Diet Plateaus

Diet plateaus happen.  You can fall into a rut.  The scale stops moving down. You think that you are doing everything just as you were.  What happened? 

As you lose weight, your calorie needs/metabolic rate decreases.  You have less body that needs to be supported therefore you need less calories.  Oftentimes with weight loss, you will have some loss of muscle as well as fat.  Your muscle helps to keep up your metabolic rate. Because of these reasons, physiologically it gets harder to lose weight as you get smaller.  Another reason for plateau is that you may have inadvertently “ loosened” your rules a bit and a little “calorie creep” may have occurred. 

How can you get past this?

1. Reassess your habits

• Although you feel you are doing the “exact” same things you were doing before, that is not always the case. Revisit your portion sizes.  Be sure to measure and weigh your food.
• Keep tracking everything you consume (or start tracking if you haven’t been). Hold yourself accountable.

2. Increase your movement

• Be more active. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park in a further away parking spot. Little activities can make a big difference.  Exercise and movement helps to increase your metabolic rate. Be creative and think outside the box.

3.Increase your fiber intake

• Higher fiber foods can make you feel more full
• Vegetables can be a good source of fiber and high in nutrients

4. Be sure you are getting enough sleep

• It has been shown that too little sleep can lower your metabolic rate and increase your appetite

Most importantly, don’t give up! Plateaus happen.  If you stick with your diet plan, you will find that all plateaus come to an end.