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Has your weight loss come to a screeching halt?

In this article, I’ll walk you through step-by-step how to break through a weight loss plateau.

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Intro: How to break through a weight loss plateau

“Why have I stopped losing weight?!”

You were rolling right along with your calorie deficit but now the number on the scale is frozen like Elsa.

It’s the same one–give or take a few lbs–day after day after day.

To say it’s frustrating would be an understatement. 

You’re continuing to put in the work but it’s not producing any results. 

You’re afraid you’ve hit a weight loss plateau. 

And if that is indeed what’s going on, I’m here to help you smash through it.

What is a weight loss plateau?

A true weight loss plateau is exactly how it sounds, you stop losing weight.

But here’s something you might not know.

Weight loss isn’t the only factor that defines a plateau. 

You have to factor inch loss in there too. 

So a better definition of a plateau would be this:

If you aren’t losing weight AND/OR inches, you can consider yourself as being stuck in a plateau. 

For simplicity’s sake, I’ll be referring to your plateau as a weight loss one in this article but, again, just know there are two signs of a weight loss plateau–

Not losing weight and/or inches.

Why do weight loss plateaus happen?

The more weight you lose, the fewer calories you need so you’ll have to adjust your calories if you want to continue losing weight.

Here’s an example of what I mean–

Let’s say you started out weighing 200 pounds and now you’re down to 190 lbs.

You’re a smaller person now, which means you need fewer calories to lose weight. 

Make sense?

But wait, are you TRULY in a weight loss plateau?

You may think you need to break through a weight loss plateau but let me just ask you a few questions first.

Are you losing inches?

Again, a plateau doesn’t just mean weight loss.

If you aren’t losing weight but are still losing inches, you’re not in a plateau.

Inch loss = fat loss so you’re still making progress.

Eventually, the scale will “catch up” so to speak.

How long have you been in a calorie deficit?

I know you want results ASAP (and by ASAP I mean yesterday!) but if you’ve only been in a calorie deficit for a week or two, reeeelaxx. 

A calorie deficit isn’t just snap your fingers, kaboom, and then instantaneous fat loss.

Give it some time, homie.

How consistent have you been?

Results mirror consistency. 

If you haven’t been at least 90% consistent over the past month in the following areas, you’re not in a plateau:

• Staying within your calories (which includes eating enough protein – 0.7-1g per pound of your goal body weight) 
• Hitting your strength training workouts
• Getting your daily steps
• Sleeping enough and managing stress

Let’s talk about what consistency means in those major buckets, starting with nutrition. 

How to break through a weight loss plateau: Nutrition

First off, a big part of being consistent is actually counting your calories. 

If you’re already doing that, here are some aspects of calorie counting you want to make sure you’re incorporating:

• Using a food scale to weigh out your food in GRAMS. Going by grams is the most accurate way to count calories. 
• Logging all of the little nibbles, bites, and quick snacks you have throughout the day. It might not seem like a big deal in the moment (or maybe you don’t even realize you’re doing it) but you could be adding on hundreds of extra calories.
• Accounting for liquid calories. This includes alcohol, which contains 7 calories per gram.
• Weighing out your meats, rice, pasta, etc raw as opposed to cooked. When in doubt if something should be measured out raw or not, go by what the nutrition label says. If it doesn’t say, weigh the food out in whatever form it comes in.
• Being consistent about counting calories. You don’t pick and choose what meals to count or count perfectly for a week then take a week or two off. 
• Practicing moderation on the weekends: Still live your life–meet up with friends for dinner, have a couple of drinks if that’s what you’re into, etc–but the weekends are not a free-for-all hall pass to just eat whatever you want. Be sensible about it. 
• “Saving” calories for later in the day. That’s what’s causing you to binge late at night. You’re so hungry by the evening, you go crazy and “make up” for all the foods you didn’t have during the day. And you go overboard with it. You can’t control yourself when you feel deprived. Simple fix: Eat more during the day, especially foods high in protein and fiber, which will keep you fuller for longer.
• Consuming somewhere between 0.7 grams to 1 gram per pound of your goal body weight in protein every single day. Again, protein keeps you full and satisfied, you speed up your metabolism by eating it, and it’s key to building and preserving muscle. The more muscle you can hold onto (you lose a little muscle when trying to lose fat), the greater your results.

How to break through a weight loss plateau: Strength training

First things first, what constitutes strength training?

You’re strength training when you’re on a legit, structured program where you’re progressively lifting heavier and heavier weights over time.

Anything else is not true strength training.

So if you’ve been doing random workouts and exercises, there’s no plateau to break through.

You just need to get on a strength training program (and you don’t have to go anywhere to find one 😉). 

