How to overcome a weight loss plateau?

What is a plateau? A plateau is a duration of time when weight is not lost for about 2 weeks. Daily day to day weight fluctuations are normal due to dietary changes, variations in bowel movements, fluid changes from sodium intake, body fat changes among other causes.

We are striving for a weekly loss of about 1-2 lbs per week.
What are the cause of weight plateaus? Not always, but often plateaus occur from excessive calorie intake from holiday celebrations, sweet beverages, eating out, take out, alcohol intake, excessive snacking on sweets or salty snacks or other processed foods, or excess eating in general. Sometimes we underestimate how much we actually eat as well.

The key is to make adjustments along the way to assist with healthier eating and creating and maintaining consistent habits. It’s not all or nothing. Not on a diet, then off a diet. If someone overeats at dinner, the next meal or snack, strive to get right back on track to maintain your other healthy habits. Then look for the cause of overeating and strive to fix it. Did I not have 50% non starchy veggies at the meal? Did I not food shop or was running low on healthy food? Did I not plan for dinner, but rather wing it and overeat? Did I eat more processed food or have more sugar or something else? It’s a process, not one diet, so we are continuously looking to learn, improve, grow, create habits, and get healthier.

No shame, blame, guilt or regret. This is why food journaling is so important. Keeping a food journal allows for data tracking and we can go back and look for causes of weight loss or gain and learn. We learn from successes AND slips.

Bowel function can effect weight in the short term. If someone is constipated, then weight can be higher from day to day or within a week. We may move about 1-2 lbs of stool per day depending on the intake from the day before. If someone is constipated, the scale can be temporarily higher, but it’s typically stool weight, not body fat. There can be a variety of causes of constipation, but the most basic is lack of adequate fiber from fruits, vegetables, seeds/nuts, whole grains or beans. Gradually increasing fiber with adequate water for many can solve the problem. Others may have other causes such as structural issues in the bowel, hormones such as low thyroid or a variety of other causes.

Metabolism (the amount of calories burned minute to minute or day to day) issues may be a cause for a plateau. Some individuals with hypothyroid (slow thyroid) may lose weight more slowly and thyroid function needs to be checked to assure that the thyroid is working properly.

Exercise and movement are also important. Are you sitting all day and not exercising? If so, your metabolic rate may be slower and total caloric needs are lower and therefore weight loss may be slower. While the research shows that nutrition is more important for weight loss than exercise, being active can contribute to weight loss and a healthy metabolism. Exercise also improves our health in a multitude of ways.

If someone is truly following their nutrition plan 95-100% and hits a weight loss plateau, then an adjustment in calorie intake may need to be made, typically lower calories. Some individuals who have lost a significant amount of weight may need to slightly reduce calories.

However, for some, staying the course may be ideal as the weight may still come off, albeit more slowly, over time.

Bottom lime? Look for causes of a weight plateau from your nutrition, habits, journaling, movement and more. Make 1-2 adjustments and trial for the next week, keep data and adjust as needed.

Have a healthy day!