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The plateau effect is not a very pleasant part of the diet. It consists in the fact that no matter how hard you try, no matter how many calories you spend, the weight still stands still. There are even such cases that your body begins to gain extra pounds. Often, a plateau effect and a set of extra pounds occurs when you disrupt your diet and training, or when your body has reached the so-called equilibrium point – calorie consumption has become equal to the intake. Let’s take a look at how this happens.
Lowering your baseline calorie expenditure naturally
From the early days of dieting and intense training, your body is very good at managing excess weight. Losing weight quickly causes great persistence and eagerness to engage in more self-development. But after a month I want to give up, because our body is already accustomed to the new diet, so the arrow of the scales is still at the same value. In this case, it is necessary to recall the law of physics, which says that weight and energy consumption depend on each other. That is, the less your weight is, the less the body spends its energy.
Your actual weight is taken as the basis for calculating the basic energy consumption. Accordingly, as you become lighter, the base flow will also decrease.
What can be done in this case:
- Increase calorie expenditure through non-training activity or exercise;
- Recalculate the calorie content of the diet for the new weight.
Adaptation of the body to stress factors
Now let’s move on to those energy costs that directly depend on you. When you periodically “starve” your body, then it goes into a mode of limited functioning, that is, reduces energy expenditure. This is called the “adaptive component”. During prolonged calorie restriction, the work of the hormonal system changes – the level of leptin and thyroid hormones decreases, and the level of cortisol rises. Changes in hormonal levels are reflected in the nervous system. As a result, you unconsciously reduce your non-training activity, spend fewer calories on routine tasks, and absorb food better.
What can be done in this case:
- Keep a food diary and scrupulously count the incoming and outgoing calories;
- Take a break for two weeks – eat at the level of maintenance calories, and instead of training, walk more often on the street. However, a break in your diet does not mean that now you can do everything. You are only increasing the calorie intake, but you continue to eat whole, healthy foods.
Lack of progress in training
If you do not increase the load with physical exercise, then this is your fault. This list also includes a decrease in muscle mass. It must be remembered that every kilogram you lose includes not only body fat, but also muscle. Therefore, the less muscle, the less calories are spent. If you constantly do not add calories while dieting, then this leads to a bad mood, unreasonable irritability and apathy. Such a state can cause a huge appetite – and your recent extra pounds will return to you with renewed vigor.
What can be done in this case:
- Increase the intensity of your workouts and add cardio on your rest days;
- Not starving, but calculating your calorie needs and sticking to that value.
More tips for overcoming the plateau
Now we bring to your attention some fairly simple methods to combat plateaus.
- Change your training program – first do heavy exercises, and then simple ones, or, on the contrary, if you have already done this. If you’ve trained different muscle groups on different days, try working your entire body in one workout. It will not be superfluous to increase the training time, but do not overdo it, the strength part of the lesson should last no more than an hour. Experts also recommend changing the time and frequency of training. Keep in mind that it is beneficial to reduce the rest time between exercises.
- Review your diet… Avoid sauces, mayonnaise, sausages, sausages, convenience foods, homemade pickles, salted cheese and fish, and foods that contain sugar. Train yourself to read labels in stores. Convenience foods contain too much saturated fat, which puts a strain on calories. Salt retains water and masks weight loss. Replace sugar with non-nutritive stevia sweetener. Limit foods that inhibit weight loss. In the diets of most people who are losing weight, these are fruits, dried fruits, nuts. Despite their benefits, they are high in calories and make you overeat.
- Stop drinking calories… Juices, smoothies, high-calorie coffee drinks, protein shakes are delicious, but they do not saturate, and your body absorbs them easily. Chew calories to spend extra energy in digestion.
- Increase your fiber intake… Steamed non-starchy vegetables and vegetable salads will add volume to your meals and ensure long-term satiety.
- Control stress… The stress hormone cortisol causes fluid retention and interferes with weight loss. So get enough sleep, get some rest, and try to worry less.
The plateau effect is not as bad as everyone is talking about. Apart from all the drawbacks, it has many positive aspects. It intensifies the desire on the way to a new body. Also, the plateau effect helps to overcome the low barrier of small loads and allows people to become even more persistent and resilient. So, work hard, do not be lazy, work on yourself, and we are sure that at the end you will have a happy ending, as a reward for your efforts.