Have you tried reducing calories and exercising regularly, and after a marked drop in your weight, the scale no longer shows new results, or even shows an increase in weight? There’s no doubt that this can be very frustrating, but it doesn’t mean that you have failed.
According to various studies, obesity isn’t just a matter of willpower, and reducing the calories consumed or exercising regularly does not always result in weight loss, as many think. Obesity is a physiological state wherein the body tries to maintain its weight.
What Is a Weight Loss Plateau?
A weight loss plateau is a period that all people go through when they want to lose weight. During this period, the body stops losing weight despite continued diet and exercise.
When an individual starts a new diet and exercise program, the body loses weight rapidly during the initial weeks of the program. This is due to the burning of glycogen, a carbohydrate stored in the muscles and liver and attached to water. When the body loses glycogen, it loses water weight.
When all the stored glycogen is lost, the body starts to burn fat, which slows the rate of weight loss gradually. The body continues losing weight and loses not only fat but also muscle mass. Since muscles burn more calories than fat tissue, the metabolism slows down at rest. When the calories burned equal the calories taken, the body stops losing weight.
Why does the metabolism become slower during dieting?
When the number of consumed calories drops below the number of burned over a prolonged period, the body starts to adapt to the change.
The principal goal of the human body is to survive, so when the body recognizes a food lack, it recognizes it as a starvation.
Therefore:
- The daily calorie expenditure decreases.
- Spontaneous activity levels drop.
- Some internal processes become slower to conserve energy.
This phenomenon is called metabolic adaptation, which is a major contributor to the plateau during the dieting period, as the body tries to prevent further weight loss to maintain balance.
How Hormones Regulate Your Appetite During Dieting?
Adaptation is not only limited to decreasing the metabolism rate, but also affects the hormones that regulate the appetite, thereby making the dieting period more challenging.
Ghrelin, the hunger hormone, rises during the dieting period, causing increased hunger. While Leptin, the satiety hormone, drops as the fat content in the body falls, which decrease the satiety hormone effects.
Due to these hormonal changes, food cravings, especially for calorie-rich food, increase, making weight loss difficult.
Muscle Loss and Its Impact on Metabolism
When restricting calories for a prolonged period, the body loses muscle mass, as well as fat mass.
Muscle tissue has a faster metabolism than fat tissue. The more muscle tissue present, the more calories are burned when at rest. When muscle tissue is lost, the metabolism slows down, making it more difficult to lose weight and maintain the lost weight.
Protein plays a vital role in protecting muscle mass. It also increases the metabolism of calories during digestion, compared to fats or carbohydrates. So, when the protein intake decreases, muscle mass is lost, and hunger is increased.
Water Retention
Many people think that the readings on the scale measure the amount of fat gained or lost; however, this is not always true.
Water retention may occur due to:
- High levels of salt intake.
- Changes in the menstrual cycle.
- Increased levels of sugar intake.
- Stress-related cortisol rise.
- Hormonal changes that affect water balance.
In this case, water retention can mask fat loss, so focus on changes in body composition rather than the scale number.
Hidden Calories
Many do not know the actual calorie intake of the food consumed. Also, the portion of food consumed gradually increases without the person’s attention.
A recent study has revealed that food intake tracking improves the effectiveness of the weight-reduction program.
Caloric deficit will be adversely affected by the unnoticed increase in calorie intake.
Excessive alcohol intake can also affect fat loss, as it provides the body with empty calories and slows fat loss, increasing food cravings.
Physical Activity
Although dieting is the major factor in fat loss, physical activity also has a considerable effect.
Aerobic activities help in fat loss, while resistance exercises maintain and build muscle, which increases the metabolism rate.
Recommendations of health organizations:
- At least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity every week.
- 75 minutes of vigorous activity weekly.
It is also advised to do resistance exercises at least twice a week, targeting all major muscle groups.
Every day activities such as walking, housework, and standing have a considerable effect on the total energy expenditure.
Hormones and Their Effect on Weight
Many medical conditions can affect fat loss:
Insulin Resistance
High insulin levels increase the storage of fat and inhibit its oxidation, such as in type 2 diabetes and PCOS. Remedies include exercise, sleep, weight management, nutrition, and omega-3.
Thyroid Disorders
When the thyroid hormone level is low, metabolism slows down. Weight gain can range from 5 to 10 pounds due to retained fluids.
Cortisol (Stress Hormone)
High levels of this hormone can cause cravings for fat and sugar, and can decrease the metabolism’s efficiency. It can also cause the storage of belly fat.
Increased cortisol levels usually result from chronic stress, so you can manage it by managing stress through quality sleep, regular physical activity, and relaxation exercises.
Sleep and Weight Loss
Hormones can also be affected by the quantity of sleep. When you sleep less, the hormone ghrelin increases while leptin decreases. As a result, appetite increases.
However, research indicates that people who sleep for just five hours per day lose significantly less weight compared to people who sleep for about eight hours per day. Too much sleep can also cause people to gain weight.
How to overcome a Weight Loss Plateau?
The following are some of the ways to lose weight:
- Re-evaluate your habits: It is important to re-evaluate your habits to make sure that your food intake has not increased and that your activity level has not decreased.
- Carefully manage your calories: It is important to make sure that your calorie intake does not fall below 1,200 per day to avoid extreme hunger and the slowing down of your metabolism.
- More protein and fiber intake: More protein intake will help you to develop more muscles and will make you less hungry.
- Change your workouts: It is important to increase your workout or exercise intensity. It is important to increase your workout time gradually to about 300 minutes per week.
- Focus on body composition and not the number on the scale: It is important to note that you may not lose weight despite the fact that you are gaining more muscle and losing body fat, and this will make you feel good.
- Optimize your carbohydrates and your meal schedule: It is advisable to consume carbohydrates with a low glycemic index, such as legumes, boiled potatoes, and oatmeal, as they will provide you with long-lasting energy and increase your feelings of fullness.
Conclusion
A plateau does not imply failure, low willpower, or that the body is fighting the efforts to lose weight. It is a natural part of the journey to losing weight. Real progress is not achieved by the speed of the weight loss, but by the consistency of the effort.
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