What to Do When the Scale Stops Moving

Most people who are trying to lose weight hit a plateau sooner or later. The way you handle this plateau will determine whether or not you will be successful in losing weight. The majority of people get frustrated and eventually go back to old habits.  When a weight loss plateau occurs, it can mean 2 things – you need to change something or you just need to be patient and the plateau will break. In order to be a “successful loser”,  you’ll need a strategy on how to deal with plateaus and push past them. Here are my top 10 tips on how to break a weight loss plateau.

Here are some tips for breaking through a weight-loss plateau
1. If you’ve stopped keeping food records (or never started!), it’s time to start again.  Get out your notebook or app (my fav is www.myfitnesspal.com) and start recording. You’ll likely need to weigh and measure some foods. I know this can be ANNOYING – but it works.  It’s very likely that your portion sizes are getting larger or you are eating more during the day than you realize. Even an extra 50 calories a day can make you actually gain 5 pounds a year!

2. Keep in mind that as your weight drops, your body needs fewer calories to maintain your new low weight. You might need to take your calories down by 100 or so a day. However, don’t take your calories too low or you’ll slow your metabolism.

3. Try to change your diet around a little.
– If you’re used to eating three meals a day, try to eat 6 mini meals
– If you are on a low fat diet, try a lower carb diet for a few weeks
– If you are eating late at night, try to stop eating at 7-8 pm
– If you are enjoying a glass of wine or two a day, try to cut out all alcohol for a few weeks
– If you eat a light breakfast and a large dinner, try to reverse this
– I’m generally not opposed to eating carbs at night, but try to omit them 5 nights a week for a week or two
– Make sure you are eating adequate protein

4. Get more sleep. There has been a lot of studies done in the past few years that demonstrates the important role that sleep plays in weight management. Bottom line, if you don’t get enough sleep, your chances of becoming overweight skyrocket.

5. Eat less processed food. I’ve had many clients who cut out the energy bars, 100 calorie packs and frozen dinners are replaced them with real food … and then the weight started to drop. Read my previous post on All Calories Are Not Created Equal.  (pic credit)

6. Assuming you are exercising, make some changes just to mix things up. Sometimes your body needs a change. Try one or more of the following tips:
– Add in another day of exercise each week
– Make your cardio sessions 15-20 minutes longer than usual
– Increase the intensity of your cardio sessions
– Try a new form of cardio (i.e. spinning, kickboxing, etc.)
– Work out with an energetic friend or personal trainer for a month
– Set a new exercise goal such as running your first 5 K race
– Add in weight training if you are not already doing so (aim for 2 – 3 sessions a week)
– Try HIIT (high intensity interval training): increase the intensity of your cardiovascular or aerobic exercise by adding short bursts of higher-intensity movement, such as sprinting. These intervals should last 30 to 60 seconds and be followed by less intense exercise for two or three times the length of the burst. Start by adding one or two of these intervals to your routine, then increase the number as you improve your conditioning
– If you are already working out 5-7 days a week, consider cutting back to 4-5 days a week. I’ve had clients lose weight by exercising less

7. Move more during the day. Going to the gym 4 times a week isn’t enough if you sit on your butt at work 10 hours a day. I would highly recommend a movement tracker like a Nike Fuelband or Fitbit. The goal is 10,000 steps a day. Take the stairs more. Walk at least part-way to work if possible (no excuse on this one NYC peeps)

8. Focus on how much healthier you feel after losing weight rather than focusing on numbers on the scale. See how your clothes are fitting differently. I actually think that it is best for some people not to get on the scale at all as they tend to become obsessed with numbers.

9. Be patient. Plateaus will almost always break. The trick is staying motivated long enough for it to break!  Read my previous post on How My Client Lost 50+ Pounds. A major part of her success was being patient enough to wait out the plateaus.

10. And … very importantly, make sure your weight loss goal is realistic. You probably don’t want to hear this, but sometimes you can only get to a certain weight. This can be especially true if you have already lost a lot of weight. Your body may fight you in getting any lower. But in the majority of cases,  you can break the plateau!

Are any of you going through a plateau? Feel free to share your stories and what has worked for you in breaking plateaus.