Weight loss
Marisa HeinzeJanuary 31, 2022
What can you do against a weight loss plateau?
If the weight remains at one level, this initially puts a serious damper on the diet. Your weight loss stagnates and you rightly ask yourself: Why is that? It is not uncommon for stagnation to occur during weight loss. What are the causes of the weight loss plateau? This article will show you how to overcome the stagnation.
What are the reasons for stagnation in weight loss?
It's been going great so far. Your diet is starting to show results and the pounds are falling off. At some point, however, everyone reaches a weight loss plateau: the weight loss stagnates and the scales constantly show the same. What is the reason for not losing weight? Before you fall back into old habits and get discouraged, it's worth looking into the reasons.
Reason 1: Calorie balance - positive or negative?
The calorific value of your food is an essential component in reducing weight. If you permanently eat too much and/or exercise too little, you gain weight - that's a fact. In contrast, weight can be reduced by adjusting the calories to the need. A negative calorie balance at the end of the day represents an elementary component in the weight loss plan. If the diet stagnates even though you eat less food, the reasons lie elsewhere.
Reason 2: Sports - are you active enough?
Many people underestimate the influence of exercise in addition to diet. Sports train your cardiovascular system, ensure healthy joints, tendons, muscles and ligaments. At the same time, moderate activity has a positive effect on your metabolism. If your diet is stagnating, sport is definitely a sensible approach. Ideally, a healthy diet and exercise go hand in hand.
Training makes it easier for you to achieve a negative calorie balance at the end of the day. Endurance training (e.g. jogging, walking, swimming or cycling) boosts calorie burning. So if weight loss stagnates, it may be due to insufficient activity in everyday life.
Reason 3: Water retention
If the diet stagnates, water in the tissues may be responsible for the stagnation. The body cannot survive without sufficient fluid. After all, cells are largely made up of water. But digestion also needs a good portion to function.
Women know the problem of edema primarily during menstruation. This is when the body stores more water for hormonal reasons. The hormonal fluctuations in the menstrual cycle can cause the weight to increase by several kilograms.
However, even as a man without monthly hormonal fluctuations, your body can store water so that weight loss stagnates.
This is the case, for example, if you
- sweat a lot
- eat salty food
- you do not exercise enough
- you have other illnesses (e.g. kidneys, liver, thyroid, etc.)
Reason 4: Glycogen stores and carbohydrates
Your body uses carbohydrates from food primarily for energy. It converts them into glycogen in the liver. This can be stored as a reserve when the body does not need it directly. The liver is an organ for detoxification.
As such, it sometimes binds a lot of water. This can cause weight loss to stagnate. The blame for this lies primarily with the carbohydrates that are added to the diet. If you eat a low carb diet, you empty your glycogen stores because the liver can use fewer carbohydrates.
By the way, you achieve the same effect through endurance training. This stimulates the circulation as a whole, which is responsible for a temporary emptying of the stores. As soon as you add carbohydrates, this energy store fills up again. On the scale, these natural fluctuations often manifest themselves as a standstill in losing weight.
Reason 5: Muscle mass vs. fat mass
If weight loss is stagnant, it may be worth looking at weight distribution. Because muscles ultimately weigh more than fat. If you work your muscles harder and do strength training, you naturally build more muscle.
This muscle building can mask your weight loss. That means you continue to lose fat tissue, but at the same time you build muscle mass. As a result, the weight loss may not show up on the scale right away.
Tips, when your weight loss stagnates
A plateau in weight loss is when you don't notice any change in weight for at least two weeks. At the beginning of your diet you lose weight quickly. This is because your body primarily uses the aforementioned carbohydrate stores to cover its energy needs. This releases water.
When those stores are empty, the body uses the fat reserves. This slows down weight loss. The following tips may help if your weight loss stagnates:
- Avoid carbohydrates: a low carb diet helps bind less water in the liver. This can promote weight loss.
- Be patient: plateaus are perfectly normal at times when losing weight. Those who continue with their current diet are often rewarded with further progress after about 14 to 21 days.
- Stay disciplined: Motivation and discipline are the keys to achieving your desired weight. For getting over a plateau in weight loss, it can help to keep track of long-term progress.
- Control yourself moderately: Weighing yourself daily is rarely effective if the diet is stagnating. It can help to get on the body scale weekly. This makes progress more visible - especially since weight can fluctuate greatly during the course of the day.
- Move more: If nothing changes on the scale, more exercise can help. This also promotes a negative calorie balance, which is essential for weight loss success.
Overcome the weight loss plateau: Keep going!
When diet slows down progress in losing weight, it can demotivate and lead to frustration. Many sufferers break the diet or fall back into former habits. This often results in an increase in pounds.
To prevent this, it's worth investigating the causes and knowing that plateaus are not uncommon when losing weight. Those who continue to build on this have a good chance of overcoming the condition.
If the diet falters, it can help to adjust diet and exercise. More exercise and fewer carbohydrates often prove supportive. Don't weigh yourself daily and stay motivated and disciplined. Practice patience and continue your resolutions and efforts!