After some time on a calorie restricted diet, you may notice your weight loss begins to slow (or stop all together). This can be considered a ‘weight plateau’ and can be defined as a period of where your weight stays the same for more than 3-4 weeks.
Plateauing on a weight loss journey is very common and normal, weight loss is not a linear process and will come with pits and falls.
There are 2 reasons this could be happening:
- You’ve relaxed on your new eating habits and exercise routine after losing some weight initially
- Your body has gotten used to what you’ve been doing and is no longer responding to the changes you’ve made to your diet and lifestyle
Whilst the latter can be very frustrating to deal with, this is a part of your body’s survival mechanism to keep you alive and healthy. Weight plateaus usually happen when your energy intake is the same as your energy output. As you progress along your journey and get to a lighter body weight, your body’s maintenance calories are now lower meaning you need less energy than you previously would have to maintain and lose weight. This means you need to reassess your energy output to be greater than calorie input.
So how can you do this?
Follow the checklist below to assess why your weight loss may have plateaued:
- 🍦 Have any old habits started to trickle back in?
If so, address these first. - 🐓 Are you getting enough protein?
Protein helps to preserve muscle mass which increases metabolism, resulting in more energy burnt at rest. Check you are eating a balanced diet also (your plate being 1/2 veggies, 1/4 protein, 1/4 protein carbs) - 🍫 Are you skipping meals or having too many treat foods and drinks too often?
- 💦 Are you drinking enough water?
- 😴 Are you getting enough sleep or managing your stress well?
- 🏃 How is your exercise going?
If you're feeling bored with some or not going as hard as you could, then try to switch it up a bit.
Keep a food and exercise diary for the next several days to assess where you may need to adjust things to get your weight loss back on track. Be thorough - this will help identify any areas that need improvement.
If you need further assistance from our health coaching team, please messaging us here for additional support.
We are always here to help.