Strategies for Breaking a Weight Loss Plateu

Losing weight smoothly for weeks, only to get stuck at the same number on the scale week after week. Sound familiar? Hitting a weight loss plateau can be incredibly frustrating and disheartening when you feel like you’re doing everything right. But have hope – plateaus are common and there are solutions. With some diet, exercise and mindset tweaks you can break out of a weight loss stall and get the scale moving downwards again. Keep reading to learn strategies for successfully breaking a weight loss plateau.

Why Weight Loss Plateaus Happen

First, rest assured that hitting a plateau is extremely common while losing weight. Here are some of the main reasons why weight loss plateaus occur:

• Adaptation – As you lose weight, your body requires fewer daily calories to maintain its new size. So your old calorie intake no longer creates a deficit.
• Loss of Lean Mass – Severe calorie restriction can cause the loss of metabolism-boosting muscle along with fat. This leads to a slowed metabolic rate.
• Water Retention – Intense exercise and salt intake can sometimes cause your body to retain extra water, masking fat loss temporarily.
• Nutritional Deficiencies – Being low on certain vitamins and minerals may impair your metabolism.
• Stress – High cortisol and other hormonal shifts due to stress can disrupt fat burning.
• Poor Sleep – Not getting enough sleep alters hormone function and metabolism which leads to plateaus.

The good news? You can take action to overcome these plateau causes and reboot your weight loss results.

Breaking a Weight Loss Plateau: Where to Start

Ready to break through your current plateau and get back on track with your weight loss goals? Here are the best strategies to jumpstart fat burning:

1. Recalculate your calorie needs
2. Change up your workouts
3. Eat more protein and fiber
4. Cut back on carbs and sodium
5. Manage stress levels
6. Prioritize quality sleep
7. Be patient and persistent

Making a few key diet, exercise and lifestyle adjustments can get you out of a rut and losing weight again. Let’s look at specifics for plateau-busting success.

Step 1: Recalculate Your Calorie Needs

As you slim down, your body requires less energy, or calories, to fuel its basic functions. What was once a calorie deficit is now a calorie balance, meaning weight loss stalls.

Get your weight moving again by recalculating your calorie needs for weight loss based on your new lower weight. Then create a fresh 500-750 calorie daily deficit through diet and exercise. Tracking calories accurately is key – invest in a food scale for best results.

Be careful not to make your calorie deficit too drastic, or it can backfire by slowing metabolic rate as your body tries to conserve energy. Aim to spread your deficit throughout the day, not just by skipping meals. Aim for no less than 1200 calories daily as a female or 1500 calories if male.

Step 2: Change Up Your Workouts for Breaking a Weight Loss Plateu

Another major way for breaking a weight loss plateu is incorporating new and different workouts that shock your body and get it burning fat again. Here are some of the best strategies to try:

• Add HIIT – Short, intense interval training spikes calorie burn and metabolic rate.
• Increase weight training days – Building muscle raises your resting metabolism.
• Change exercises and rep ranges – Keeping muscles guessing avoids adaptation.
• Add supersets – Combine exercises with little rest to maximize calorie burn per minute.
• Try new equipment – Take a cycling class or use the rowing machine to engage new muscles.

Varying your workouts fights both physical and mental boredom while providing new fat burning results.

Step 3: Eat More Protein and Fiber

Nutrition plays a huge role in revving up stalled fat loss. Ensure you are eating adequate protein – shoot for 0.7-1 gram per pound of body weight daily. Protein provides satiety, requires more energy to digest and spares muscle mass when in a calorie deficit.

Also ramp up high fiber foods like vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. Fiber expands in your stomach to control appetite and requires more calories to break down during digestion.

Foods high in protein and fiber provide more “calorie burn bang for your buck.” Plus, they require more chewing which can burn up to 10 extra calories per meal!

Step 4: Cut Back on Carbs and Sodium

Eating an excessive amount of refined carbs like bread, pasta, sweets and processed snacks can lead to water retention masking fat loss on the scale. Limit packaged and processed foods and build meals around quality proteins, healthy fats and complex carbs like quinoa, oats and sweet potatoes.

Excess sodium can also cause fluid retention, making it appear as though fat loss has stalled. Be diligent about limiting added salt, salty sauces and condiments and processed foods to see the scale budge again.

Step 5: Manage Stress Levels

Chronic stress releases cortisol and other hormones that directly impede your ability to shed fat, especially around the midsection. When you feel stressed and beat down, it’s nearly impossible to stick to healthy habits too.

Give yourself time daily to reset mentally and physically with activities like:

• Yoga and stretching
• Meditation
• Nature walks
• Reading
• Enjoyable hobbies
• Time with pets
• Laughing with friends

Relaxing your body and mind makes it easier to power through a plateau.

Step 6: Prioritize Quality Sleep

Not getting enough restorative sleep alters levels of hormones like leptin and ghrelin that control appetite and fat burning. Shoot for 7-9 hours per night by having a relaxing bedtime routine. Limit electronics and caffeine before bed and make your bedroom dark and cool.

Getting consistent deep sleep ensures your body is working efficiently to drop fat round the clock.

Step 7: Be Patient and Persistent

Sometimes all it takes to push through a plateau is consistency over time doing the right things. Stick to an appropriate calorie deficit, keep up smart workouts, hydrate well and manage stress for several weeks.

Avoid crash diets or extreme exercise plans. Trust that fat loss will kick back in with your healthy habits. And consider non-scale victories like better endurance, smaller clothes and compliments from friends.

Staying positive and determined will help you ride out even the most stubborn plateaus.

Frequently Asked Questions About Breaking a Weight Loss Plateau

Still have questions about how to overcome frustrating weight loss plateaus? Here are answers to some common FAQs:

FAQ: Why am I Losing Inches but Not Weight?

This is actually a sign of progress! If your clothes fit better but the scale won’t budge, you are likely gaining some lean muscle mass while losing fat. Muscle weighs more than fat by volume. Focus on how your clothes fit and your body measurements rather than just the scale number.

FAQ: How Long Will a Weight Loss Plateau Last?

The duration of weight loss plateaus varies widely based on the individual and situation. It could last just a few days or weeks. If it stretches past 2-3 weeks consistently, try changing up your diet, exercise and other tactics for breaking through. Have patience but take proactive steps to start losing again.

FAQ: Should I Try a Fasting Diet for Breaking a Weight Loss Plateau?

Prolonged fasting is generally not advisable. But occasional 24-hour fasts can provide a calorie deficit to spur new fat loss, as long as you don’t binge afterwards. Be sure to stay hydrated, supplement electrolytes and break fasts slowly with broths and light protein and veggies.

FAQ: Will Taking Diet Breaks Help Me Overcome Plateaus?

Yes, taking periodic diet breaks or “reverse dieting” periods can help reduce metabolic slowdown and hunger hormones. Aim for a 2 week break at maintenance calories every 3-4 months of dieting. This metabolic reset lets fat loss resume again once you restart your deficit.

FAQ: How Can I Stay Motivated During a Plateau?

Frustration and impatience are normal. But try to remain positive by tracking non-scale victories, buying motivational workout clothes, planning healthy rewards for goals met, exercising with friends and remembering your “why”. Plateaus end if you persist.

Stalled weight loss is inconvenient but certainly not insurmountable. Make a few savvy tweaks and you’ll be back on track, breaking through plateaus like a champ.

Your ideal physique lies just on the other side. Trust the process, be patient and consistent, and the scale will give way to newfound pounds dropped. You’ve got this!