This article was originally written for and posted in my column, The Fitness Corner, in The Macon Telegraph.
One of the most frustrating experiences to have in life is to work hard towards a goal and never reach it. Imagine climbing Mount Everest, putting in every ounce of effort you can muster to reach what you thought was the peak, and realizing upon reaching that peak that, in actuality, you’re not even halfway up the mountain.
This is how it is to reach a weight loss plateau. You worked hard at altering your eating and exercise habits and experienced some initial success, but now you’ve reached a sticking point. Now, nothing seems to help you lose weight. You’re exercising religiously, you’re lowering your calories, and yet, your weight remains stubborn like a kid who refuses to eat his vegetables.
I know that plateaus can be extremely frustrating and disheartening. I also want you to understand that you can undoubtedly see your way out of a weight loss plateau once you understand a few things about how your body works.
Your Body Adapts Constantly
First of all, the issue at the source of your plateau is adaptation. Our bodies have an amazing, God-given ability to adapt to whatever environment they’re placed in. This isn’t a bad thing; rather, it is a survival mechanism, without which the human race probably wouldn’t be around today. It’s why we get used to waking up early in the morning for work, or why a weightlifter develops calluses on his hands after years months of lifting.
If you repeat the same action over and over again, your body will adapt to be able to perform that action more efficiently. This is why you experienced success at the beginning of your weight loss journey, and why you eventually reached a plateau. Your body has adapted to handle exactly what you subjected it to.
With that in mind, how do you break a weight loss plateau? You need to do something different.
Change It Up
You must change your routine so that your body is continually having to adapt. For example, if you’ve been walking 30 minutes a day for several months and you now see no results, it’s probably time for you to either walk more, or to up the intensity. Walk hills, use a weighted vest or backpack, or begin running or cycling. If you’re no longer getting stronger from your weight-lifting routine, you should consider adding more weight or reducing rest between sets of your exercises. Keep your body guessing.
It works the same way on the diet side. Change your diet up so that your body has to adapt by getting rid of fat. While this would generally involve you lowering the amount of calories and/or carbohydrates you consume, sometimes for the sake of keeping your body guessing, it’s good to practice a technique like carb cycling. Carb cycling involves eating more carbs than usual for a time before bringing them back down. This often helps individuals to restart their weight loss when it’s been stagnant for a while.
So if you’ve plateaued, don’t be discouraged. It simply means that it’s time for you to switch up your exercise and eating routines to keep your body adapting until you reach your healthy weight range.
Weight loss plateaus are one of many of the obstacles you might face on your journey to a healthier weight. But before you lose heart, I want you to know that, just like plateaus, you can overcome every one of these other obstacles, too. I’ve written about this in my book, 13 Things to Stop Believing to Become Healthy and Lose Weight. I invite you to take the time right now to make a small investment in this book that could very possibly yield dividends back to you in great health. I sincerely believe that this book can help you. For more information, visit the webpage for my book here.
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