Is There Really Such a Thing As a "Weight Loss Plateau"?

Many clients or individuals who are on a weight loss journey, complain of those terrible plateaus. Typically, individuals will lose weight successfully for the first month or a few months and then hit a "plateau."

Depending on how much they have to lose, this could come sooner or later. This plateau seems impossible to break and often becomes very discouraging to the individual trying to lose weight. Consider the following if you've hit a "plateau:"

First, have you started to slack on your nutrition or exercise, or both? Have you quit tracking?  Are you hitting snooze?  More dessert?  Did you have wine last night?  It's easy to become relaxed when you get such good feedback from peers on your progress. This feedback could trigger loosening up on habits that created the initial success.  Keep your long term goals in mind and pull out your original plan to follow again.

Second, you may need to tweak your exercise routine. Our bodies are programmed to the path of least resistance. In other words, our bodies are LAZY and will become more efficient at working out, especially when the routine is not changed up. This means you will burn fewer calories doing the same routine if you don't change it up. If you need ideas in changing your workout routine, contact a personal trainer or try a new workout class at your local gym.

Third, we may need to reassess your diet to make sure that it meets your calorie needs, taking into account your current weight loss. This is why follow up appointments with your dietitian are important. If you are at a "weight loss plateau," your calorie level and distribution of calories may need to be tweaked. 

Don't let a weight loss "plateau" keep you from being successful!  Call us if you need help getting through it!