Why Do Weight Loss Plateaus Occur?

You started a diet and initially saw the scale drop. However, after a few weeks or months, the weight loss stopped. You are being diligent with your diet and exercise plan (or so you think!), but the scale will not budge. This is called a plateau and is experienced at some point by almost everyone trying to lose weight. Plateaus can be a very frustrating experience and can make you question your motivation for staying on the straight and narrow with your eating and exercise plan. Read on to learn why plateaus occur.

I  get asked all the time “So why do plateaus occur? I have not increased my food intake or decreased my exercise”. It can help you to deal with these plateaus if you understand what is going on in your body.

Here are several possible explanations for plateaus:
A. Plateaus can occur after the first few weeks of a following a low carb diet. This is because your body initially lost a lot of water and now the body needs to “regulate” its fluid balance. Keep in mind that it is difficult to lose more than 1-2 pounds a week of fat. Rapid weight loss is usually mostly water. For example, If you lost 6 pounds the first two weeks of dieting, at least half of it was from water. Your body will hold back onto some water in the next few weeks. Therefore it is likely that you will not lose any more weight for 1-3 weeks. This is more like a mini plateau.

B. Secondly, the body does not always lose weight at an even pace. I have many clients who lose 2 pounds one week, no loss for 2 weeks and then lose two pounds again the following week. While this is not really a plateau, it can be very frustrating.

C. Third, it is possible that you have become less diligent with your diet and exercise routine. It is common to lose a little focus after the initial part of your weight loss plan. You may find yourself drinking an extra glass of wine or increasing your portions without realizing it. Perhaps you are not exercising quite as much as you did in the beginning. These small changes can slow or halt your weight loss.

D. The last explanation is that your body needs fewer calories as your weight decreases. You can’t expect that your body will lose weight at the same rate at a weight of 150 as when you weighed 170 pounds. This may mean that you will need to decrease your caloric intake, increase your exercise or just accept that your weight loss will slow down.

Now that you know why weight loss plateaus occur, stay tuned for my next post on tips to break these frustrating plateaus!