How to Bust a Diet Plateau: Overcoming a Diet Plateau

Anyone who attempts to lose weight reaches a diet plateau at one time or another, as his or her weight loss levels out for one reason or another. This may be what is happening with you and your weight loss program. Perhaps you were losing weight steadily, but now, you cannot seem to get below a certain weight.

Being successful at weight loss and then, not being able to lose more weight or reach a weight that reflects your body mass index (BMI) can be discouraging and frustrating.

What is a diet plateau? 

Understanding what a diet plateau is can help you to move beyond that weight as you begin to recognize what you are dealing with.

“A weight-loss plateau occurs when you no longer lose weight despite continuing with your exercise and healthy-eating habits.”

It is possible to bust a diet plateau. Perhaps you thought that you had established an appropriate weight loss diet and exercise regime that you would be able to adhere to for the rest of your life. Note that it worked for the initial period of your weight loss, so you have succeeded. Congratulations in this respect. 

To continue to lose more weight may mean re-adjusting your original dietary-exercise regime. You probably did not expect to have to do that.

Realistically, you can choose to stay where you are weight wise or remain positive and proactive in terms of your weight loss project. The decision is yours.  Are you at a weight that is healthy for you? Would you be more comfortable losing more weight? It will take time and effort on your part.

Overcoming a diet plateau or weight loss plateau is not always easy but “to lose more weight, you need to increase activity or decrease the calories you eat”.  

Do you want to stay where you currently are weight wise? Do you have sufficient incentive to continue on your weight loss program?

The article, “How can you overcome a weight-loss plateau?” offers four suggestions, namely “reassess your habits, cut more calories, rev up your workout and pack more activity into your day”. 

In a weight loss program, reassessment is vital to avoid stagnation. It often indicates the need for changes. Caloric intake and exercise regimes are adjustable, even though the human mind may resist the necessary changes needed to get off a diet plateau.

Setting new weight loss goals is often a good idea and re-establishes priorities. Taking a new, positive and pro-active approach to ongoing weight loss is like entering stage two of a weight loss program. The third stage will be your weight management, after reaching the dietary goal based upon your BMI.