What Causes a Plateau in Dieting?

Weight loss plateaus happen to every dieter at some point or another. Despite this fact, many people are surprised when the scale stops moving. A weight loss plateau occurs when you stop losing weight despite continuing your weight loss program. Understanding the dynamics of weight loss and the reason plateaus occur is the first step to overcoming the event.

Early Stages of Weight Loss

• It is typical to experience rapid weight loss during the first weeks of dieting and exercise. In actuality, most weight loss in the first few weeks is water weight. When you cut calories, your body supplements the lost energy by releasing a type of carbohydrate that is stored in the muscles and liver. This particular type of carbohydrate stores water, and when it is burned for energy, releases about 4 g of water per gram of carbohydrate. This reduces the amount of water stored in your body and results in a lower number on the scale.

Weight Loss Plateau

• As your body begins to lose fat and lean tissue, the body compensates by slowing the metabolism. This means you begin to burn calories for energy at a slower rate. As a result, your body creates a balance in which you are burning and storing calories at an equal rate. This results in a stall in your weight loss, or a plateau.

Time to Assess

• A weight loss plateau means the weight loss method that worked so well in the beginning of your program will no longer provide results. You can maintain your current weight loss, but you will not continue to lose additional weight. Accordingly, if you have reached your goal, there is no need to change your current weight loss program. However, if you wish to lose more weight, the only way to overcome a weight loss plateau is to change your weight loss method.

Overcoming a Plateau

• To overcome a weight loss plateau, you must further decrease your calorie intake or increase your activity level. If you decide to reduce your calories, take an inventory of your current diet and shave off an additional 200 calories. Do so only if this will not leave you with a less than 1,200 calorie intake per day. If you decide to increase your activity level, you can increase the time you spend working out by an additional 15 to 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can increase the intensity of your workout by running faster, adding additional weight to resistance workouts or adding weights to your cardio. You can also combine eating fewer calories with an increased activity level. No matter what your choice, the key is to constantly revamp your program to keep you body guessing and losing weight.