Weight Loss Plateaus…What’s the Deal?

If you are one of the many who take the New Year to focus on getting back on track with your health and fitness, you may find that weight loss can be a frustrating… especially if you plateau. Wonder why this happens? We’ve caught up with Kim Mason, registered dietitian at Carson Tahoe Health and Mina Fiddyment of the Carson Tahoe Health and Wellness Institute to enlighten us about the reasons behind a weight loss plateau.

Here’s what we learned: 

Holidays… can do damage. Unfortunately, the high calories in holiday food might be harder to burn with your typical workout. To really make an impact, practice portion control and up the workouts to much higher intensities. This will help keep your weight stable through the minor indulgences.

You’re building muscle. If it’s been a while and you’re starting working out for the first time in a long time, it is more than likely you are putting on more weight because you are developing muscle weight, which weighs more than fat. Don’t panic, and keep it up! Plus, muscle is a good thing –you’ll burn more calories even when you’re not working out!

You’re not as strict as YOU think you are. We are all guilty of going to the gym and having a lazy workout (being tired, wanting to be somewhere else, and having no motivation is usually the culprit). Or, you think you’ve been good at not eating as much, but every once in awhile you have a big cheat? Sadly, these things add up and can result in you not achieving the results you thought you would. Stay determined!

You love your workout routine TOO much. If you have found a workout that you absolutely love, we applaud you! However, if you only do that workout and don’t change it up, your muscles become complacent and will not burn as many calories as when you first started. It is important to constantly change up your workouts to really see results. Try having a more cardio-specific workout a couple days a week and switching to resistance… Variety is key!

You’re too focused on that scale. Have you ever noticed in life, the more you worry and stress about something, the more it seems to be a problem? This theory applies to the scale too. The more stress and pressure you put on weight loss and seeing results immediately, the more frustrated you will get if you don’t notice instant results. It’s important to make a goal to be healthy and happy… not only to weigh less. Make your health your number 1 goal.