Remember, your body treats a weight you've been at for a while as a 'set point', the weight it needs to live.
When you lose weight, esp fast, your body sees it as a threat, and it triggers a survival mode. That's often when you plateau. Your body slows down to see if you're in danger of starving. Once it knows you're getting enough food, it lets the weight loss continue.
Here's a quick list that might help, but everyone's giving good advice already!
* Recheck your calories. Recalculate for your current weight, and you may need to adjust.
* Add or change workouts. If your workouts are the same, your body's adapted. Add intensity, walk farther, or switch it up. Strength training helps because muscle burns calories at rest.
* Focus on protein and fiber. Protein keeps muscle and keeps you full, and fiber helps with digestion. Both help with plateaus.
* Take a break. Eating at maintenance for a few days or a week can reset things. It shows your body you're not starving, and makes it easier to lose again. (Someone mentioned this!)
* Watch for hidden calories. Sauces, bites, and drinks add up. Avoid sodas - liquid calories add up fast. Diet soda helps when I crave soda.
* Sleep and stress matter. High stress or poor sleep slows fat loss. Your body holds on to weight when stressed.
Think of your body like a caveman. Food wasn't certain, so when weight dropped fast, the body panicked, 'Are we starving? Is there a famine?' It slows things down to keep you alive. That’s what happens during a plateau. Your body doesn’t know you’ve got a fridge, it just sees the weight loss and tries to protect you.
Congrats on your journey! You've got this!
