Have You Hit a Weight Loss Plateau? How to Get Over This Blip



Is your weight loss at a stand still?
A weight loss plateau is when your weight stays the same for three weeks or more. There is often no rhyme or reason for it. Some people find it really easy to lose weight and will have the odd “stay the same” or gain here and there but others really struggle with plateaus.

I’ve not had any plateaus this time round but in the past I’ve definitely hit a point where I’ve stopped losing weight. Recently, I’ve heard of a lot of people struggling to get past the point they’re at right now and wondering why they should both continuing.

Don’t forget to look back at where you’ve come from for your reason why! Once you have that, you’re in the right spot to get over that weight loss plateau.

Here are the tips I can give:

Take Your Measurements

Just because your weight is staying the same, doesn’t mean you are. Your whole body will be changing. A weight loss plateau can happen for all sorts of reasons and one of those is due to growing muscle.

Take your measurements of your hips, waist and chest and see how your body has changed recently. You could even try on that new dress or the pair of pants you’ve been trying to get into for months. You’ll probably find that they’re getting closer to fitting, despite the scales telling you that nothing has changed.

Eat More Than You Should

It may sound counterproductive but for one week—and one week only—eat a little more than you should. Your weight loss plateau could be because your body has simply gotten used to your diet. You need to eat a little more to shake it up and then go back on track.

You may gain that week but at least you’ve moved! The next week you can get back on your plan and you’ll see a loss. You’ll be surprised by how little extra you have to eat to see this too. If it doesn’t do any good the first week, try again for a second.

Look at Your Activity and the Amount You Eat

Another reason for your weight to hit a plateau is because you’re not eating enough for the amount of exercise you’re doing. Your body needs fuel and can go into starvation mode as it clings on to all the calories it can.

Assess the amount of activity you’re doing and make sure you’re eating enough. If you’re doing Weight Watchers like me, you’ll earn activity points. Some people find they have to eat their activity points to be able to lose weight. Others find that they can store up to a certain amount to have a good weight loss.

Everyone is different, so you’ll need to find what works for you. During the experimentation phase you may see your weight fluctuating. Gaining a pound or two one week isn’t going to be too bad—it will come off!

Go Back to the Start to Kick Start Your Weight Loss

Sometimes your body just needs that slight kick and a weight loss plateau is a time for that. Give your own weight loss a kick start by going back to what you were doing at the start of your journey. That doesn’t mean eating everything you did then—you’ve likely found that you need to eat a little less to keep losing.

As you’ve gone on, you’ve probably found that you’re taking more chances with your portions and aren’t quite tracking as you should. It happens. Life gets in the way and you want something quick. There’s nothing wrong with it but you need to be honest with yourself.

Go back to what you did right at the start. You remember how religiously you tracked, right? When you measured out your portions, you knew that you were within the limits of your plan and that helped you lose weight.

If you’ve hit a weight loss plateau don’t despair. It is annoying—I know how annoying it is—but it doesn’t mean the diet isn’t working for you anymore. There are so many factors involved with your weight, including hormones, medication, exercise and the type of food that you eat. Take a look at the above tips and see if they help you kick start your weight loss again.

How have you kicked started your weight loss? Share your tips for handling a weight loss plateau or your stories of how you overcame yours.

Image by: zigazou76

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