Fat Loss Plateaus: The Truth about What Causes Them.

Fat loss plateaus are the stuff of nightmares for anyone trying to lose weight. If you have not experienced one, then the chances are high that you know someone who has or you have heard of a similar experience. So, what are fat loss plateaus, why do they occur, and what can you do about them? This guide gets straight to the point in a bid to help you get the most out of your weight loss journey.

What Are Fat Loss Plateaus?

If you look at the online discourse, it can be quite hard to tell what qualifies as a fat loss plateau. Some people will even claim to be in one after being in a calorie deficit for one week. So, where is the line that separates fat loss plateaus from other setbacks during weight loss?

Here, we have to consider two key factors, as follows:

Changes in Weight and Body Measurements

For you to be in a fat loss plateau, you need to prove that your weight and body measurements have not changed within a given period, which we will get into in the next point. For example, even if you may not have lost weight, but your clothes are now looser, then you are not in a plateau. In the same way, while your clothes may fit the same, a change on the scale would indicate that you were not in a fat loss plateau. There must be no or minimal changes in your weight and body measurements.

The Duration.

People often think that weight loss follows a straight line, but that is not the case. In reality, our bodies go through ups and downs such that measurements and weights change quite often. It is even possible to have different readings on the scale almost every day. However, there should be a general downward trend once you consider the averages throughout the period. So, if your weight and body measurements have remained unchanged for about 3 to 4 weeks, you are considered to be in a fat loss plateau.

Given these nuances, not all stalls in weight loss are fat loss plateaus, and it is important to consider that when making any changes to your weight loss plan. For example, water retention can cause a temporary stall in your weight loss journey. You would still see visual changes, but these might not register on the scale, and these stalls can last about one to two weeks. Given that these stalls are often triggered by factors such as stress, high sodium intake, and poor sleep, they are easily resolved by a change in lifestyle.

But what about fat loss plateaus?

What Causes Fat Loss Plateaus?

Fat loss plateaus are a result of the adaptations that occur in your body when you have been in a calorie deficit for a long time. Usually, they present after months of dieting, though they can present much sooner based on the nature of the deficit. The causes of these stalls are as follows:

Adaptive Thermogenesis.

As you lose weight, your energy needs reduce. For example, if you previously required 2,000 calories to maintain your previous body and energy needs, you may find that this has reduced to 1,800. And if you are now consuming 1,800 calories a day, you would not see a change in your weight because you would be eating at maintenance. Many people experiencing fat loss plateaus are in that boat because they have not adjusted their calories based on their new sizes.

At the same time, your body takes measures to reduce your energy intake when you have been in a calorie deficit for a long time. And it does this in two ways. First, it ramps up your hunger hormones to encourage you to eat more. Secondly, it encourages you to move less, such that your non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) reduces. You find that you move less, pace less, fidget less, and might even feel like skipping your workouts more often than not. All these changes are the body’s way of getting you to conserve energy, and you may not even realize that they are happening.

If you give in to these urges, then your energy needs reduce such that while you may think you are eating at a deficit, you could actually be eating at maintenance. More importantly, if you start eating more because of the high hunger hormones, you could even eat at a calorie surplus, which would defeat the purpose of the weight loss journey.

Muscle Loss.

Have you ever noticed the emphasis on strength training and high protein intake during calorie deficits? Weight loss and fitness coaches who focus on these aspects do so because they understand what happens when a person consumes limited protein during a fat loss journey.

You see, when you lose weight, you do not just lose fat. Instead, you also lose muscle in the process. And seeing as muscle is more metabolically active than fat, such that it burns more calories at rest, this loss results in a lower baseline metabolism. So, this further lowers your total daily energy expenditure, thus affecting your ability to maintain a calorie deficit at higher energy intakes.

How to Break Through Weight Loss Plateaus.

The first thing you want to do is make sure that you are actually going through a weight loss plateau. After all, as we have seen, you need to meet several criteria when it comes to fat loss plateaus, and in some cases, it could just be water retention. In others, it could just be that you are not getting sufficient sleep. If you are sure that you are dealing with a weight loss plateau, here are three things that you can do:

Monitor Your Calories.

Many people tend to underestimate just how much food they are eating. It is especially easy to do so if you are not tracking your food. While you do not need to weigh out everything that you eat, you do need to be aware of how much you are eating and how often you are doing so. You might find that you have been engaging in mindless or emotional eating.

Take a Break.

While this might seem quite ironic, many people break out of their fat loss plateaus by eating more. But what does this entail? If you have been in a calorie deficit for several months, it is quite likely that being in this state has suppressed your hormones. It is thus important for you to come back to eating at your current maintenance calories for about one to two weeks. Doing so helps you reset these hormones such that you are less stressed, less hungry, and more energetic. You will find that going back into a deficit will feel much easier this way.

Adjust Your Calories.

Your maintenance calories will change based on your weight and activity levels. As such, it is important to always go back to the drawing board every four weeks and ask yourself what has changed. Sometimes, you will need to up your intake, and at others, you will need to lower it. However, be sure to embrace slight to moderate decreases when it comes to your calorie intake, as drastic changes will push you deeper into metabolic adaptation, which will make it much harder to reach your weight loss goals.

Dealing with Fat Loss Plateaus? Get Better in 90.

Fat loss plateaus can be quite challenging to navigate, especially at the start of a weight loss journey. Better in 90 is a personalized weight loss program that was designed to help women lose weight and keep it off using sustainable and gradual approaches while navigating obstacles such as fat loss plateaus. If you would like to learn more about it, you can use this link or sign up for a consultation using the form below.