After initial successes, you will eventually reach a plateau phase when losing weight. Chrissy explains how you can get through it and continue to lose weight.
Welcome to the most annoying phase of your weight loss: the plateau phase. After initial success in the form of falling kilos, your scales stagnate for several days or even weeks. There is no reason to despair, because weight fluctuations, so-called plateaus, are quite normal during the weight loss period. And, as we all know, challenges are there to be met!
Ask your friends. Surely at least one says that she has also experienced a plateau. She must have been as frustrated as you are now. In many cases, it is not because you are eating the wrong foods or exercising too little. Let’s go together in search of the cause..
With a negative energy balance you will lose weight!
As long as you consume less energy than your body needs to maintain its weight, you will continue to lose weight. There is not the slightest doubt about it! The fact that you need a negative calorie balance should be firmly established in your mind before you start worrying about other factors!
But: Our body is not a machine and not a mathematical function. This is why the weight loss curve does not run in a straight line. Weight can fluctuate greatly in a single day. Depending on when you step on the scale, whether you have been sweating or how much you have drunk and eaten. This is why you should always weigh yourself at the same time- For example, always after getting up, when you have not yet eaten anything.
Possible causes of weight loss stagnation
In addition to your calorie balance and fluctuations throughout the day, there are other factors that can cause a plateau in losing weight.
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1. possible cause: carbohydrates bind water
You can only defeat a weight plateau with a low-calorie diet.
Let’s assume that you have eaten very few carbohydrates for several days. Your body needs carbohydrates to fuel your brain, though. Now it draws on the carbohydrate stores (glycogen) in the liver. This glycogen has four times the amount of water bound up in it. If the body now breaks down the glycogen, not only carbohydrates are released, but also the water bound to them. This leads to rapid weight loss and motivates us to continue at the beginning of a low-carb diet. If the carbohydrate reserves in the liver are emptied, however, the body must fall back on the stored energy in the fat. The fat tissue does not contain as much water as the carbohydrate storage in the liver. You will now only lose pure fat and no more water. That’s why the weight loss is slow. Because in order to lose 1 kilo of fat, you have to lose a total of 7 kilos.Save 000 calories. And that takes time: If you save 500 kcal a day in a healthy way, it will take about 2 weeks. The initial euphoria is gone for the time being.
If you eat carbohydrates again after you have given up carbohydrates, your body will immediately store them again together with water in your liver and you will quickly gain weight again. This can significantly affect your results on the scale.
2. possible cause: water retention during menstruation
In the time before menstruation there are often hormonal fluctuations in the female body. This can lead to water retention in the tissue. The end of the song is therefore not only often sung with mood swings, but also with weight fluctuations. An explosive mix in any partnership& The excessive hysteria and crying fit caused by hormonal chaos and extra pounds can hardly be avoided at this time. But with this information, you’re now all set. Tell your scale that it won’t see you again for a few days and give it the cold shoulder.
3. possible cause: muscles are "heavier" than fat.
If you have decided for the healthy way, sport and change of nutrition belong together for you. You deserve a lot of credit for that. If your scale does not confirm this, there is a simple explanation: If you exercise, your body builds up muscles – and that’s a good thing too! If you lose fat and gain muscle, you may not be able to see immediately on a normal scale that you have lost fat. However, muscle tissue has a lower volume per weight compared to fat. So grab a tape measure to track your progress. Because you may not have lost weight, but you may have lost girth. And this is also a great effect. Your new muscles also burn even more fat for you than fat tissue – even at rest! That is, they help you more and more to reach your goal.
Crash diets have exactly the opposite effect. You force by the very small amount of calories your body to attack its muscles to supply itself with proteins. So you’re losing weight fast. But first the water bound to your carbohydrate stores and then muscles. In addition, your energy consumption decreases, which makes further weight loss more difficult. The yoyo effect is already pre-programmed there. My conclusion: Stay away from crash diets!
If you weigh yourself every day, fluctuations are inevitable. Besides, you run the risk of going crazy too quickly because of individual results. This is demotivating, so you should avoid daily weighing.
The most important rules in a plateau phase
Now you know why losing weight sometimes just doesn’t happen. But how do you put theory into practice?? Very simple: Stay strong and don’t let up!
Do not make excuses!
If you stick to all the guidelines, eat a very healthy, low-energy diet and do sports, you will lose weight. Plateau phases can occur, but this should in no case be an excuse to give up or to cheat. If you cheat in between, you are lying to yourself! It’s not your scale’s fault. Because the following applies: If you take in less energy than you consume, you will lose weight. Basta! When you reach a plateau phase, it will be replaced by a weight loss phase after some time but only if you stay on the ball! Who cheats against it, may wait infinitely long for the redemption. A weight loss plateau is frustrating for anyone who is seriously trying, but in the long run it is no excuse and no obstacle for you!
Do not slacken!
If you lie on the lazy skin, you risk a persistent plateau.
It is in the nature of humans not always to be disciplined. We lose weight quickly at the beginning of a diet and feel on the safe side. Now I’m allowed to indulge myself, thinks one or the other of you. But these are exactly the little things that can cause the scale to punish you. Therefore, make yourself aware of what and when you are sinning. So you don’t lose sight of the big picture and can be sure that you continue to lose weight.
Set realistic goals!
Do not think that you can maintain the initial weight loss speed. Be prepared to lose 500 grams a week at best. This knowledge protects you from disappointment. As long as you lose weight at all, that’s a reason to be proud of yourself. Also be aware of what your body looked like before the transition. It is typical that we always see only the weekly deficit on the scale. We forget however, with which weight we started. So do not think: "I have not lost weight this week" but "in 5 weeks I have lost 4.3 kilos".
6 tips for losing weight without standing still
- Stick to low carb! If you eat a low-carb diet, avoid too much carbohydrate intake on cheat days. Or count on your body storing the carbs with lots of water in the liver. This leads to rapid weight gain.
- Do not weigh every day! Because fluctuations spoil your mood. Please weigh only once a week under the same conditions.
- Tape measure at hand! On the basis of your circumferences at belly, legs and hip you can determine fast whether your effort already paid off, even if the balance does not show it.
- Wait and see! If you have bravely endured a plateau, you will continue losing weight as if by magic after 2 to 3 weeks – without changing a thing.
- See the overall result! Don’t judge your weight loss by weekly results, but look at your long-term progression.
- Do not cheat! Make sure that your discipline does not weaken. Because a piece of chocolate here and there as a reward can get in the way of your diet. Every little bit helps, so don’t lose sight of the big picture.
Healthy weight loss in the Slim in 10 weeks program
With the Gymondo Slim in 10 Weeks program you can reach your goals effectively and in the long term. The combination of regular fitness sessions and a healthy, natural diet will help you lose weight while becoming fitter and more active. Here, a plateau phase is even explicitly provided for: In the last 4 weeks, you maintain your weight, continue to eat healthy and remain active in sports. After that, you can fine-tune your weight with one of our shaping or cardio programs!