How to Scale Weight-Loss Plateau
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Ann Loter is still watching her portion sizes, giving up her favorite bagel for breakfast in favor of fruit with granola and is exercising regularly. Yet more than halfway through her yearlong weight-loss endeavor, her efforts have stalled. After dropping 17 pounds, Loter is frustrated the needle on her scale hasn't moved much in recent weeks. But she and her Riverview High School teammates in The Detroit News Weight-Loss Challenge take solace in the fact that their clothes still fit better and their lifestyle is healthier.
"It brings you down mentally when you get on the scale day after day and you aren't losing anything," says Loter, a Riverview High School Spanish teacher. "I know this is a normal occurrence, but it's hard not to get discouraged."
Her experience is a phenomenon most dieters dread. Weight-loss plateaus, the point at which dieters are still eating less and exercising but don't see the pounds dropping, is something almost every dieter experiences at some point on the weight-loss journey, experts say.
"We would consider it a plateau if you're following a meal plan and exercising regularly and you haven't lost weight in two or three weeks," says Franca Alphin, a sports dietitian for Duke University's Sports Performance Program.
Dieters need to realize this is typically part of the journey as the body adjusts to its new calorie intake and energy output, says David Klurfeld, professor and chairman of the nutrition and food science department at Wayne State University.
"It's certainly very commonly observed in weight-loss studies," he says. "We know that the body re-adjusts metabolism to fight the weight loss. Evolution has basically favored people who could store extra weight."
Aside from the metabolism shift, scientists haven't fully explained this lull. Alphin believes fluid retention is another cause.
"In the process of breaking down fat, there's water that's a byproduct and some of that water may be accumulating," she says.
Experts say the plateau, which happens at different stages for different dieters, is a critical time. A dieter who doesn't like exercise, for example, may decide the extra work isn't worth doing if their weight isn't budging. Food also seems more tempting when dieting isn't paying off.
The good news is, a true plateau typically is something that can be waited out. Eventually, for the diligent dieter, the scale will start its downward trend again after a few weeks.
"It is a time when you see people get discouraged and want to give up," says Nancy Moellering, exercise physiologist and dietitian at Crittendon Weight Management Center in Rochester. "But if they can focus on the program and not the outcome, eventually they're going to lose weight."
In the meantime, Klurfeld says there are a few things dieters can do to kickstart their metabolism. One is cutting calories by just 100 or 200 a day. That's the equivalent of cutting out one soft drink per day. But cutting calories can be tough for dieters already on a very low-calorie plan. Dieters who consume only 1,200 calories or so daily, for example, can't cut many more, so exercise is another route.
"Increasing physical activity, by walking or climbing an extra flight of stairs once or twice a day, can be enough to get the metabolism back in weight-loss mode," Klurfeld says. "You don't have to go out and jog three miles to get your meter off dead center -- you just have to add 15 minutes of light activity to your day."
Moellering says changing the type of exercise you're doing, rather than the duration or intensity, can also jumpstart one's weight-loss efforts.
"If you do the same kind of exercise for a long period of time, the body gets more efficient at it and you're not going to burn as many calories," she explains.
Michelle Moton, a Detroit exercise physiologist, suggests spicing up one's fitness routine by swimming laps, hiking outdoors or taking a yoga or Pilates class -- anything fun to change ones' routine and work different muscle groups. Weight training on different muscle groups is also important, she says.
"Exercising one or two days a week isn't going to cut it," says Moton, whose clients have another word for plateaus: "ruts."
"You should be doing something all or most days of the week, even if it's only 20 minutes a day," Moton says. "That's why it's so important to add variety to your workout."
When changing your exercise routine or cutting calories still doesn't work, Moellering and Moton suggest consulting a trainer or dietitian who can help figure out what may be going on. In one case, Moellering says she increased one client's calorie intake slightly, because she was exercising excessively and her metabolism was dropping rapidly.
"It's like a puzzle, even for someone who is trained in it," Moton says.
Most trainers and dietitians ask their clients to keep a food and exercise journal, detailing exactly what they're doing to keep fit and how they're eating to pinpoint room for improvement. Dieters can do this on their own as well.
"I would say, honestly write down what you're eating for a week," advises Alphin. "A lot of times, we think we're eating less than we are, or we do well Monday through Friday but not Saturday and Sunday. The same would go for exercise. Consistency is really important."
One can't forget the very critical psychological aspect of weight-loss, which can also hold dieters back during a plateau.
Lynette Menefee, psychologist and author of "10 Hidden Barriers to Weight Loss and Exercise," says impatience is a huge barrier to success.
"We are a society that wants things right this minute," Menefee explains. "Losing 25 pounds in two days sounds a lot better to Americans than a program that takes some time and some energy to reach their goal."
Waning motivation is another emotional problem during what has to be a major overhaul of one's lifestyle and habits.
"Only 20 percent of people who say they're ready to develop a diet and weight-loss program are ready to be in the action phase," Menefee says. "They may not be fully ready to commit and being ready to change is very important."
Menefee suggests dieters focus on the benefits of their new healthier lifestyle, rather than a number on the scale. Realizing that losing just 5 to 10 percent of a person's body weight has huge health benefits -- from reduced risk of everything from heart disease to cancer -- helps put all your hard work into perspective.
"Dieters should not get discouraged by this," Klurfeld says of the plateau phase. "It's very common. ... Don't give up."
- By Kara G. Morrison / The Detroit News
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