Published on: May 10, 2022

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Weight Loss Plateau: Why It Happens and a 360-degree Approach to Fixing It

Weight loss plateau
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You’re shedding kilos & losing inches! You feel energetic & confident! You have better-fitting clothes now! 

You’ve got incredible results that show all your hard work during the first few weeks (or even months) of your weight loss journey. Now suddenly, however, you notice that the scale has stopped budging for no reason. Sadly, this is when you’ve hit a weight-loss plateau.

In this article, we will cover what is a weight loss plateau, why it happens, and a 360-degree approach to break it. 

What Is A Weight-Loss Plateau & Why Does It Happen?

Weight loss plateau happens to pretty much every person who tries to lose weight. And, if you have experienced this frustration of not losing weight even after eating carefully and exercising regularly, you’re not alone. 

A weight-loss plateau occurs when you temporarily stop losing weight; the calories you burn equal the calories you eat.

Now, let us understand why it happens.

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Firstly, the stall happens because your body is smart and has adjusted to the new, lower-calorie routine. As a result, it now requires less fuel for daily activities than before.  

Secondly, as you lose weight, you lose muscle mass in addition to fat and water, which lowers your metabolism. As your metabolism declines, you burn fewer calories than you did at a heavier weight. 

Therefore, at new lower body weight, you will burn fewer calories doing the same physical activity or eating the same number of calories that initially helped you lose weight. 

A 360-Degree Approach To Break The Weight Loss Plateau

Hitting a weight loss plateau can be frustrating and discouraging. It can sometimes cause you to abandon your weight loss plan and may take you back to where you originally started. Thankfully, there are several simple ways to push past this weight loss lull and nudge the scale in the right direction.

Here are a few tips and tricks from our Fitterfly’s in-house experts:

  1. Ms Shilpa Joshi, Head of Metabolic Nutrition at Fitterfly, said, “An important goal in nutrition therapy is to decrease the caloric intake to achieve a negative energy balance and promote weight loss. Once you’ve hit a plateau, you would’ve to drop your calorie intake further.Another way is to give yourself time and avoid doing anything new for 6 months after you’ve hit the plateau. Just continue doing what you are doing already. Let the body adjust itself that will trick your body to forget that it was on a weight loss journey, and then after 6 months, you can start afresh”.Shilpa added, “To get past the weight loss plateau, you should have patience. Weight loss is not a linear process. So if you have lost 3 kg in the first month, you might shed just 2 kg in the second month and almost nothing in the third month. People who give up after hitting a plateau are the ones who give up on weight loss altogether”.Shilpa said, “You should concentrate on consuming good nutrients. As you progress in your weight loss journey, it is natural to get bored of the low-calorie diet. So you may start choosing unhealthy foods that may also have fewer calories but poor nutritional value. Such as, you might opt for a packet of nachos instead of eggs wherein both will give you the same number of calories. Although by doing so, your weight won’t get impacted but your lean muscle mass will go down which in turn will slow down your metabolism and poorly affect your weight loss trajectory”.Shilpa concluded, “During your weight loss journey, you may not always shed in kilos that are visible on a weighing scale. You might be losing in inches and improving your metabolic parameters like triglycerides, HbA1c, total cholesterol, blood sugars etc. So don’t get obsessed over the number on the scale. Instead, focus on improving your metabolic health“.
  2. Neha Verma, Head of the Psychology Department at Fitterfly, said, “You should always partner with someone who has overcome a weight loss plateau or is successful in their weight loss journey. Your partner will keep you motivated and may suggest strategies that they applied to overcome the challenges in their weight loss journey”.Neha further added, “You should keep patience and avoid acting impulsively by repeating what you are doing already. Get a wellness mantra like a motivational quote or something similar. Repeat it to yourself. It will give you the positive energy and bring you back even if you go off the track”.”Revisit your personal reason for weight loss – why you want to lose weight and what is causing you to drift from the track. It could be because of boredom and monotony. Think constructively to avoid regaining the weight you’ve lost so far with so much hard work & dedication”, said Neha.
  3. Dr Anuradha Mandlekar, Head of the Physiotherapy Department at Fitterfly, said, “Weight loss plateau typically happens when your body gets adapted to your existing exercise routine where you might be doing only one particular type of exercise with the same intensity. To correct this, firstly, give a slight push in the intensity and add variability in your exercise form“.”Secondly, try to do both aerobic and strength training exercises to build muscles to get your metabolism humming again. If you are new to strength training, get your baseline fitness assessed from a Physical Therapy Coach who will help you get the right start. And if you plan to do it on your own, start slow & progress gradually”, added Anuradha.

The challenge of a weight loss plateau can be incredibly frustrating. Although you might be working hard to lose weight, the simple truth may be that your body doesn’t like to lose weight or has stopped responding to all your efforts.

But wait! Be in the know that the stall isn’t necessarily your fault. It is part of the weight loss process. So instead, focus your energy on how to overcome this roadblock. 

You may take guidance from experts of Reset23 – A weight management program to understand what’s happening during a plateau inside your body, why it’s happening with you, and what can you do about it. 

Visit our website visit https://www.fitterfly.com/reset23 to learn more about Reset23 or give us a call on 022 48971077 (Ext -2).

- By Fitterfly Health-Team
No more postponing exercise plans.

We have a weight loss solution that is just right for you

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