Breaking Through Dieting Plateaus

Hello there, today’s topic: why dieting is always a shit show.

But mostly focusing on how dieting is never a simple linear trend. No one simply hops on a routine of a diet, workout, and overall lifestyle change, and then loses all of the weight they wanted until they hit their goals. Doesn’t that just sound wonderful!

Unfortunately that is a lie, and something that is not realistic for literally anyone (unless perhaps you are on some sort of diet and weight loss drug - more possible butttt still less likely to sustain over time).

Dieting especially can be one of the MOST frustrating things for people. It is just like the stock market (man so many of my parallels are so finance-bro oriented it is starting to kinda get annoying), some people buy in, chip in little by little, and then once a huge drop or scare comes in. The pull out COMPLETELY. They run away and hide because they took one little hit or saw just a bit of increase. And just like that, they come out of the game with less than they had before, or with a lot less than what they should have.

This is the same idea with dieting. Dieting is going to hit you with weights that are highs, lows, really highs, and “damn this shit might not be working” highs, back down to lows you have been dreaming for. It is all about staying in the captain’s seat no matter what sort of water you are plunging through.

You will also run into these things called “plateaus”. You know these as as basically half mountains that have a flat top (Example below).

Your weight goals after losing weight for a few weeks^

This is when your weight and progress comes to a screeching halt. Completely stagnant and might not even move for a good few weeks. You have stuck to the plan and everything has seemingly worked out correctly.

So what the hell is the deal? Should I cut calories even more? Should I try another diet because this isn't working? How in the world should I handle this?

This is exactly where people start to panic. But don’t be one of those people! What I would firmly suggest is to bring all of your metrics back to baseline. Bring your calories to maintenance for the weight you are currently at, and just stick to trying to hold the new baseline weight.

The reason you run into these plateaus, where otherwise cutting additional calories ends up killing you more than anything, is primarily because your body is trying to adapt to the “new normal.” Or, for those scientific lovers out there, your body is looking for homeostasis.

You need to set that new homeostasis for yourself. So bring the calories back to a maintenance amount (this means calories burned = calories consumed). So now you can hold that new baseline or personal low for a period of time (1-4 weeks depending on the person’s aptitude). Then your body will naturally adapt to this new norm.

Once that new norm is established, then you will find much much much less resistance with losing more weight in the future! Remember, your body does not want to lose weight. We were designed as humans to store excess body fat when times were tough (like a bear if you will). However, nowadays we have constant access all day to food. Which makes that same survival mechanism a dangerous mechanism.

Alrighty, to bring this all back to the point here, embrace plateaus. Do not run from them, do not seek out that new and shiny diet, and please don’t give up. Plateaus are showings of exponential progress. Bring the calorie intake to a maintenance, and prep your body for the new normal. The healthy normal, striving towards better things!