Breaking Through Weight Loss Plateaus: Causes of Stagnation and Solutions

Plateau Phase: What to do when weight loss stops?

The pattern of weight loss is well-known to anyone who has tried to lose weight. At the beginning of a diet, weight loss is particularly noticeable, especially in the first few days if you drastically reduce your food intake and eliminate staple foods; you might lose 2-3 pounds in just one or two days.

This is because the body stores 300-400 grams of sugar. The body will first consume this sugar, and while the sugar decreases, it will excrete about 1000 grams of stored water (in the body, sugar and water are stored together, approximately 1 gram of sugar corresponds to 3 grams of water). This can result in a weight loss of 2-3 pounds at once.

Afterward, some protein will be consumed, and then the body will primarily consume fat. During this stage, there is not much water loss, so weight loss slows down. Because fat has a high calorie density, if you maintain a daily energy deficit of 450 kcal during weight loss, even if it all converts to fat, it will only amount to 50 grams, or 0.05 kilograms. Such a small change is very difficult to see on the scale (especially considering daily fluctuations in weight due to water retention).

Therefore, many people find their weight plateauing after one or two weeks of dieting, mistakenly believing they've hit a plateau. In reality, this is simply because they haven't understood the pattern of body fat reduction. Be patient and continue with your current plan.

Some people who do a lot of strength training (weightlifting) during their weight loss journey will increase muscle mass, which will balance out fat loss and cause a temporary halt in weight loss.

However, if this weight plateau lasts for several weeks, it may be a weight loss plateau. What is a weight loss plateau?

A plateau can be explained using the first law of thermodynamics. The body strives to achieve energy balance, and a "plateau" is such a balance. Simply put, it means that energy intake and energy expenditure are once again equal, and weight stops changing.

The main reasons for hitting a plateau are likely the following:

The first reason is that the body adapts to the previous exercise, gradually reducing energy expenditure. When we first start exercising, the body consumes a lot of energy during training; however, once the body adapts to this pattern of exercise, energy expenditure gradually decreases. Our bodies are intelligent; they want to complete movements in the easiest and most efficient way.

Our bodies are incredibly intelligent; through a long evolutionary process, they can always adjust to the lowest energy expenditure mode under different circumstances (just like your laptop or phone can be switched to power-saving mode).

The second reason is that as weight decreases, basal metabolic rate and daily energy expenditure decrease. Therefore, when energy intake remains the same, it may not be able to create a sufficient energy deficit, resulting in stagnant weight loss.

The third reason is that people intentionally or unintentionally misjudge their energy intake or expenditure. They may underestimate their energy intake or overestimate their exercise expenditure.

Accurately knowing how much energy you've consumed is not easy for many people, and it's even harder to estimate if you don't cook for yourself.

Among my students, those who eat out have significantly less weight loss effect than those who cook for themselves. Many people often overestimate their energy expenditure. Although exercise frequency, duration, and intensity all affect energy expenditure, as we've mentioned, exercise expenditure isn't that high. If you eat more because of exercise, it has the opposite effect.

So what should you do when you hit a plateau? Here are three strategies to break through it. Strategy 1: Readjust your diet. As you lose weight, your daily energy expenditure decreases, so your energy intake should also be reduced. I suggest reducing your daily energy intake by 10 kcal for every pound you lose.

For example, a woman who went from 130 pounds to 120 pounds needs to reduce her daily energy intake by 100 kcal (about half a bowl less rice per meal) to maintain an energy deficit and continue losing weight. Ideally, you should readjust your diet plan based on your current weight.

Strategy 2: Readjust your exercise plan. Simply reducing your diet may not create a sufficient energy deficit later on, so adjusting your exercise plan is necessary. As you lose weight, both your cardiovascular and resistance training should be modified; otherwise, your body will adapt to exercise and reduce energy expenditure.

To increase the overall intensity of your training, you can add new or more exercises. For example, if you're currently doing 1-2 rounds of 4-minute workouts daily, you can increase that to 3-4 rounds.

Strategy 3: Increase Water Intake

Sometimes thirst can be mistaken for hunger, so drink more water, especially before and after meals. This reduces overall energy intake, helping us achieve an energy deficit. As mentioned before, drinking more water itself increases energy expenditure. For example, if you previously drank 1.5 liters of water per day, you can increase that to 1.8 liters.

In short, rebalancing energy intake and expenditure is the root cause of weight loss plateaus. As long as you maintain an energy deficit, you won't experience a significant plateau. If you do encounter a plateau, you can adjust by reducing intake, increasing physical activity, or a combination of both.