You have been working hard to follow the bistroMD plan and improve your lifestyle and eating habits, and your reward has been watching your weight go down and feeling better - yay!
Now, however, for no reason you can identify, the scale hasn’t moved in several weeks… You might’ve hit a weight-loss plateau.
Don’t get discouraged, though! It’s normal for weight loss to slow and even stall.
Follow these steps to navigate out of that plateau and get back on track!
Step 1: Question If You Have Truly Plateaued
It’s normal to have weight fluctuations and have some weeks without loss here and there. If it has been 3-4 weeks without loss, then you may have reached a plateau.
Step 2: Troubleshoot - Ask Yourself, “Am I Following the Plan Appropriately?”
More specifically, ask yourself, “Have I been eating my meals and protein snacks every day? Have I been skipping meals or snacks? Have I included extra food (count those nibbles, too!)? Has my activity decreated?
Not getting enough calories (fuel) can actually cause our bodies to conserve energy, which can slow weight loss. On the flip side, if we are eating more, we may be getting more calories than expected, which could also slow weight loss.
Step 3: Wonder If You Are Eating More than You Anticipated
If you are more than anticipated, recalibrate yourself to the plan. If needed, use a nutrition app/tracker to help monitor your intake. If you are not eating enough, ensure that you are eating your meals and protein snacks everyday to keep your body fueled and metabolism revved.
Eating smaller, more frequent meals can help with this. Simply eat until you are full, cover your bistroMD meal, place in the refrigerator, and heat/eat a couple hours later when are you ready to eat again.
Step 4: Reflect If You’ve Stayed the Course with Your Eating Habits
If you have stayed the course with your eating habits, consider adding in an extra protein snack for two weeks. Give your body a little something different to look at and get your metabolism revved up again for you.
After those two weeks, you can take that extra protein snack back out and see if your metabolism responds.
Step 5: Consider Activity - Move That Body!
If you are not active, add in some activity and gradually build on that. If you are active, increase the intensity, do intervals, and try new activities. Consider adding in some resistance (strength) training as well.
Switching up the intensity and type of activities can boost our metabolism and help break through a plateau.
Step 6: Consider Sleep and Stress Patterns
Are you getting enough sleep? Stressed out? Consider stress management activities and improving sleep hygiene.
Step 7: Don’t Let That Plateau Become an Avalanche!
Appreciate the weight you have lost. Because you have already improved your eating and lifestyle habits, you’ve already improved your health!
Whatever you do, don’t give up and revert to your old habits. That may cause you to regain the weight you have lost.
Overall, celebrate your success and continue your efforts to maintain your weight loss!