You are eating healthier than ever before and exercising nearly every day, but now you have stopped losing weight. This is known as a weight-loss plateau, and it can be very frustrating and challenging to overcome. However, there are steps you can take to move past the stall and start dropping pounds again. Consult with your physician before you make any alterations to your diet or exercise regimen.
Causes
When you first begin on a low-calorie diet and working out, you may notice a dramatic drop in your weight. This initial loss is mostly water weight, and as you continue to lose pounds, you will begin to lose weight from both fat and muscle tissue, thereby readjusting your metabolism as well. After a few weeks of weight loss, your metabolism will begin to balance out in accordance with your new weight, stalling your loss. You will now need to either eat even less or exercise even more to rev up your metabolism and continue to drop pounds.
Dietary Solutions
One way to push past a weight-loss plateau is to cut more calories. MayoClinic.com suggests reducing your daily caloric intake by 200 calories, as long as you are not consuming less than 1,200 calories a day, which puts you at a greater risk of feeling deprived and overeating. If you have not been keeping a food journal, start maintaining one now. Be honest about what you eat and write everything down. This will help you identify if and when you go astray, better enabling you to get back on track. Try replacing whole milk with skim, or white breads with whole-grain ones. Simple solutions like these can help you cut calories without too drastic of a change.
Exercise Solutions
Once your body becomes accustomed to an activity, you will not burn off as many calories as you did at first. To remedy this, you will need to either increase the amount of time or intensity at which you exercise, or change activities altogether. Try working out for 15 more minutes a day or jogging at a faster speed. Switch to biking instead of swimming, or just add more physical activities throughout your day, such as taking the stairs or walking to work. The more you move, the more calories you will burn, helping you to get past your plateau.
Considerations
If you make changes to your diet and exercise routine and are still unable to lose weight, see a doctor. There may be underlying causes of your weight-loss plateau, and your doctor may have suggestions for ways you can move past this stall. Try not to become discouraged and give up. Plateaus are common, and overcoming them will give you a sense of accomplishment and perhaps even a new determination to keep going.
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