Hitting a Plateau? These Surprising Factors Might Be Sabotaging Your Weight Loss!

Losing weight is hard; keeping it off is even harder.

It can be soul crushing when you have been successful losing weight and it either stops or you regain the weight back.

You seemingly are doing all the right things, and the scale is not moving.

Many people feel at a loss and don’t know what to do.

I am going to list some common reasons why your weight loss may have stalled with some possible solutions in the second half.

Metabolic Adaptation

As we lose weight our metabolism adjusts to our new weight.

What can happen is our body can become more efficient in carrying out its daily function burning less calories at rest. Consequently, you may find that your weight loss has stalled despite doing the same amount of exercise and calorie intake.

Poor Sleep Habits

Sleep plays a critical role in weight loss. Poor sleep can lead to your weight loss slowing down for a number of different reasons. It can lead to an increase in cortisol levels which can lead to greater fat storage. It can also cause hunger attacks and cravings which can trigger emotional eating.

Increased Muscle Mass

If part of your weight loss regimen has been resistance training, likely your muscle mass has increased. Muscle is denser than fat. Consequently, you may be in better shape, but your weight might be increasing!

This is not a bad thing. However, there are other ways to  measure your improved health including tracking your body fat percentage and hip/waist measurements.

Liquid Calories

Some people don’t realize liquid calories count.  Drinking your calories often does not lead to satiety and the can add up. A can of pop a day, is 14.5 lbs of weight a year.

 Sugar sweetened beverages may be sabotaging your weight loss progress. Also, hidden calories in sauces and condiments should not be ignored.

Constipation

Sometimes the weight scale is not going down because of the weight of stool in your colon.

Drink lots of water and have adequate fibre intake to help relieve constipation.

It can also help with abdominal bloating that you may be experiencing.

Your body has adapted to your exercise program

If you keep doing the same work-out over and over your body will become more efficient in doing it.

You may not lose the same number of calories doing the identical workout.

Change things up to stoke your metabolism. If you have been focussing on a cardio based exercise program, consider introducing resistance training.

If you can increase your muscle mass, this will increase your basal metabolic rate.

Hormonal Changes:

You always have to consider if you are experiencing hormonal changes as you age. This may decrease your metabolism.

Also, some people may develop hypothyroidism with aging. It is important to have regular check-ups with your family doctor to assess for age related changes in your health.

Weight Loss Plateau:

Sometimes your weight stalls as your metabolism is catching up to your new weight. Plateaus are common when losing weight.

 You do not lose weight in a straight line at a constant rate. In my experience, many patients lose weight in a stepwise fashion where they may lose a big chunk of weight, then you have a plateau and then have the next drop in weight. This is normal and you have to be patient.

What can I do if my weight loss has stalled?

1. It is always recommended to meet with your family doctor regularly for health check-ups. There can be physiological reasons why you may not be losing or gaining weight. These things need to be assessed.

2. Change your work-out routine. Sometimes you can stoke your metabolism by introducing different work-out regimens. For example, introduce resistance training to increase your muscle mass.

3. Track other measure of body health such as fat % and weight and hip circumference. If you are increasing your muscle mass, the weight scale may not be the best measure of your progress.

4. Drink a lot of water. This will help prevent constipation and lead to increased energy. Also, being hydrated can lead to less eating. Sometimes, we mistake dehydration for hunger.

5. Ensure you have a bedroom conducive to restorative sleep. Have a comfortable bed and a dark cool room. Also, stick to a regular sleep cycle if you can.

6. Track all the calories you are consuming including liquid calories, condiments, sauces etc. There are a lot of calories that we don’t realize we are eating.

 It can be demoralizing when your weight loss stalls. The first step is trying to identify reasons for this.

The good news is that there are concrete steps you can take to get back on track.