What to do when your weight loss has plateaued

Getting on a weight loss journey and working towards shedding the fat off your body and improving your health can be a very empowering experience. However, oftentimes we find that after the initial few weeks of progress, your body seems to stop responding to the changes you’ve made in your eating style and activity levels. Experts call it a weight-loss plateau!

Almost everyone on a weight loss journey hits a plateau at some point. No matter how hard you may be working at losing weight, your body is going to work harder to keep the energy intake and output in balance. Understandably, a weight loss plateau can be incredibly frustrating and discouraging. However, there are many strategies that can help you find your way through this and begin to lose weight again. 

Let’s discuss some of them!

1. Tracking your calories: When you feel hopelessly stalled, tracking your calorie intake may provide valuable insights. A good way to do this is to start a food journal. It will help you become fully aware of your eating and drinking patterns and help you spot unnecessary calories or any areas where you can make changes to support your goals. Alternatively, you can also use a food tracker app.
   
   
   
   
2. Increase the exercise intensity or frequency: During the initial phase of weight loss dieting and exercise, a person will see their fitness level improving. However, over time the body adapts to your new activity levels. Hence, it is vital to adjust the intensity of workouts throughout the weight loss journey in order to continue seeing results. By introducing small, progressive changes in the activity level whether by increasing the volume of the exercises or the frequency of the workouts, you can increase the number of calories burnt and break through the weight loss plateau.
   
   
3. Increase your level of general physical activity: Increasing your general physical activity throughout the day and burning more calories can be of help in getting through a weight loss plateau. You can do this by walking more, taking the stairs more often, using your car less, doing household activities such as gardening, cleaning, etc., or anything else that keeps you on the move!
   
   
   
   
4. Manage stress: High levels of stress can often stall weight loss. While the release of cortisol, the stress hormone, helps your body in responding to stress, it can also increase your body fat. Additionally, high levels of stress and increased cortisol production may also promote comfort eating and trigger food cravings, interfering with your weight loss, throwing you off your progress, or putting brakes on it. According to research, learning and adopting ways to manage stress can promote weight loss. A stress management program including deep breathing and muscle relaxation may aid weight loss and help you fight through a weight loss plateau.
   
   
5. Eat more fiber: Eating an adequate amount of fiber slows down the movement of the food consumed through the digestive tract. This can help one feel full and satisfied for longer aiding in weight loss. Eating an adequate amount of fiber also decreases the number of calories the body absorbs from other foods. Hence, including more fiber in your diet may also help you break through a weight loss plateau.
   
   
   
   
6. Get plenty of sleep: Getting an adequate amount of sleep is crucial for any kind of weight loss. If you find yourself lacking on this very important component of weight loss or even improving your overall health, work on improving your sleep duration as well as sleep quality. Practicing good sleep hygiene may allow one to break through the weight loss plateau.
   

Losing weight can be complicated. Finding the right support is the best way to help you overcome your weight loss plateau, fight through the obstacles, and achieve your true potential with your health and fitness goal most healthily. Looking to overcome your weight loss plateau? Check out our MSF Transformation Plans that are custom made for your body and your goals, and are tried, tested and successful with thousands of our MSF Members around the world!