As an obesity medicine provider, I have to say the best part of my job is when I get to celebrate successes with our patients! Everyone in our clinic gets so excited when a patient achieves significant milestones in their weight loss journey and is able to reach their goals!
On the other hand, when a frustrated patient is experiencing a weight loss plateau for weeks or even months on end, I share the patient’s frustration with them! But, the truth is that weight loss stalls are completely normal! The human body’s ability to adapt to all kinds of changes is fascinating and is the reason that weight loss momentum is not always smooth sailing.
“What am I doing wrong? Why isn’t my weight loss plan working anymore?”
It is very common for patients to blame themselves and/or their plan when their weight loss slows or stops. If you do experience a stall, it’s important to challenge the urge to blame yourself, because this might keep you from finding a solution. You are not alone in your frustration, and weight stalls occur for one or more of several possible reasons:
- Inconsistent or inadequate nutrition – if your nutritional intake is unpredictable or too restrictive, your body will default to fat storage rather than burning fat. Even though a calorie deficit is important for weight loss, too extreme of a reduction will cause the body to slow metabolism in response.
- Change in body composition – As you lose weight, some of what you lose will be muscle. If you lose a lot of muscle, this can cause the metabolism to slow down and weight loss can stall. By the same token, if you are building a lot of muscle, you may notice your body changing, but maybe the scale’s not moving because you’re replacing fat with muscle on the body. This is a good reason why having more than one way to measure progress is very important.
- Metabolic adaptation – In response to changes in body weight and nutrition, the body will adapt by slowing metabolism. This is not due to something wrong with the individual, but rather a normal function of the human body.
- Fluid retention – Weight fluctuations due to fluid balance are normal and can be influenced by factors like sodium intake, nutritional changes, drinking alcohol, hormones, exercise, and even stress. If you are not drinking enough water each day, this can cause the body to hold onto that fluid to maintain hydration. This extra fluid may reflect on the scale with a few extra pounds from time to time.
- Adaptation to exercise – Over time, your body becomes more efficient at performing the exercises you’re doing. This means you might burn fewer calories doing the same workout as your fitness improves.
“What can I do to break a stall in my weight loss?”
Unfortunately, there is no “magic wand” that offers a definitive answer or a specific strategy that will make your weight loss start again. For the most part, consistency is the key to weight loss. But, it can be understandably frustrating and demoralizing to continue to practice habits that don’t seem to be resulting in weight loss. So, here are some things to examine and “tweak” in order to gain momentum again:
- Track your nutrition, and BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF! Use a food diary to write down everything you eat in a day, or you can use a tracking app on your smartphone like My Fitness Pal or Baritastic.
Make sure you are being complete and accurate in your tracking. Many times, when we are talking through our patients’ daily habits with them, we uncover hidden calories that weren’t being counted. For instance, if you work in an office that has candy jars and snack baskets around, how often do you pick up a few pieces of candy? Every time you pass by? Three or four times per day? There’s nothing wrong with enjoying an occasional treat, but if you are eating so mindlessly that you don’t even remember doing it or realizing how often, are you even getting to enjoy those candies or snacks? Or have you just gotten into a routine habit?
The bottom line is that you need to be real with yourself and fully examine your habits so that you can replace them with healthier ones.
- Reassess your nutritional needs. As you lose weight, your caloric needs change. At New You, our Registered Dietitian will meet with each patient to make recommendations and set goals for each individual person. Sometimes, a small adjustment to macronutrients and/or calorie goals can help reignite your weight loss. Be careful not to OVER restrict your calories, because this can end up working against you. As we mentioned before, your body has been programmed to respond to changes in metabolic activity. Be mindful of making small gradual changes to your habits so that you can appropriately assess your body’s response.
- Challenge your physical activity. If you are not currently in an exercise routine, this could be the primary reason that your weight loss has stalled. The human body is designed to move, so be committed to establishing and maintaining an exercise routine to help with weight loss and weight maintenance. It is recommended that exercise should be a combination of moderate cardiovascular exercise like walking or biking and some kind of resistance exercise like lifting weights or doing body weight exercises such as pilates or yoga.
If you ARE in an exercise routine and your weight loss has stalled, you may need to modify the type and intensity of your exercise. For some individuals, doing high intensity cardio exercise may seem like the best way to reduce weight, but very high intensity exercise can increase overall inflammation in the body, which can work against weight loss. Talk to the providers at New You for specific recommendations for your situation.
Working with a personal fitness trainer can be very helpful in challenging your exercise appropriately over time so that your long-term goals can be met.
If you have a sedentary lifestyle or a desk job, you will need to be very intentional about getting up and moving your body around throughout the day. You can start standing instead of sitting during conference calls, or you could commit to getting up and walking to someone’s desk to communicate rather than emailing. You could even find a restroom or water fountain to use that is far away from your work space in order to increase your daily steps. Look for opportunities throughout every day to increase your movement and activity.
- Manage Stress. Many people eat more during stressful periods, which can of course inhibit weight loss. However, even if you don’t change the way you eat, stress by itself can impact weight. During stressful times, your body goes into “fight or flight” mode which means fat loss can be stalled. As you are working on healthy nutrition and exercise habits, also be mindful of healthy ways to manage stress that don’t involve using food for comfort.
- Get adequate sleep consistently. High stress levels and poor sleep can affect your weight loss efforts by disrupting metabolism, altering hunger hormones, decreasing overall energy, and increasing cravings for unhealthy foods. It’s strongly recommended that you have a good bedtime routine so that you’re prioritizing rest as an important part of your healthy lifestyle. For most people, between 6 to 8 hours is adequate, but this must be quality, restorative sleep. If you are snoring or tossing and turning all night, this can stall weight loss progress. If you struggle with consistent sleep, talk with your PCP or your New You providers for some strategies, treatments or medications that can help with sleep.
- Stay hydrated. Proper hydration supports overall health and can help with weight loss. Your body requires adequate fluid to break down fat and reduce weight. As mentioned before, sometimes water retention can be mistaken for a plateau. Drinking plenty of water aids in digestion and helps your body function optimally.
- Practice patience, and remember the big picture. Don’t put too much importance into the number on the scale. Your body weight does not define you, so don’t get caught into an unhealthy relationship with the little box on the floor! Remember your motivation for losing weight, which SHOULD be to be healthier, feel better, and live longer.
Weight loss plateaus are a normal part of the weight loss process and shouldn’t be seen as a sign of failure. Understanding the science behind why they occur and applying targeted strategies can help you move past these stalls and continue making progress toward your goals.
All of us would like to believe that we can control the scale, but truthfully, we cannot. We can only control ourselves, so don’t judge your efforts solely based on numbers. Be mindful to acknowledge other measures of progress along the way such as getting stronger, feeling lighter, reducing pain, eliminating chronic medications, improving confidence, reducing anxiety and depression, and just feeling better! Remember that consistency is key, and weight loss should not be a race. Give yourself some credit for the distance you’ve already come, and enjoy your progress along the way!