“I started a new diet. More like a lifestyle change because I think I can stick with it. I was doing great and losing lots of weight but now I’ve stopped losing and I can’t seem to get started again. What’s happening?”
Plateaus happen for many reasons.
We fail to continue to challenge our bodies to do more (or more intense) exercise. (Literally spinning our wheels.)
Our metabolism adjusts to a lower calorie intake and learns to make due on a decreased caloric intake. (Run more efficiently on less food.)
We reach what has been our set-point weight for years and our bodies resist the weight loss.
We reach a healthy weight for our body and going any lower would be unhealthy.
The list goes on and on.
What we should probably do here is take a look at the diet lifecycle.
When we start a new diet, we are very conscientious and eat what, when and how we should according to the diet. Within a few weeks, a few days for some, we get comfortable on the diet and start to stretch the parameters a bit with a bite of this or a nibble of that. After all, a little bit won’t hurt, right? A little bit will hurt if you’re doing it every day. Eventually the diet degrades and dissolves and we find ourselves back at our old eating habits.
If that isn’t your case, let me ask a few questions:
Did this new diet require exercise?
Have you been exercising regularly?
Are you exercising in a lackadaisical manner or are you increasing the resistance/intensity every time you exercise?
A good diet is great but it isn’t a lifestyle change unless it involves regular physical conditioning.
My suggestion to you is to take a close look at your exercise program. If you are doing the same exercise every day (or every other day) and never pushing yourself any further then that is likely the root of your problem.
If you keep on doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep on getting what you’ve always got.