Unlocking the Mystery
5 Reasons Your Weight Loss Progress Stalls and Your Results Slip Away…
Do your weight loss goals always seem just out of reach? You're not alone.
Many individuals find themselves stuck in a cycle of losing and regaining the same few pounds or hitting a plateau in their weight loss journey.
It can be frustrating and disheartening, but the good news is that there are simple steps you can take to break through these barriers and finally achieve the results you desire.
In this blog post, we'll explore the reasons why your weight loss may be stuck, including the concept of metabolic adaptation, and provide actionable tips to help you reach your goals.
The Frustration of a Stalled Weight Loss Journey
Losing weight can be challenging and it's common to experience periods where your progress stalls. Whether you're trying to shed the same 10 pounds repeatedly or struggling to reach that final 10-pound milestone, it's crucial to understand the factors that might be contributing to your weight loss plateau.
1. Are you in Metabolic Adaptation?
One of the key reasons your weight loss may be stuck is metabolic adaptation. As you lose weight, your body becomes more efficient at conserving energy, which means you burn fewer calories than you did when you were heavier. Unfortunately your body is built to help you survive rather than lose weight!
This can make it increasingly difficult to continue losing weight, even if you're maintaining the same diet and exercise routine you were when you were losing weight successfully.
However with the right strategy you can combat metabolic adaptation and there are a few things you can do.
Firstly you may need to adjust your calorie intake slightly, this shouldn't be a dramatic decrease, even a small shift can help to boost fat loss again, this is because your body's response to your calorie deficit can change over time. Therefore by increasing your physical activity or slightly reducing your caloric intake, you can jumpstart your metabolism and get back on track.
You can also include strategic diet breaks of much higher calories for 7-14 days to help upregulate your metabolism, sometimes this is required if you have been on a diet for a longer period of time.
Implementing both of these strategies would depend upon what you have been doing previously though, for example, when I use these strategies with a client I am taking into account the period of time they have been dieting for as to whether they potentially have metabolic adaptation or are they simply not losing weight as perhaps they haven’t been as consistent as they think they have been? Which leads us onto our next point….
2. Are you really in a Calorie Deficit?
You might be consuming more than you think you are so try keeping a food/drink diary for a week to see how much you are actually intaking, it’s very easy to think we are eating less than we actually are, and to not include things like our daily coffee, which depending on where you get it, can be 500 plus calories alone in one single drink.
3. You don’t have a Proper Exit Strategy for when the Dieting Phase has Ended.
This can lead to you bingeing on all the things you have been depriving yourself of… Not ideal but very normal if you have been on a very restrictive diet. (this is why I never use restrictive diets with my clients - the rebound can be ugly)
Therefore a proper exit strategy after your weight loss goal is achieved is key - I like to use reverse dieting with my clients to exit a dieting phase successfully. This, when done the right way, means you are increasing your calories back up but without putting back on the pounds.
No one wants to be dieting for the rest of their life and I like to get in and out of dieting phases relatively quickly, we achieve the result and then reverse diet the client back up to higher calories whilst maintaining their new physique, that way they can eat and drink more whilst looking great - winner.
4. Are you following a Structured Fitness Program?
One of the things I see a lot is that people don’t follow a structured training program and just do bits and bobs of things each time they workout. Would you have this random approach at work or in your business? Doing random bits of stuff you feel like on the day and hope to get the results you want? Doubtful.
One of the basics of a successful training plan is that it is structured for your individual goals and targets. Make sure you are following a structured progressive program that changes every 4 weeks at a minimum rather than every week.
5. Are you Hydrated?
Water is underrated. Proper hydration is essential for your metabolism and overall health as it aids in various essential mechanisms.
Proper hydration helps regulate appetite, boosts metabolism, enhances exercise performance, reduces water retention and facilitates the efficient transport of nutrients.
While individual hydration needs can vary, a general guideline is to aim for around 4-5 pints (64-80 ounces) of water per day to reap the benefits of improved fat loss support provided by adequate hydration.
In Conclusion
While weight loss plateaus and the struggle to shed those last few pounds can be disheartening, it's essential to understand that these challenges are a natural part of the process.
Metabolic adaptation and the resistance to further weight loss can make reaching your goal seem just out of reach, but with the right strategies, you can overcome these hurdles.
No one wants to lose weight just for one week, we want to lose weight and keep it off for good so in order to lose weight for good we not only need a sustainable plan that we enjoy but also a strategy for when the diet is done so we can keep our results.
Don't give up, the path to success is paved with persistence (and a sprinkle of strategy)
Always remember that strategy is your friend.
I hope you got some value out of todays article!
If you aren’t already subscribed to my free newsletter then I send out articles every week on all things weight loss but without giving up your favourite foods or doing endless cardio…
You can subscribe for free here
P.S Whenever you are ready you can take the first step to us working together by booking a free no obligation call.
By us working together, I can simplify and strategically plan your weight loss journey for you without you having to give up your favourite foods or do endless cardio to get results that last.
You can take the first step by booking in for a free 15 min call here
