You have been following a diet and exercise program and experiencing positive results---and then suddenly the scale stops moving. This weight-loss plateau happens to just about everyone who tries to lose weight. A plateau can be extremely frustrating, especially if you believe you are working hard and diligently sticking to your plan. Understanding the reasons why a plateau occurs, however, can help you overcome the stall and move closer to your goal weight.
Slowing Metabolism
Your metabolic rate---the rate at which your body uses up the calories in food---is tied to your weight. When you reduce your size through weight loss, you need fewer calories to rev your engine. Thus, a reduced number of calories that fostered a loss when you weighed 200 lbs. now might be just enough to sustain your new weight of 175 lbs. To push through a weight-loss plateau, you should recalculate your daily calorie burn according to your new weight and reduce calories, or increase activity, to continue to incur a daily calorie deficit.
Inaccurate Calorie Estimations
When you began your diet, you might have carefully paid attention to portion size and food labels. After the initial excitement of starting a weight-loss plan wears off, this vigilance can wane. Even though you mean to eat proper portions and exercise, you might be allowing yourself slightly larger portions or skip workouts. If you are not already keeping a food log, start one to help keep yourself honest. Weigh and measure your food for a few days to remind yourself of exactly what proper portions look like. Schedule exercise sessions in your calendar, and use a heart-rate monitor during workouts to be sure you are exercising at a calorie-burning intensity.
Wimpier Workouts
If you have been following the same workout routine for more than four weeks, your body has likely become accustomed to it. As a result, you are more efficient and burn fewer calories than you did when you began your routine. Also, as you have lost weight, you simply burn fewer calories per minute exercising because there is less of you to maneuver. The Mayo Clinic recommends shaking up your routine by adding 15 to 30 minutes to cardio workouts or increasing the intensity. Adding intervals---a minute or two of jogging interspersed in your regular walk---can help boost intensity without making you feel overwhelmed. You might try changing modes of exercise altogether; if you have been enjoying a group cycling class three days per week, try a kickboxing class for one or two workouts instead.
Lack of Daily Activity
If an exercise routine was new to you, you might feel more tired now throughout the day and move less than you did before embarking on your weight-loss program. Hitting the gym hard for a one-hour workout cannot make up for sitting at a computer during the day and in front of the television in the evening. Think of creative ways to move more throughout the day: Walk around the office to deliver messages to your co-workers in person, clean your own house, take your dog for an extra walk or just pace while your are on the phone.
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