You started working out because it is good for you and it makes you stronger and helps make everyday aches and pains like cranky knees and pissed off backs feel better…
Wait, that’s not why you started working out?
You’re telling me you started working out because you thought it would help you lose weight and feel good about yourself (AKA look good naked)?
How’s that going for you?
Chances are it is going somewhere between ok and not good. How do I know this? You clicked on this article.
Most likely you started working out, and in the first few weeks, and even possibly the first two months, you saw some changes. Motivation was high, and you stuck with it, now over time you have started to see the numbers on the scale stay the same or sometimes go down a little, only to go right back to where they were before.
You’re stuck in the Bermuda Triangle of weight loss, a place salty sailors have warned you about, but you never thought it would happen to you.
It’s ok; I am here to be the tugboat that pulls you out of the triangle and back to the open seas of progress. Ok, I am done with this sea illustration, for the moment.
Plateaus happen to everyone, and actually, we live most of our lives in these plateau areas. And that is great unless your goal is to get somewhere.
Plateaus happen for five main reasons. Let’s take a look at why you might have hit one and how to get past it.
Less NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis)
A funny thing happens when you start exercising. You get tired. This feeling of tired can lead to less motivation which can lead to less activity.
We often don’t think about all the little activity we do throughout the day such as walking and just moving around; that is what NEAT is made up of. It is very common as you start exercising, your NEAT becomes less, which in turn balances out all the work you put into your workout.
For example, you start working out three times a week, but instead of going for that walk on the weekend you now find you don’t have to motivation or energy to do it.
Or, if you are one of the thousands of people that uses a smartwatch or Fitbit you might see your steps starting to drop. In the beginning, you don’t think much of it, but if you are slowly taking a few thousand steps less a day, that adds up to almost a full day’s worth of movement lost by the end of the week (based on the common guideline of 10,000 steps a day).
What to do:
Make sure you are not consciously or subconsciously starting to move less. If you have smartwatch technology see if you notice a trend or if you don’t, make sure you don’t find yourself sitting around more at work or on the weekends.
All that little activity matters, keep it up.
Increased Eating
This is going to sound like a no-brainer, but the more you move, the more energy you use. The more energy you use, the more likely you are to feel hungry.
The initial weight loss you got, in the beginning, is most likely from the increased activity. Now if your weight has bounced back to where you first started what has most likely happened is you have slowly, subconsciously replaced those calories.
What to do:
Start a food log for at least a week, but I would even go as far as two to four weeks. The food log will make you aware of what you are eating and drinking. With most clients, this action alone will cause you to eat better and lose weight.
#1 Rule Of Food Logging: If you eat it you write it down. (It doesn’t matter if you had a slice of lemon cheesecake and discovered that little, tiny, not even consequential slice had well over 300 calories of goodness in it, you write that down.)
Haven’t Focused on Eating
What if you are not getting results even though you are consistently working out and staying active? Have you made any changes to your eating? It is time to swallow the pill that is diet change.
Where to start?
Recording what you eat: This will make you aware of what you are putting into your mouth. An app like My Fitness Pal is a good place to start. I know, I know I just said this like 100 words ago, but it is that important.
Cooking more of your meals: if you eat out a lot or don’t cook, start finding a few simple recipes that look fun and easy and try to prepare as many meals a week as you comfortably can.
Get your protein in: Protein is the building blocks of our bodies. It is also lower in calories and will keep you fuller for longer.
Places to get protein: fish, chicken, eggs, yogurt, soy, supplements, etc.
Haven’t Changed Any Other Areas of Life
You have made the change to put going to the gym as one of your focuses on yourself, but have you started to make any other changes? Like focusing on sleep, eating, stress levels, etc.?
All of these play into your success. Not enough sleep will cause you to think less rationally, have less willpower, and play into increased stress levels. Not eating well will lead to stress, whether that is because of negative self-talk or your body not having the right nutrients for it to run well. Stress is affected by both sleep, eating, work, life, and hell, even working out and doing healthy activities like running and hiking.
If you have not put much time into these areas of your life sit down and think about how you can start making some of these small changes, picture what an ideal day would look like and from there, find the most minor step in that direction that you could start today.
You’re Not Looking at What Really Matters
Weight change is only telling a small part of the story. Weight can be affected by how much you have had to eat, drink, sleep, level of stress, amount of activity, time of the month, and much more.
Other positive changes to notice: Sleeping better, clothing fitting better, doing activities that would previously leave you breathless, being less stressed or having lower anxiety, increased positive self-talk, feeling of empowerment.
These are all great accomplishments and should give you some motivation, but I do get that weight loss matters. If that is the case, go back to points 1-3 and really put a focus on point 3.
Putting It All Together
If you find yourself at a sticking point, take this time to first reflect on what you have accomplished, and if you are at a plateau, that means you have actually gotten results and should be celebrating them.
Now, after you are done feeling that sense of accomplishment take a look at where you might be missing something ( cough, cough what you’re eating).
Your Fitness Sherpa,
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