Stuck in a Weight Loss Plateau? 5 Reasons You're Not Losing Weight

Stuck in a Weight Loss Plateau? 5 Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight

When you’re trying to lose weight, there is nothing more frustrating than stepping on the scale after a week of healthy eating and seeing that the number has not changed. As a dietitian who’s been helping people lose weight for over 10 years, I’ve learned that there are 5 common reasons most people struggle with weight loss and get stuck in plateaus. In this article, I’m going to reveal what those 5 reasons are and explain how to solve them so you can start seeing results.

Are You Actually in a Plateau?

Before we cover the 5 reasons you might not be seeing weight changes, we have to figure out if you’ve actually hit a plateau. I’ve had clients come to me and say they’re frustrated that the scale isn’t changing, but when we look beyond the scale, they’re actually seeing impressive results.

Indicators of Progress Beyond the Scale

I’m not saying you need to throw out the scale, but I encourage you to look at other signs of progress, aside from weight.

One important metric is body measurements. If you’ve started going to the gym and lifting weights, it’s possible the scale will stay the same for a while, even though your body is changing. This happens when you lose fat and build muscle at the same time, which is known as body recomposition.

You’ll see your body changing and measurements (like waist and hip circumference) going down, but it may take longer than expected to see major changes on the scale. Another great way to see body recomposition if you don’t want to specifically measure your body is simply seeing how your clothes fit.

We can also look beyond physical changes to other “non-scale victories”. For example, are you feeling happier? More energetic? More confident? Are you sleeping better? Are you performing better in the gym?

If your weight is staying the same, but you’re seeing other improvements, especially when it’s a combination of physical and mental changes, that is progress. Stay on track, don’t do anything drastic, and the weight changes will eventually come.

If you’ve looked at all the possible signs of progress and you’re not seeing positive changes, then it’s time to start going through the inventory of potential culprits for why you’re not progressing.

5 Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight

REASON #1: UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS OR LACK OF CONSISTENT & APPLIED EFFORT

Many people give up when the results they want don’t come fast enough. Weight loss requires sustained effort, and it often takes longer than you think it will. Many people who struggle to lose weight just haven’t stayed consistent for long enough, because they’ve been convinced by the diet industry that they’re doing something wrong if they don’t lose 5 pounds a week.

If you have realistic expectations, you’re putting in consistent effort, and you’re still not seeing any changes, that’s when you can start looking at other reasons weight loss isn’t happening.

REASON #2: MISINFORMATION

You might feel like you’re working really hard to exercise and eat the right foods, but if you’re following bad advice, it’s going to be hard to make progress.

Imagine going on a road trip with an outdated map. You might start off in the right direction, but maybe there are new roads that aren’t on the map and you get lost along the way. Your trip would be much easier and more efficient if you were using a GPS.

In the same way, there’s a lot of false information on the internet and quick fix diets that rely on outdated or false information. Occasionally you might make some progress, but it’s much easier to lose weight when you have a clear, proven, evidence-based plan.

REASON #3: POOR LIFESTYLE AND NUTRITION HABITS

At the most basic level, stalling in weight loss happens for one scientific reason, which is: you are not in a calorie deficit. If you are consuming more food daily, weekly, or monthly than your body is burning, you will gain weight (calorie surplus), if you eat less than you burn you will lose weight (calorie deficit), and if it balances out, your weight will remain the same (maintenance). It’s a basic law of thermodynamics and a fundamental condition for weight loss.

Many people struggle with weight loss because they cannot consistently create a calorie deficit, which typically happens due to lifestyle and nutrition factors.

Nutrition & Lifestyle Assessment Checklist

I have a list of questions I use as an assessment tool to determine which areas of your nutrition are getting in the way of your results. There is one list specifically for people who are tracking macros and another more general list that everyone can use.

I’ll share the questions in both lists below, but if you want a PDF version of my checklist that you can print or save for later, click HERE and I’ll send it to you.

Nutrition Checklists

If you’re tracking macros, ask yourself the following questions:

Am I getting enough carbs?
Am I frequently going over my carb goal?
Am I getting enough protein?
Am I going over my fats daily?
Am I frequently staying under my goal for fats?
Am I struggling with tracking my nutrition?
Am I tracking EVERYTHING?
Am I munching or picking on foods that I’m not logging on my tracking app?
Am I waiting until the end of the day to put all my meals in the app?
Am I reaching my fiber goals daily?

Whether or not you’re tracking macros, ask yourself the following questions:

Am I choosing complex carbs for my meals and snacks?
Am I planning my food or just doing things on the go?
Am I consuming enough vegetables daily?
Am I adding enough fruit?
Am I struggling to stay organized with my food?
Am I drinking enough water daily?
Am I staying consistent through the weekend?
Am I consuming too many liquid calories like alcohol, juices, etc.?
Am I going to the bathroom regularly?

Lifestyle Checklists

When it comes to movement habits, you should ask yourself:

Am I staying active during the day? (i.e. walking) or am I sitting most of the day?
Am I training hard enough?
Am I training frequently enough?
Am I training too much and feel exhausted daily?

It’s also important to consider stress management and sleep with the following questions:

Am I more stressed this week than usual?
Am I going to bed later than usual?
Am I using technology late in the evening?
Am I sleeping deeply and soundly or struggling to stay asleep?
Am I waking up tired?
Am I struggling to get up in the morning?
Am I eating too late at night?

Poor stress management stress and sleep can affect your weight loss by causing you to eat more calories each day. These habits may also affect your hormones in ways that make it difficult to lose weight.

Your answers to these Nutrition and Lifestyle questions will allow you to pinpoint the areas where you can make changes to create more consistency in the nutrition habits that will support your weight loss goals.

REASON #4: YOUR EMOTIONAL HEALTH

Many people have a deep connection between food and emotion, and it’s possible you’re using food to manage stress or seek comfort, which often leads to overeating. Essentially, you know what to do to lose weight, but your emotional states are getting in the way of doing those things consistently.

The first step to solving the problem is recognizing when emotional eating is happening. To do this, check in with yourself any time you’re about to start eating. Ask yourself, “Am I physically hungry, or am I eating for another reason?” When you recognize the urge to eat emotionally, you can use different strategies to manage your emotions. The topic of emotional eating is too big to get into in this article, so make sure to drop a comment below if this is something you struggle with and you want to learn more about it.

REASON #5: HEALTH AND MEDICAL FACTORS

There are certain biological factors that can influence your ability to lose weight. They can make weight loss harder — but not impossible. These include PCOS, hypothyroidism, insulin resistance and diabetes, as well as genetic predispositions to carry extra weight.

I’ve included this as the last reason, because many people dismiss reasons 1-4 and immediately blame health conditions or genetics for their struggles with weight loss. In reality, many of these people have not spent enough time correcting the first 4 problems, which is the best place to start before blaming factors that are outside your control.

Conclusion

In summary, there are the 5 key reasons you might be struggling with weight loss — unrealistic expectations, misinformation, poor lifestyle and nutrition habits, emotional health challenges, and medical/genetic factors. When it comes to fixing these issues, some of them have easy solutions, while others might require some more guidance.

If you’re looking for a proven plan to cut through all the misinformation you find online and build the mindset, lifestyle, nutrition, and movement habits that will get you to your weight loss goals…

I created a free video training on the 4-step transformation system I use with all my clients. These are the exact steps they follow to lose 15-30 lbs. in as little as 12 weeks, while balancing kids and a busy career. If you want to watch this 15 minute training you can access it HERE.