If you’ve been trying to lose weight for a while, you may have experienced a weight loss plateau. A plateau is when your weight loss progress slows down or stops completely, even if you’re still sticking to your diet and exercise routine. This can be frustrating and demotivating, but the good news is that plateaus are common and often temporary. Short answer – no it won’t just go away without you doing anything. In this blog post, we’ll discuss will a weight loss plateau will go away on its own and what you can do to overcome it.
What Causes a Weight Loss Plateau?
Before we dive into whether a weight loss plateau will go away on its own, let’s first understand what causes it. There are several factors that can contribute to a plateau, such as:
- Metabolic adaptation: Your body adapts to your new diet and exercise routine, and your metabolism slows down as a result.
- Water weight: Your body may retain more water than usual, which can mask your actual weight loss progress.
- Muscle gain: If you’ve been strength training, you may be gaining muscle mass, which can offset the weight loss on the scale.
- Eating too much: It’s possible that you’re consuming more calories than you think, which can hinder your weight loss progress.
Will a Weight Loss Plateau Go Away on Its Own?
Now, let’s answer the big question: will a weight loss plateau go away on its own? The answer is… probably not. In some cases, a plateau may go away on its own if you stick to your diet and exercise routine. However, if you’ve been plateaued for a while, you may need to make some changes to overcome it.
If you haven’t tried tracking your food, this can be one of the best ways to use real data to help uncover what might be causing your plateau in the first place.
I recommend tracking macros for best results.
Related Post: Counting Macros 101: A Step-By-Step Guide to Counting Macros for Fat Loss
Tips to Overcome a Weight Loss Plateau
If you’re struggling with a weight loss plateau, here are some tips to help you overcome it:
- Re-evaluate your diet: Take a closer look at what you’re eating and see if there are any areas where you can cut back on calories. If you are eating foods difficult to track, this is the #1 thing to address. Stop eating foods that are not prepared and made 100% by you. Focus on single-ingredient foods that are easier to track to break through your weight loss plateau
For example, this salad came prepared and while it might have a lot of healthy ingredients I have no idea how to measure how much of each.
- Increase your exercise intensity: If you’ve been doing the same workout routine for a while, try increasing the intensity to challenge your body. Sprints, 12/3/30 treadmill sessions, longer walks outside, increasing your weights all can provide you with a new stimulus and help you bust through your plateau.
- Mix up your workouts: Try a new workout routine to challenge different muscle groups and prevent boredom. Don’t just do the same thing week after week – that’s a sure way to hit a plateau. Here’s a fun one.
- Manage your stress levels: Stress can affect your weight loss progress, so make sure you’re taking care of your mental health. If you feel like you are doing everything to manage stress there might be some internal stressors you haven’t thought about that could be causing you issues. We use Functional Lab Testing and personalized protocols to address these in my 1:1 coaching program.
- Be patient: Remember that weight loss is a journey, and it’s normal to experience plateaus along the way. Don’t give up!
Commonly Asked Questions
How long does the weight loss plateau last?
If you haven’t seen progress in 2 weeks, you likely need to make some changes. If you have not made adjustments to your macros, you’ll want to try this first. Otherwise you will be stuck at a weight loss plateau perpetually.
How do you break a weight loss plateau?
Adjusting your macronutrients based on a phased macro approach is the most effective way to see changes in your body composition and see that scale move.
Can a cheat day break a plateau?
Well, yes but it can make it go in the wrong direction temporarily. A cheat day or diet break is a tool that helps one get through the mentally grueling phase of a deficit, which can be highly taxing on our mental state. So in turn, you may be able to withstand a deficit for longer, ultimately helping you break the plateau.
Are weight loss plateaus temporary?
They absolutely can be. Sometimes the body is doing some adjusting, sometimes it might be a bit stubborn, but sometimes it means it’s time to come out of that plateau as well.
Related Post: How Long Should You Be In A Calorie Deficit?
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, a weight loss plateau may go away on its own if you stick to your diet and exercise routine. However, if you’ve been plateaued for a while, you may need to make some changes to overcome it. By re-evaluating your diet, increasing your exercise intensity, mixing up your workouts, managing your stress levels, and being patient, you can overcome a weight loss plateau and reach your goals.
If you are stuck on your fitness and nutrition journey, working with a coach can be life changing. It’s how I was able to heal my IBS, multiple, PMS symptoms, save my gallbladder and have so much more sustained energy every day. Learn more and apply here.
