How To Break a Weight Loss Plateau

If you are wondering how to break a weight loss plateau, you should know how to avoid it in the first place, which unless you are already very lean  can be done fairly easy. Yes I know, this is easier said than done, but if your progress stopped, chances are that you are doing something wrong.

So in this case, you may want to review and apply the following five-step process, which will help you to deal with any weight loss plateau.

1. Journal your food intake

If you are far from achieving your fitness goal, this should be the first thing to do when your approach to weight loss doesn't work anymore.

It's well documented that overweight folks tend to overestimate their calorie intake, so if you want to root out the evil, so to speak, make sure that you are weighting, measuring, and recording whatever you eat or drink.

This may seem like a major inconvenient, but it doesn't take more than a few minutes for a few days until you get used with it. It's also important to note that your metabolic rate decreases as you lose weight, so keeping the same calorie intake will inevitably bring you to a weight loss plateau.

2. Use carb loading or cheat days

When you start dieting, especially if you are already fairly lean, leptin levels (and certainly other hormones) may drop to half within a few days, signaling your hypothalamus that you are not eating enough.

However, this process can be reversed if you shortly increase your calorie intake to maintenance or slightly above. Keep in mind that leptin responds better to carbohydrates, so satisfying your cravings around workouts may be exactly what you need.

3. Reevaluate your exercise routine

Although exercise doesn't burn tons of calories, when you get very lean (below 10% body fat for men or mid-teens for women), they may add up if you train too frequently or too long.

Doing some cardio between two bouts of high intensity exercise can definitely help you to get rid of stubborn fat, but it may also cause an adaptive decrease in metabolic rate if you exaggerate.

You should be aware that when you get at this level, your recovery capacity is greatly reduced, so your training should be cut back to maybe twice a week – doing high intensity full body workouts is the best choice to keep your strength and lean mass while dieting.

I guess you don't expect to gain muscle when you are at single digit body fat, right?

4. Go back to your adjusted strategy

Try this approach for two weeks, and then check your weight and strength to see where you stand in terms of body composition. If you lose only fat, continue. If you lose muscle along with fat, reduce slightly your calorie deficit.

5. Take a 1-2 week diet break

If your previous adjustments didn't make any difference, it means that either you are already very lean and/or you have been in a calorie deficit for a long time.

This may be the result (or lack of it) of a spartan diet without any refeeds. In this case, chances are that your hormones are messed up, and you need a break.

If you go back to your maintenance level (which is about 15 calories per pound of body weight), no fat will be regained, and usually the few extra pounds come from increased water and glycogen storage.

Consequently, your hypothalamus, which is keeping track of your fat reserves and how much you eat, will increase metabolic rate, slightly decrease your hunger, and normalize hormonal response.

Closing Point

In conclusion, if you experience a weight loss plateau, don't feel discouraged because the solution may be easier than you think. Apply the above process, and I predict that your progress will be continuous – assuming that your expectations are realistic.

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