3 Reasons for Your Weight Loss Plateau
Diet on point. Workout consistent. Even getting some good sleep. Life is good. Until you realize that for five weeks in a row, the scale hasn’t moved. Wtf! Why does this happen?
The Dreaded Weight Loss Plateau
One of the biggest challenges with weight loss is the dreaded plateau. In fact, only 17% of adults in this country sustain a 10% weight loss after 1 year (Kraschnewski et al., 2010). Technically, a weight loss plateau is a period of stalled progress of at least 1 month. Since weight changes require an energy imbalance, you establish an energy deficit when you consume less energy than you expend. This results in weight loss. If weight loss stops, it means that this imbalance no longer exists—energy in now matches energy out. It is definitely deeper than this, as sleep, hormones and other factors also play a role. But for simplicity’s sake, this is generally how it works.
The most common reason for weight loss plateaus (according to the scientific research) is a loss of adherence to the nutritional program. In other words, you strayed from the plan! Some like to refer to this as “cheating” or “taking a cheat day (or two, or three…).” Given that lack of adherence is the most common cause for plateaus, the most effective way to address plateaus is usually to address adherence. This requires understanding why you stopped adhering to the plan. The three reasons below are the most common reasons for a loss of adherence. The first two are (mostly) not your fault. But the last one is all you boo.
Your Body Got Smarter
Unfortunately, some people experience an increase in hunger as they lose weight. This is a result of the body’s biological drive to increase energy intake by about 100 calories for every kilogram of weight loss (Polidori, Sanghvi, Seeley, & Hall, 2016). Basically, your body thinks you’re starving. So for every kilogram of weight you lose, your body (being the smart machine that it is) attempts to make up for the loss by increasing hunger, which motivates you to eat more. And the sad part is that you may not even notice. Or you might even tell yourself that you’re more hungry because “your metabolism is improving.” Not so, my friend.
Constantly feeling like you’re hungry while you’re trying to lose weight sucks. What’s more, hunger signals can override your willpower and lead to a lapse in adherence. To combat this, structure your weight loss plan to maximize satiety. For instance, proteins and fiber-rich foods help you feel full for longer periods of time. So as you lose weight, consider increasing your protein or fiber intake.
Your Mind’s Playing Tricks On You
Emotional eating can cause you to stray from your plan, thereby leading to a plateau. When people talk about emotional eating, they’re usually referring to using food as a source of comfort. Picture the girl in movies after a breakup who goes home and eats a pint of Cookies n Cream. But in reality, emotional eating doesn’t just occur when you’re sad. It can happen when you’re stressed. Perhaps you’ve had a long week and you want to relax with friends at happy hour with a few shots and some nachos. Or even when you’re extremely happy. You just got a promotion, so you want to treat yourself to a nice juicy steak, loaded baked potato, and a glass of wine at a fancy steakhouse. As you can see, all of these reasons for eating are tied to an emotion.
And this is how your mind tricks you. So it is definitely important to celebrate your wins and acknowledge when you’re not feeling so great. But how you celebrate and acknowledge is what makes the difference. Why does the girl in movies destroy a pint of ice cream instead of a pint of blueberries? But, more importantly, why does she resort to food at all? Our minds do an amazing job of convincing us that pleasure will make us feel better when we’re down. And even when we’re winning, our minds want us to capitalize on the pleasure because it makes us feel good. And, of course, our minds want us to always feel good. This way of relating to food requires a reframing and reprogramming of our emotional relationship with food.
You Played Yourself
Environment can be one of the biggest hurdles to adherence. What do I mean when I say “environment?” I’m talking about your food environment. Where you eat, with whom you eat, what time you eat, etc. The food environment has a powerful effect on what and how much people eat. Have you ever been on a diet and tried to go out for brunch at a restaurant with friends? While everyone is stuffing their faces with croissant french toast, crispy bacon strips, fluffy eggs and bottomless mimosas, you’re sitting at the edge of the table using a knife and fork to cut through a cauliflower steak. This is the worst!
But your food environment isn’t just social. Examine your kitchen cabinets and freezer. What types of snacks do you have? Are the Oreos the first thing you see when you open the cabinet? Or do you have to climb on a step stool and move three gallons of water to find them? These subtle differences matter. The abundance of hyperpalatable, energy-dense foods can sabotage your weight loss efforts. One study found that people surrounded with vending machines full of familiar, palatable foods will spontaneously overeat by up to 54% above their maintenance calories (Larson, Rising, Ferraro, & Ravussin, 1995). And they overate just because the snacks were there and available. This brings a whole new meaning to that phrase “out of sight, out of mind.”
Light At the End of the Tunnel: Next Steps
Look, I get it. Weight loss is hard. And it can be so discouraging when you’ve been putting in so much work and then you suddenly stop seeing progress. Plateaus are normal, and now that you understand some reasons why they happen, you are empowered to make some changes.
Here’s a brief recap. Adherence is the most common cause of weight loss plateaus. There are three ways a lack of adherence can manifest in your life. First, it can look like an upset in the energy imbalance that causes weight loss in the first place. To maintain this energy in/energy out imbalance, increase your ability to stay full longer by incorporating more protein and fiber-rich foods as you lose weight. Second, it can look like emotional eating. Convincing yourself that you need to take a day off to celebrate (or grieve), and then overeating highly palatable foods in the process is not helpful. Finally, your environment can cause you to stray. Work with a health coach to modify your food environment to make adherence easier for you.
