What is Weight Loss Plateau and How to Beat it?

Last updated: January 7, 2019 at 20:25 pm
 

You’ve started feeling good about yourself and your figure and then suddenly, you’ve noticed that your body has stopped improving.

The fat you easily lost in the beginning fights back and now is more difficult to get rid of these unwanted layers.

And no matter what you do, you feel hopeless.

It doesn’t matter if it’s been a week, or a month, your body can’t make any progress.

So, you come to a point when you want to give up.

The fact that you are on a diet, you follow certain rules and there are things you are not supposed to eat, makes you nervous and insecure.

The last thing you need is that notorious weight loss plateau.

Does it sound familiar?

What is weight loss plateau?

Plateau or stagnation in the weight loss process is that time during your diet when you simply stop losing weight.

No matter how much you try, you can’t lose weight.

That’s why this is one of the most important moments when it comes to weight loss.

A lot of people quit their diet at this point because they lose motivation.

Nine out of ten people give up when they see that nothing helps.

They don’t eat much, they exercise, but the scale keeps showing the same number.

It’s really frustrating when you give your best, you follow the rules, and you don’t get anywhere.

Weight loss plateau or stagnation is a usual occurrence among most people.

It occurs all of a sudden and it’s mainly the last part of the weight loss process.

Namely, nine out of ten people give up on their diet after reaching plateau since they are convinced they can’t lose weight anymore.

However, there is no reason to feel desperate and make that kind of decision.

It’s a fact that you can overcome a plateau and then continue where you stopped with your weight loss.

You need to be persistent and optimistic.

What can cause weight loss plateau?

You loosen up

Many people slow down when they see good results and they start breaking the rules.

Have you stopped eating your meals at the same time?

Or have you started combining ingredients you shouldn’t?

Have you started drinking coffee or eating sugar between meals?

If the answer is yes, then you should start following your diet rules again and wait patiently for good results.

If you are disciplined and sure that you didn’t cause this problem, then listen to your body.

You might have a medical problem, stress, or a lifestyle change that made you stop losing weight.

Stress

Chronical stress is your body’s biggest enemy.

Stress disturbs the levels of hormones which are responsible for breaking down carbs and fats (cortisol, adrenaline, and insulin).

Consequently, it slows down your metabolism.

Besides, it can cause a false feeling of hunger and craving for sweets and junk food.

Stress is very harmful and it can cause weight loss plateau even if you strictly stick to your diet regime.

Infection

Any kind of infection or allergy which lasts for a while can make your body focus on eliminating harmful substances from your bloodstream and not burning fat layers.

It’s natural to first deal with a harmful threat and then with other processes, such as weight loss.

Tip: If you have any kind of symptoms that you neglected, consult your doctor to see whether you need treatment or not.

When you fix your health problems you can expect a successful weight loss.

Giving up smoking can stop the weight loss process

Getting rid of this nasty habit while on a diet can sometimes affect the weight loss process and your body might store fat layers.

This happens because you have an increased appetite and your guts change.

But, you can control your guts by taking probiotics.

Well, since now you know why weight loss plateau happens, let’s see what you can do about it.

How to beat weight loss plateau?

1. Don’t lose motivation

Many women (including me) can be a mess while on a diet.

You are on the verge of giving up.

You can barely find the strength to fight fat that has annoyed you for years.

It made you feel depressed and sad.

And now you need to worry that you might not get good results even after working hard.

Don’t despair.

You need to look at it this way.

You successfully finished the first part of a very difficult task.

Now you need a short break to continue with the second part.

2. Additionally, reduce the number of calories you intake

You may additionally reduce the number of calories you intake.

However, be careful not to reduce below 1200 kcal per day. (1)

If you do that, you will constantly be hungry.

And starving can stagnate your weight loss even more.

Moreover, starving can lead to overeating.

And trust me, you don’t want to start overeating.

The feeling is good at the moment, but the next day you will feel sorry you forgot about your diet and gained back the lost pounds.

3. Do more exercise!

Everyone needs to do exercise at least 30 minutes a day.

And a lady who wants to lose weight needs to do that even more.

Try to make a new workout plan.

Add more activities or do your regular ones more often.

Try cycling or jogging if it’s a nice day.

4. Sleep well

A good night sleep and rest are important factors for the weight loss process.

If you are chronically tired your hormones go wild.

When you sleep badly the level of cortisol (the stress hormone) increases.

And that makes you hungrier.

5. Plan your Cheat day

Although you know that the intake of sugar and fat is one of the reasons for weight loss plateau, sometimes you can let yourself have “a cheat day”.

That’s the day when you break your diet rules and you eat the food which isn’t allowed.

You know what I mean.

Sweets, snacks, pizza, etc.

But, remember, only on your cheat day.

This kind of a shock for your body can help the hormones that were disturbed after the reduced intake of calories to get back to normal and then you start losing weight.

The problem with this is that some people loosen up and have these days way too often.

So, have a cheat day once in 2-3 weeks.

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