How to Get Out of a Weight Loss Plateau?

It can be challenging to reach your ideal weight. At first, weight loss is usually quite rapid, but it can feel like nothing is working after a while. A weight loss plateau or stall is when weight loss stops progressing, and it can be upsetting and discouraging.

However, a few tactics could assist you in resuming your weight loss. Here are 14 ideas for “How to get out of a weight loss plateau?”

6 Tips for Breaking through a Weight-Loss Plateau

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1. Control stress

Stress frequently hinders weight loss. It also boosts your body’s production of cortisol, which encourages comfort eating and causes food cravings.

The “stress hormone“ is referred to as cortisol. While it improves how your body handles stress, it can also store more belly fat. Additionally, this effect appears to be more pronounced in women.

Therefore, overproducing cortisol might make it exceedingly challenging to lose weight. It may seem as though you have little control over the stress in your life, yet research has shown that learning to handle stress can help encourage weight loss.

A stress-management program that included muscle relaxation and deep breathing resulted in an average weight loss of 9.7 pounds in one eight-week study of 34 overweight and obese women (4.4 kg).

2. Limit carbohydrates

Low-carb diets are proven to be very effective for losing weight by research.

People who consumed 50 grams or fewer carbohydrates per day lost more weight than those who followed conventional weight loss diets, according to an extensive review of 13 studies with follow-up lasting at least a year.

Whenever you feel like your weight is completely stuck, cutting back on your carb intake may help. Experts in nutrition and obesity continue to disagree over whether carb restriction results in a “metabolic benefit” that increases your body’s calorie burning.

Low-carb diets have been found to increase fat burning and encourage other metabolic changes supporting weight loss in some controlled studies but not in others.

On the other hand, very low-carb diets have consistently been shown to suppress hunger and increase feelings of fullness. Additionally, they trigger the production of ketones in your body, which have been shown to suppress appetite.

You might unintentionally eat less; as a result, making it simpler to start losing weight once more without feeling hungry or uncomfortable.

3. Ditch the Dry Stuff

Avoid dry foods, especially those high in fat, such as chips, crackers, candy bars, trail mix, cookies, and other baked goods. These foods rank among the lowest in terms of satiety per calorie. They make you choose between being overweight or constantly hungry.

Dry but healthy options like bagels, pretzels, dried cereals, fat-free chips, and dried fruit should be limited, too, because all dry foods pack a lot of calories into minimal volumes. It’s surprisingly simple to consume 1,000–2,000 button-popping calories before you’ve even started to feel complete.

Increase Exercise intensity and frequency

Increasing your exercise routine could aid in breaking through a weight loss plateau. It is due to the unfortunate fact that as you lose weight, your metabolic rate decreases. In one study with more than 2,900 participants, it was discovered that, on average, participants burned 6.8 fewer calories for every pound (0.45 kg) of weight lost.

The gradual decrease in metabolic rate as weight drops can challenge maintaining weight loss. The good news is that research has shown that exercise can help to mitigate this effect.

Resistance training encourages the maintenance of muscle mass, which significantly impacts how many calories you burn while moving around and when you’re at rest. Resistance training appears to be the most efficient form of exercise for weight loss.

Young, obese women who engaged in 20 minutes of daily loss training and a low-calorie diet lost an average of 13 pounds (5.9 kg) and 2 inches (5 cm) from their waistlines throughout the 12-week research.

Aerobic exercise and high-intensity interval training have been shown to guard against a metabolic slowdown (HIIT). If you already exercise, adding a day or two to your weekly training schedule or raising the intensity of your exercises may help increase your metabolic rate.

Start with a generous, filling salad.

A substantial salad full of fresh vegetables to start both lunch and dinner. Large salads, especially at restaurants, will help you feel fuller and consume fewer calories from the subsequent, more calorically loaded dishes. Return for more servings, even thirds, at salad bars!

Use a dressing with a lot of vinegar but little to no oil. Salads benefit from adding beans and entire grains, but croutons, fatty meats, mayonnaise salads, creamy sauces, and cheese should be avoided. They can significantly increase calorie density and negate most of the salad’s health benefits.

A salad with three cups of fresh vegetables has only 100 calories. A three-cup salad with cheese, full-fat dressing, and bacon bits contains at least 600 calories but offers little additional satisfaction.

Track Every Bit of Food

You might not seem to be eating all that much at times, but you may still be having trouble losing weight. Researchers have shown that people typically underestimate how much food they eat.

In one study, obese participants claimed to consume roughly 1,200 calories daily. However, a thorough examination of their intake over a 14-day period revealed that they were, in fact, taking in almost twice that much on average.

You can get specific information about how many calories and macronutrients — protein, fat, and carbohydrates — you’re consuming by tracking them. It will enable you to alter your diet as necessary.

Additionally, research indicates that simply keeping track of your food intake may help you lose weight.

Here is a review of a few straightforward websites and apps to track your nutrient intake.

End words by the writer

Plateaus in weight loss can be discouraging and frustrating. They are a typical component of the weight loss process, though. Almost everyone stalls out at some point during their weight loss process.

Fortunately, there are several strategies you can use to start losing weight once more and securely reach your target weight.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ’S) How to get out of a weight loss plateau?

How can a plateau be shocked?

Here are eight suggestions for breaking a weight-loss plateau:

1. Cut back on carbohydrates. Low-carb diets are highly effective for losing weight, according to research
2. Increase Your Exercise Routine or Intensity
3. Track Every Bite You Consume
4. Consume enough protein
5. Control your stress
6. Intermittent Fasting
7. Avoid alcohol.
8. Consume more fiber

How do you break a plateau with intermittent fasting?

The keys to breaking this plateau are to evaluate your sleep habits, physical activity routine, and the amount and timing of your food intake. Of course, drinking alcohol, especially late at night, can interfere with your metabolism, so this might be a simple adjustment.

What qualifies as a weight-loss plateau?

Even when people adhere to a diet and exercise routine, they eventually reach a weight loss plateau and stop losing weight. According to research, weight loss plateaus occur after six months of a low-calorie diet.

Can you break a plateau by only eating water?

Many will disagree, but if necessary, water fast for one or even two days can usually break through a plateau (it sounds more complicated than it is).

How can I get rid of my final five stubborn pounds?

Strength training at least three times per week for anywhere between 20 and 60 minutes is the best advice for how to lose 5 pounds. Compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, push-ups, and lunges should be your primary focus because they simultaneously work for multiple muscle groups to burn the most calories.

I exercise and eat well, so why can’t I lose weight?

Overexertion, or inflammation of your body, is one of the main reasons burning calories through exercise may not lead to weight loss. There is too much inflammation in your body if you exercise too hard every day. The cumulative inflammation causes you to gain weight rather than reduce it.

References

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/weight-loss-plateau/art-20044615

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/weight-loss-plateau

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/weight-loss-plateau/

https://www.webmd.com/diet/obesity/features/10-ways-to-move-beyond-a-weight-loss-plateau

https://www.pritikin.com/your-health/health-benefits/healthy-weight-loss/1286-qive-hit-a-weight-loss-plateauhelpq-5-top-tips-for-breaking-through.html

https://www.eatthis.com/weight-loss-plateau/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/low-carb-diet/art-20045831#:~:text=Low%2Dcarb%20diets%20that%20emphasize,cholesterol%20levels%2C%20at%20least%20temporarily.