Weight Loss Plateau: What Causes It and How To Break Through It
Takeways
A weight loss plateau is a natural part of the weight loss journey, so don’t get discouraged.
There are 2 primary causes of weight loss plateaus. The first is water weight loss due to a temporary depletion of glycogen stores. The second is muscle mass loss, which lowers your metabolic rate (i.e., calorie burn).
If your body weight and/or body composition isn't changing, you may be in a weight loss plateau.
Potential weight loss plateau solutions include incorporating resistance training into your exercise regimen, consuming more fiber, and increasing protein intake.
Picture this: you start your weight loss journey by eating right and exercising—and the numbers on the scale decrease quickly. Unfortunately, though, this doesn’t last. After a couple of months, your weight loss progress stalls.
Sound familiar?
If so, you’re not alone. A weight loss plateau is a common challenge many people face when losing weight. Although it’s a completely normal part of every weight loss journey, it can be very discouraging.
The good news is that there are ways to get past this plateau and reach your weight loss goals.
This article will help you understand what causes a weight loss plateau, how to tell if you’ve reached a plateau, and what you can do to kickstart your weight loss.
What causes weight loss plateaus?
To understand why it’s typical to run into a weight loss plateau, first knowing the 2 components that make up your body weight will be helpful:
Fat mass: The weight of all the fat molecules in your body.
Lean body mass (or fat-free mass): The weight of non-fat molecules in your body. This covers the mass of your internal organs, bones, muscle, and more, plus all the water you carry.
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t only lose fat when you lose weight—but, instead, also muscle mass and water weight. This, in turn, explains why you’ve stopped seeing results after that glorious initial weight loss. Find more details below:
Water weight loss: When you go on a diet, you’d typically consume fewer carbohydrates. Over time, your body may have to dip into your glycogen stores (i.e., “glucose stores”) for the fuel it needs to keep running. Each gram of glycogen is associated with 3 grams of water. So, as your body burns its way through the glycogen stores, you’d see a pretty dramatic—but deceptive—weight loss. When you consume more carbohydrates again, your body can replenish its glycogen stores and all the “lost” water weight associated with it. Ultimately, you haven’t lost any fat in the process.
Muscle mass loss: Calorie restriction often results in muscle mass loss, especially if you’re not strength training and/or consuming adequate protein. Unfortunately, since muscle burns more calories than fat, the more muscle you lose, the lower your metabolic rate. This may then cause your weight loss to slow or even stall.
How to tell if you’ve reached a weight loss plateau
Weight loss plateaus usually occur after a period of rapid weight loss; if you haven’t noticed any changes in the following, you may be in one:
Weight: You haven’t changed your diet or exercise program. Yet, your weight loss has ground to a stop.
Body composition: If your body fat percentage (i.e., the ratio of fat mass to lean body mass) isn’t decreasing, you may be in a weight loss plateau. Beyond watching out for signs you’re losing body fat, like appearing more “toned”, you could also determine if you’re losing fat mass by using body composition measurements. Examples include body circumference measurements and the DEXA scan.
Weight loss plateau solutions
So, what can you do if you've reached a weight loss plateau? The most important thing to remember is that sustained weight loss—where your body starts burning fat instead of simply dropping water weight—comes down to being in an energy deficit.
Wait. Does this mean you'll have to cut down your food intake further? Well, not necessarily. There are plenty of lifestyle and dietary tweaks you could make that'll promote satiety and increase calorie burn. These allow you to push past this weight loss lull without starving yourself. In fact, you may even find yourself eating more! Find out how that’s possible below.
1. Add some resistance training to your workouts
As mentioned earlier, calorie restriction often leads to losing muscle mass. This may slow down your metabolism. As a result, To continue losing weight, you must eat fewer calories than you already are. This is imaginably unsustainable in the long term.
Severely limiting your calorie intake may negatively impact several of your hormone levels responsible for regulating your appetite—from testosterone to leptin to thyroid hormones.
To avoid this weight loss pitfall, you must preserve and possibly build more muscle mass to boost your metabolism. That’s where resistance training comes in. By incorporating resistance training into your life, you set yourself up for weight loss that lasts.
2. Track your food intake
You may think you’re eating the right calories to help you lose weight. However, most people tend to underestimate how many calories they’re eating.
To get an accurate picture of your calorie intake, you can use an app to track each food you eat. You can also use this calculator to determine how many calories you need to eat to lose weight.
While it does take some extra time, keeping track of your food could lead to greater weight loss.
That said, it’s worth noting that counting calories may not be suitable for everyone—especially those with a history of disordered eating. As always, it never hurts to speak with a healthcare professional before changing your eating habits or tracking your food.
3. Increase your protein intake
Higher protein diets will make you feel fuller and more satisfied, helping prevent overeating. It works by increasing the release of hormones like PYY that reduce appetite and signal to the brain you’re full.
If you’re struggling to lose weight and are frequently hungry on your diet, you may want to try increasing your protein intake.
You should try to aim for 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kg (0.54 to 0.72 g/lb) of body weight.
You can incorporate more protein into your diet by choosing leaner cuts of meat, drinking whey protein shakes, or eating more eggs.
4. Increase your fiber
Eating more fiber is a great way to help you get past a weight loss plateau.
Fiber helps kick start weight loss by controlling your appetite and preventing you from overeating. It works by slowing down the speed at which you digest food. This means you feel fuller for longer. It also helps reduce appetite by taking up space in your gut, giving you the sensation that you’re full.
Certain types of fiber called pectin and beta-glucan seem more effective in reducing appetite. These are highest in foods like apples, oats, tomatoes, and mushrooms.
5. Stay active throughout the day
You don’t always have to hit the gym to burn calories. Any chance you can get to move your body will contribute to your total calorie expenditure. It can be as simple as a brisk 15-minute walk in the morning, taking the stairs, or doing a few air squats when you have some spare time.
6. Get more high-quality sleep
Getting good sleep is crucial to getting your weight loss back on track.
Poor sleep increases your cravings for high-calorie junk food and makes it harder for you to stick to your diet. It also increases cortisol—the “stress hormone”—levels, reducing your metabolism and contributing to weight gain.
To get better sleep, try to get on a consistent sleep schedule. Avoid caffeine past noon and try not to go to bed too full or hungry.
Hit a plateau in your weight loss efforts and need help? NOVI Optimum provides you with a personalized diet and exercise program to help you lose weight and stay motivated. For those who are keen on receiving medical weight loss advice, NOVI Optimum Plus may be of interest to you.