Plateaus are often spoke about when trying to gain muscle, but something similar happens when trying to cut body fat. They are an important topic to talk about because just like before progress happens, a key issue is at stake: Motivation. A stall in success can cause demotivation, and give a sense that the goal is out of reach. Today we will go into detail on how to understand and overcome this obstacle.
What is a Plateau and Why do they Happen?
A plateau is when progress stalls for a continuous period of time. They can happen with many things in life, especially muscle gain and fat loss. This is because what must be done to progress doesn’t remain the same for the whole journey. Doing just about anything as a beginner will net you results because you’re at step zero, but after taking the low hanging fruit of being a beginner, you will have to reach higher (and more uncomfortably) to achieve the same progress.
What You Need to Change for further Fat Loss
To resume losing weight, you must first remember the context of your situation and what adjustments you probably need to make to resume getting thinner. Below are some likely causes as to why your plateau is occurring.
Adaptation- Your body tries to continuously adapt. So when you lose weight, you no longer need the same amount of calories to fuel your new size. This is the most likely problem and is fixed by recalculating your daily caloric needs and further lowering your caloric intake.
Muscle Gain- If you’re working out while trying to lose weight, a key thing to keep in mind is that muscle weighs more than fat in density. So if you’re lifting weights and eating protein there’s a good chance that you have gained muscle and lost fat. This doesn’t always show up when looking in the mirror right away. To fix this problem, make sure you are eating in a deficit on days you are not training, and write down your sets and reps while working out. If your sets and reps are improving but your weight is staying the same, there’s a good chance that your body is gaining muscle while losing fat.
Inconsistent Tracking- An earlier post I wrote about the importance of weighing yourself every day and writing the number down. This is done to keep your weight at the front of your mind at least once a day and keep the goal in sight throughout the day. If you are sporadic on recording your weight and only doing it periodically, stop. You need to do it every day and write down the numbers on a piece of paper near your scale. Out of sight, out of mind is a very known saying for a reason.
Psychological Expectations- You may be doing well with your deficit, but if you live a life where high stress, anxiety, and other problems of the mood and mind you have to confront these. These emotions are not just unpleasant to experience, but they specifically cause a raise in cortisol. Cortisol lowers testosterone and sabotages motivation to change for the better. To fix this problem is probably the most difficult to deal with, since it’s appearance usually comes from bigger problems in life. However, there is some things that can always be done to combat them such as meditation, magnesium supplementation, and sunlight.
Water Retention- Sometimes due to hormones the body can hold onto water longer than usual. High intake of sodium, cortisol, estrogen, and insulin can cause increased amounts of water weight in the body. Usually this is a temporary problem and can be fixed with something called a diuretic. Diuretics stimulate the body to, you guessed it, go urinate. If you are weighing in every day, this will only cause a plateau if it’s a persistent problem, but if it’s not just be patient. If you need something to lower your water weight, try drinking dandelion tea (organic preferably).
Turning Plateaus into Runway Take Off
While plateaus are daunting to deal with, the goal of losing weight is both a physical and psychological process. The above information covers the common causes of stalling, but even armed with knowledge a fight of spirit is always present. Take time to review your progress and remind yourself of what sort of thoughts you had before you began this journey. Persistence, recording your weight, recalculating your maintenance calories, and adjustment is the key to overcome just about any plateau. Keeping your spirit going is critical and will get easier as the body becomes healthier. Ask for feedback from friends or others that are in weight loss groups if you need help, and above all else, don’t give up.
If you want my direct help with getting over your plateau, check out my services page where you can sign up for my Facebook group or book a consultation with me.
Honor your gift,
-Ed