When you first started your weight loss program, you began to celebrate as the pounds gradually melted away. But now, you’ve been “stuck” at the same weight for two weeks. What’s going on? What causes weight loss plateaus, and what can you do about it?
“Water weight” returns. At first, some of your weight loss might be what we call “water weight”. It’s not a true loss of fatty deposits, even though it might appear that way on the scale. So as a bit of that “weight” returns, it might offset the numbers you see at weigh-ins. But rest assured, if you’re staying on your weight loss program, the water weight will balance out soon enough. Then you’ll resume losing actual weight.
Maybe you’ve lost a bit of muscle, too. Unfortunately, when your body goes into a calorie deficit, it will burn some muscle tissue along with fat. Since muscle tissue boosts your metabolism, losing a bit of it will slow the rate at which you lose weight. Yikes!
Don’t panic just yet. This is why we emphasis the importance of strength training when you follow a weight loss program. With a diet high in protein and strength training about three times per week, you can offset the muscle loss and keep your metabolism burning.
Another solution is to increase your activity level a bit, by adding ten or fifteen minutes to your workouts as you get more fit. And, keep in mind that as you lose weight, your body needs less calories to maintain itself. At some point you might need to adjust your calorie intake downward a bit.
Finally, some people find success by adding weight loss supplements to their regimen. These supplements can help to boost your metabolism a bit, so that you can continue on your weight loss program with success.
The first thing to do is come see us for a weigh-in and professional guidance. We can assess what you’ve been doing, and make recommendations for adjustments. Pretty soon you’ll be back off that plateau!
