Weight Loss Plateaus
A weight loss plateau is a term used to describe a stall in desired weight loss. If you are measuring your success by standing on the scale and watching a downward trend, a plateau may indeed be frustrating. But, my beautiful friends, the number on the scale means nothing until you decide to make it mean something. The number on the scale is a neutral circumstance. Yet, so many folks decide that an increase of a pound or two or a lack of loss for the third week in a row means they are “failing”. This is just not the case. The number on the scale tells you nothing about your success. It does not praise you for discontinuing snacking in the evening, increasing your vegetable intake, eating a high-protein meal for your first meal of the day, and reading nutrition facts labels for added sugar. The number does not remind you that you feel better, that your jeans feel more comfortable, you are working out regularly, and most importantly that you are so much more aware of terrible self-talk. When we do not give numbers the power to determine if we are going to feel great or crappy we keep our power.
Popular diet culture will tell you the way to end a plateau is to cut out more food. This is very poor advice and will lead to reduced metabolism. Likewise doubling down on your workout efforts may not be helpful either. I could get into a long rationale as to why these options are poor but I will spare you my rant. Plateaus are part of the survival process, we need to respect the process and manage our thoughts instead.
So what can you do if you find yourself on a weight loss plateau? First, know there is nothing wrong.
Here is a list of suggestions that may help you feel like you are addressing any possible contributions. Please note these are not in any particular order. Step 6 for me is the most important.
Step 1- The number means nothing until you make it mean something.
Step 2- If you are not getting help with your journey- get some. A Life Coach or a weight loss coach can help you be aware of, manage and change your negative narrative. Unmanaged negative self-talk lead to self-sabotage, weight regain, and damaged metabolism.
Step 3- Pay attention to your hunger cues. For those who have worked with me- are you eating when you are -2 and stopping when you are +2. Are you eating when you are not hungry at a 0 on the hungry scale or are you waiting until you are past -2 and overeating because you are hangry?
Step 4- has your portion size of higher energy foods increased without your awareness? For example, 1-2 ounces of nuts is a great snack. 4 ounces is a big serving. If this is happening several times per week go back to being aware of how much you are serving yourself. I am not a supporter of daily calorie counting- it’s inaccurate at best- but some foods can trip you up because even if they are nutritious, which nuts are, they are a dense source of energy so require some attention to the portion.
5- Does your workout routine need a shake-up? Has your fitness level improved and you have not increased the challenge of your workout? Are you allowing your body enough time to recover between strength training workouts?
“Your body needs sufficient time to repair and refuel, especially between challenging, high-intensity workouts. This doesn’t mean you can’t exercise every day, but it does mean that you need to space out your harder workouts and combine them with lower-intensity workouts. For example, during a seven-day week, you might have two to three high-intensity workouts, two to three moderate-intensity workouts, and one to three low-intensity workouts”. Pete McCall 2018 8 Reasons to Take a Rest Day ACE, May 7, 2023.
https://www.acefitness.org/resources/everyone/blog/7176/8-reasons-to-take-a-rest-day/
Side note- I hired a coach in January 2023 to help me better tailor my workouts to my goal of increased muscle mass and weight maintenance. It has been a game-changer for me. It is being noticed.
Step 6- consider adding more fiber to your meals such as raw veggies with your sandwich at lunch.
Step 7- Are you sleeping enough and is your sleep quality good? If you do not know. Start tracking it. Use an app, use a watch or an Oura ring. There are a plethora of good study results that show without any doubt that shows inadequate sleep is linked to poor metabolism and weight gain.
MOST IMPORTANT STEP- celebrate your successes. Be proud of your efforts. YOU are Worthy of giving yourself kindness and compassion. Measure your success with true measures.
Be well friends
