Everyone who embarks on a weight loss journey must also realize that losing weight is NOT linear. Nearly everyone, at some point, will be faced with stalled weight loss. This limbo period has the cunning ability to weaken even some of the strongest of wills, convincing them that their happy ride to weight loss success is inevitably over.
The truth is you need to learn to expect them, and also learn how to deal with them if you expect to reach your final destination. Again, there is virtually NO ONE who has successfully lost weight that has not experienced one, or in most cases, several plateaus along the way. So, rule one is in learning to identify them, and then deal with them wisely so it doesn’t drive you to throw in the towel and give up on your efforts.
I’ve personally identified 7 reasons why you may be experiencing a weight loss plateau. These will help you understand why it may be happening and what you need to do to help break-through it.
1. You are Losing Fat but Gaining Muscle
If you’ve recently started trying to lose weight, yet also starting exercising, especially for the first time or after an extended time off, you may be putting on muscle while losing body fat. This transition in body composition will not show up on the scale. However, these changes will definitely standout on a body composition analysis. In addition to a lower body fat reading you will likely notice a definite change in your measurements of your waist, hips and leg area, even though the scale isn’t moving. Eventually, over time, the scale will start reflecting your loss in body fat as your muscle gains start to slow.
2. Your Carbohydrate Intake May Be Too High
Your carbohydrate intake may simply be too high for what your body needs to lose weight. You could easily be taking in more carbohydrates than you’re aware of, as many foods and beverages can have carbs hidden in them that you’re not even aware of. Use the “general” guideline below to help you pick the best type of carbs and the appropriate amount needed to optimize your weight loss effort.
50 – 100 Grams Per/Day
This range works well for people who are metabolically healthy but are looking to drop some weight. It is also a great maintenance range for people who are carb sensitive.
- Consume plenty of vegetables
- Consume 1 to 2 pieces of fruit per day
- Minimize your consumption of starchy carbohydrates
25 – 50 Grams Per/Day
This range is for those who are 50 plus pound over-weight and/or are battling with metabolic abnormalities like obesity, metabolic syndrome or type II diabetes. When eating less than 50 grams per/day your body will eventually slip into a kenotic state or what is known as ketosis, supplying you brain and body energy via ketone bodies. At this point your body will be forced to burn body fat as its main energy source
- Consume an abundance of cruciferous and dark leafy green vegetables
- Consume moderate amounts of foods like avocados, nuts and seeds
- Minimize your starches and fruits only picking from low glycemic sources until you are within (below) 50 pounds of your healthy weight
3. Water Retention Will Mask Your Fat Loss
You may be losing body fat while holding onto water. This is a fairly common occurrence especially for women. Not drinking enough water can actually make the body hoard water as a defense mechanism. Also ample hydration can actually help flush fat and toxins from your system.
I recommend a minimum of 0.5 ounces of pure fresh water per desired goal weight each day.
Example: Goal weight 150 pounds – (150 x 0.5 ounces = 75 ounces)
Dehydration Red Flag
Although our bodies have been designed with built in control mechanisms to help us sense our hydration status, these mechanisms may be slow at letting us know exactly where we are on the hydration scale. Two common indicators are:
- Thirst
- Urine color
While thirst may be a good indicator that a drink would help maintain good hydration, it may actually imply that you are already in a dehydrated state. Outside of being thirsty, the color of your urine can give you clues on the current status of your hydration level. If your urine is bright yellow, you are already approaching a dehydrated state. The darker your urine, the more dehydrated you are. These are both clear indicators that you are behind the curve on staying well hydrated.
4. You are Experience a Set-point Readjustment Period
Your body has certain set-points it likes to operate within. Just like adjusting the thermostat in your house, when you change the fuel and ratios you’re putting into your body, it will need time to adjust to those changes. This is called a feedback loop. Also as your body weight dips into uncharted territory it will fight to stay where it’s comfortable. This is what’s known as a weight set-point. At these junctures your body is making the proper adjustments in reprogramming your set-point in order to let your body resume weight loss. Sometimes this can take a few weeks, so don’t give up, eventually the scale will start to move again.
5. You are Undereating
I never stress being calorie conscious in order to lose weight. If you’re fueling your body properly it will automatically signal hunger and fullness without having to count or track your calorie consumption. However, most people who try losing weight scale their calories back to a ridiculous level, therefore creating a metabolic shift in their thyroid output. This is a protective mechanism build into our DNA to help protect us against bouts of starvation in times of famine. Lower calories simply mean slower metabolism, which is exactly what you want to avoid. If you are a calorie conscious person use 1200 as your lower limit. If you are struggling with losing weight and sitting in a plateau, simply raising your caloric intake may be exactly what your body needs to jump-start your metabolism and get weight loss moving again.
6. You’re Not Eating Enough Protein
If your protein consumption is too low your body will break down its own protein for fuel. What this means is your body will break down its own lean tissue (muscle) for energy, and because muscle is the physical place where calories are burned for energy you will have inadvertently lowered your metabolic rate. Also, protein is more stimulating to your metabolism that both carbohydrates and fat by nearly 30 percent, so eating a higher percentage of your calories from minimally processed protein sources will raise your metabolic rate naturally.
So how much protein should you be eating?
I find that 0.7 grams of protein per pound of desired goal weight is the sweet-spot
Example: Goal weight 150 pounds – (150 x 0.7 = 105)
If your goal is to be 150 pounds then aim for a minimum of 105g of protein per day.
7. You’re Not Exercising
Although weight loss is more highly induced by your nutrition plan and eating habits, exercise can certainly enhance your results. After you’ve been losing weight for a while and you hit a plateau, sometimes just a nudge of intense physical stimulation is all you need to get things moving forward again. If you’ve never exercised before, just walking a few times a week will help. However, eventually, you will want to build a more solid plan that includes both weight training and cardio for long term enhancement and maintenance program.
