your metabolism, which can prevent weight loss. As you track your intake, be sure you are including adequate calories and a good variety of food in your diet. It may be time to boost your intake with a couple healthy snacks in your day.
Improve Sleep and Stress Management
Are you getting enough sleep and truly allowing your body to rest? Sleep deprivation and chronic stress can raise cortisol levels, which has been shown to promote fat storage and work against weight loss. Having poor sleep habits and not managing stress well can often lead to poor eating habits and reduced energy to exercise. A good daily goal is 7–9 hours of quality sleep and to help with good mental health a daily goal to include stress-reducing activities such as yoga, meditation or journaling. There is a crucial link between sleep and mental health – having healthy habits in both of these areas can help you through your plateau.
Hydrate and Manage Sodium Intake
Weight fluctuations may not necessarily be weight gain. Having a diet high in sodium may cause water retention which can make the scale go up. Take a deep dive into what you are eating and limit highly processed food which are high in sodium. Be sure to limit the saltshaker also! Staying hydrated is also important in your weight loss journey. Make it a goal to include enough water each day. The general rule is 8 cups of water per day or 64 ounces. Staying hydrated will help your body function better and keep your energy level up while exercising!
Stay Patient and Trust the Process
Your body may just need a little time to adjust, so be kind and patient with yourself. Losing weight will have its ups and downs. It is important to not only look at the number on the scale but to also focus on other non-scale victories which can include:
- Increased energy
- Clothes fitting differently as you lose inches in your waist, belly, thighs, arms and/or chest
- Better strength and endurance
- Improved health – lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar, lower cholesterol levels
Do not get discouraged by a plateau. It does not mean you have failed, but it may be a time for you to look at what you have been doing and develop some strategies to help you move forward and make some changes as you continue on your weight loss journey. Stay consistent and keep working and building on your goals. Remember that lasting results come from long-term commitment, not quick fixes.