My Weight Loss has STALLED. Help!

Q: I started my fitness journey about 2 years ago with the aim of losing weight and building muscle. I have lost 30 lbs by doing cardio, bodyweight exercises, and weight training, but have not been able to lose any more fat for the past 6 months.

I make sure that I eat healthy 80% of the time, have a proper post- and pre-workout meal, and sip my whey protein after my workouts. Still, my goal of having a toned body seems to keep getting more distant. I am struggling! How can I overcome this weight loss plateau and achieve my goal of having a toned body?

— Frustrated

There can be one or several factors that is halting your progress! Below are the top 5 reasons why people hit plateaus. It is not a time to give up. It is a time to reevaluate! If you have being doing this solo without a trainer or coach. This may be a good time to seek out help to overcome.

I am going to briefly break down the top 5 reasons why the scale won’t budge!

1. Fail to Understand that Plateaus are Normal. A lot of time we just fail to realize these plateaus are normal. We allow frustrations to build and get in the way of our progress. This is where a coach becomes helpful. A coach will be able to help determine if your body may just need a diet break, more rest, or an extra push.

2. Metabolic Adaptation. When we initially decide to diet and cut back calories. Our bodies are quick to respond and the scale moves down like a champ! Then.. it slows or even stops. Why? Metabolic Adaptation. Our bodies are designed to adapt. After so long, our bodies start to function very well with lower cals and the level exercise activity you have been performing. Solution? If your total daily calories are not too low you can adjust your intake lower. Usually I recommend by 5%-10%. Another option would be to increase your activity. Or you can do a combination of both. Increase activity and slightly lower calorie intake.

3. Keeping the Same Old Workouts. Change your Workouts! One easy way to help break through is to change your workout program. Make sure your workouts are not becoming stagnant. Don’t find yourself doing the same exercises day in and day out. Heck I’ve seen peeps in the gym do the same workout year after year! At this point, it is imperative that you challenge yourself. Also, you should start increasing volume and/or loads. Make sure your workouts are working towards achieving new progress!

4. Lack of or Decreased Movement. Increase your “NEAT” Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. Sitting more lately? Weather changed and you are not walking outside like you used to? Not keeping up with your step count? NEAT, you daily movement patterns, can be a great way to get the engine fired up again! Take stairs instead of elevator. Park farther out in parking lots. If you find yourself sitting for more than 30 mins get up and move around for 10 minutes. Clean the house or throw load of laundry in. All of these examples are apart of daily movement patterns. Try it! You will be surprised!

5. Overeating and You don’t Even Know It! Make sure you are tracking correctly! Many times people think they are tracking right and they discover that they been eating way more than they thought. Pay attention to the label serving sizes and how they are measured. I even recommend people weighing packaged items. Manufactures have leeway. So be careful you are correctly counting and measuring. Zero cal items are not Zero! Many of these products will have couple calories. So, if you are consuming 5-10 servings of these zero cal products. It adds up fast. Manufacturers do not have to put it on the label if it is under 5 calories! I recommend you go through your food tracker and break it down to make sure you are not making mistakes. Studies have been done and it is estimated that people miss-track anywhere on average from 10%-45% and even some upwards of 70%.

To sum it up! Best to evaluate and make a few small adjustments and see if your scale starts moving again! Don’t give up as it is trial and error. If you continue to have difficulty, to be safe, it is time to visit your doctor and get checked for any possible underlying health issues.

Christina Brooks

NASM Certified Personal Trainer & Nutrition Coach

**Keep in mind healthy peeps and those with medical condition may see different results. Always consult your physician and a registered dietitian if you have preexisting conditions for the best exercise and diet program for your condition(s).