First, what is a plateau? If you are working as hard as you have always worked, eating as well as you have always eaten, and haven’t seen or felt any changes in 3-4 weeks, you may be at a plateau. Our bodies like stasis, so they are going to seek out comfortable stopping points.
That means that we are about to get uncomfortable together so that we can keep moving toward new progress.
If you are my training client…
…and you think you are at a plateau, tell me! I likely already know, I have probably been trying to push you through it, and you probably need to eat more. One of the reasons that I tend to switch up your specific workout moves and sequencing between sessions is to do my part in stopping you from reaching a plateau. However, they are a natural and normal part of making changes to your body, and we can definitely work through them.
Weight Loss Plateaus
If you have been losing weight by restricting your calories significantly and focusing solely on the scale, you are going to plateau quickly – probably after losing about 10% of your bodyweight. Much of the weight you have lost will likely be muscle, which means that once you start eating again to break your plateau (because additional restriction won’t work and is also called “starvation” and maybe “dangerous behavior”), you will probably have a rapid rebound back to your old weight or even higher.
This is called yo-yo dieting. I hate it, your body hates it, and I don’t want you to do it. If you are doing it, here is your invitation to stop. The longer you do this to your body, the harder it will be for you to finally fix your metabolism.
To break a weight loss plateau, try eating right about at your BMR (disinclusive of the activity factor) for at least 2-3 weeks, then resume your fat loss progress by adjusting your intake downward by 3-5% every 3-4 weeks until you start seeing progress again, all while maintaining a healthy level of activity for your goals. (What does 3% look like? For most people, it’s about 50 calories per day – nothing drastic!)
Fat Loss Plateaus
However, if you have been losing body fat through a combination of activity and calculated nutrition, it might be time to recalculate your nutrition and potentially drop your calories by about 50 per day…but if you’ve been undereating for your goals, it might equally be time to increase your calories to support your goals (typically, no more than a 3000 calorie per week calculated deficit from a combination of activity and nutrition).
It might also just be time to…
- increase the intensity of your workouts slightly
- make sure you’re working with good form
- add another workout session to your week if you are not already working out at least three times a week
- get a significant additional amount of activity during your normal life
- or make sure you’re getting adequate rest.
Finally, if neither eating enough nor changing your fitness routine gets your fat loss going again, it might also be time to look at the quality of your nutrition.
- How’s your alcohol intake?
- Hydration?
- Sugar and refined carbs?
- What’s your macro balance sitting at?
A qualified professional can look at those details and help you make small changes to see more progress.
Sleep and stress also play key roles in plateaus.
If your job has gone from a 2/10 to a 10/10, you probably need more rest, workouts that don’t push you quite as hard (but maybe last longer), and an even more nutritive diet to offset that change. Similarly, if you’re not getting enough sound, uninterrupted sleep at night, you might need to take more time for rest and relaxation while also adjusting your nutrition and activity to keep encouraging your body to make progress.
Whatever you do, change just one small thing at a time.
After reading this list, you probably have an idea of what you need to change (and if you’re not sure, it’s probably the thing to which you reacted “oh gosh, not that!”). If you make the right change, you should know within two weeks!