I’ve laid everything out for you in this free 12-week dumbbell workout plan.

I tell you exactly what exercises to do, all of the sets, all of the reps, and there are even exercise demonstrations to ensure your form is on point. 

The workout plan comes with 3 or 4-day-a-week options so you can choose the best routine for your schedule.

How to break through a weight loss plateau: Daily movement

Not getting enough daily movement might just be why you’re here reading this article about breaking through a weight loss plateau.

You burn triple the number of calories through all the non-exercise movement you get throughout the day (I.e. walking) than you do your actual workouts. 

Have you been hitting your daily step goal of 7,500-10,000 steps?

How have you been measuring that? 

Are you just guesstimating or do you actually use your phone, smartwatch, or some other device to keep track? 

On Amazon you can get a fitness step tracker for around $20 and on iPhones at least, the “Health” app logs your steps (This is what I use to track). 

You just have to take your phone with you wherever you go. 

How to break through a weight loss plateau: Sleep and stress management

Lack of sleep or stress itself don’t directly impact to weight loss.

But their indirect impact greatly influences it.

When you don’t get enough sleep or find ways to effectively manage stress, your body produces a hormone called cortisol, which makes you hungrier.

Increased hunger leads to you saying “screw this calorie deficit” and raiding your pantry for all the snacks you can find.

I’m saying this with love buuuut…

Get into bed at a decent time!

You’ve already watched two episodes of your favorite show.

The third one will be there tomorrow.

And when you do hop into bed, please stop the mindless scrolling.

The blue light that gets emitted from your phone screen messes with your circadian rhythm, which can prevent you from falling asleep or getting good quality sleep.

Stress management-wise, here are some suggestions I have for you:

• Mindfulness meditation 
• Journaling
• Yoga
• Find a creative outlet you enjoy (such as drawing, writing, learning to play an instrument like the guitar, photography, DIY projects or crafting, etc)
• Join a club or social group to stay connected and have a sense of community

You have 2 options to break through a weight loss plateau… 

If you’re 100% sure you’re doing everything after going through that list, you can consider yourself stuck in a weight loss plateau.

Here’s how to break through it, you have two options.

Option #1: Lower your calories by 100-200.

Option #2: Add 1-2 LISS (low intensity steady state) cardio sessions per week for 20-30 minutes each. This will be things like walking on the treadmill, using the elliptical, using the StairMaster, etc. 

Don’t do both at the same time (You don’t want to do any more work than you have to). 

Pick one to try first for 2-3 weeks and if that doesn’t work you can add in the other one. 

How to break through a weight loss plateau: FAQs

How many weeks is considered a weight loss plateau?

This depends on how consistent you’ve been.

If you haven’t been at least 90% consistent in the following areas over the past month, you’re not truly in a weight loss plateau:

• Are you staying within your calories each day?
• Do you consume somewhere between 0.7g-1g per pound of your goal body weight in protein daily?
• Are you hitting your strength training workouts?
• Do you get your daily 7,500-10,000 steps?
• Are you sleeping enough and managing stress?

How long does it take to break a weight loss plateau?

I wish I could give you a definitive answer but there’s not one that just applies to everyone.

To break through a weight loss plateau, you have two options:

1.) Lower your calories by 100-200.

2.) Implement 1-2 LISS cardio sessions per week for 20-30 minutes each.

Will a weight loss plateau go away on its own?

Sometimes, you’re not truly stuck in a plateau even though it might feel like it.

You may just need to ride the wave out.

Even if you’re doing everything right, the scale can fluctuate within the same few pounds for weeks at a time. 

After a month, if you’ve been at least 90% consistent with the areas we’ve talked about and you STILL aren’t seeing any weight or inch loss (inch loss is the key here), it’s safe to say you’re stuck in a weight loss plateau.

At that point, you’d either lower your calories by about 100-200.

Or incorporate 1-2 LISS cardio sessions a week for 20-30 minutes each. 

Will a cheat day break my plateau?

The term “cheat day” sucks. 

But you won’t break through a weight loss plateau by doing that.

First, look at how consistent you are in terms of your nutrition, strength training workouts, your daily steps, and sleep/stress management. 

If you haven’t been at least 90% consistent in those areas over the past four weeks, start there.

You may think you’ve been consistent but make sure you go through the list in this article to dot your I’s and cross your T’s.  

If you go through EVERYTHING we’ve covered in this article and you STILL aren’t losing weight and/or inches, lower your calories by 100-200 or add in a couple LISS cardio sessions each week for around 20-30 minutes each.

Pick one to start with and if after 2-3 weeks you’re still not seeing any results, add the other one in.