Are you satisfied with the effectiveness of weight loss? Have you been exercising during exercise and relaxing during relaxation? If you have done all that and your weight is still in a plateau, then that’s the topic we are discussing today—what to do during a weight loss plateau? Hello everyone, I am a nutritionist Wang Yan, health is our greatest wealth, let’s manage it together.
When it comes to weight loss, it often involves different stages, just like a weight loss journey that everyone goes through. Some people progress quickly, while others progress slowly. In the initial stages of weight loss, the speed is usually faster due to dietary changes.
However, after the initial phase of rapid weight loss, the speed may slow down. Some people quickly achieve their goals and enter the weight maintenance phase. By maintaining good dietary habits, weight can be well maintained, so the weight maintenance phase is crucial.
We mentioned the failure rate of weight loss in the past. Conventional weight loss methods usually advocate for a 10% weight loss in three months, which is neither too fast nor too slow, neither too aggressive nor too conservative. After achieving the goal in three months, one can move towards their ultimate goal.
For individuals with a larger weight, it may take six months, nine months, or even longer. Just like myself, I lost 17 kilograms in six months and successfully reached my goal. The key is how long this goal can be maintained, which is the real key to success.
The maintenance rate at one year is not high, with only about 50% of people being able to maintain it, the rate drops lower at three years, with 70% of people regaining weight, and the rate is even more concerning at five years, where less than 5% of people succeed. This is the result of past weight loss methods based on calorie counting.
Now, let’s return to the Balanced Weight Loss Method. We do not emphasize calories, but it doesn’t mean we completely disregard them. Instead, through changes in dietary composition, dietary frequency, and lifestyle habits, we adjust hormones to achieve the goal of burning fat. However, factors such as genetics, lifestyle habits, method selection, or errors in execution may lead to weight loss failures in this process.
What’s more frustrating is that if you follow the Balanced Weight Loss Method for two consecutive weeks and your weight fluctuates but remains the same, you may have entered a plateau. Don’t be afraid at this point, carefully assess whether there are mistakes in your diet. The concept of the Balanced Weight Loss Method is straightforward—it’s about proportions.
However, for some people, even a quarter of starch may be too much, and three meals a day may also be excessive. Especially for those who were originally overweight with larger appetites. During the weight loss process, the body’s sense of satiety will be reset. Many people find that following my method of drinking water, then eating meat, then vegetables, makes them lose their appetite for rice.
If you still want to include rice and fruits in your diet, the total quantity might be too much, and you should naturally reduce your food intake. During a plateau, the first thing to check is whether your food intake is too high. If it’s still as much as it was in the initial weight loss phase, you should consider if the quantity is too much. Many times, the body has a “set point theory”—when the weight drops rapidly, the body unconsciously consumes food to regain weight.
To break this set point theory, you can consider the plateau period as a new beginning of the weight loss phase and more strictly control your total food intake. There are three major strategies to overcome a plateau.
First, review your food portions, and adjusting them may have a positive effect.
Second, review your lifestyle habits, including stress, sleep, and unconscious eating behaviors.
Third, adjust your dietary strategy, such as using intermittent fasting combined with adjustments to the Balanced Weight Loss Method, switching from three meals to two meals or adding meal replacements, or introducing the concept of the ketogenic diet to reduce starch intake.
Fasting may sound extreme, but we actually fast every day. A study by Harvard Medical School in the United States found that the time from finishing dinner to breakfast the next day is fasting. During fasting, blood sugar levels decrease, insulin levels decrease, and when they reach a certain level, glucagon starts to rise to begin breaking down liver glucose and fats.
If you’re at a weight plateau, it may be that hormones aren’t being effective. In such cases, you can lengthen the fasting period to decrease insulin and increase glucagon levels. For example, adjust your meal times by extending the fasting period from three meals a day to just one meal a day.
Exercise is also an important strategy to break a weight loss plateau. In the Balanced Weight Loss Method, the proportion of exercise is smaller than diet, but during a weight plateau, exercise should still be maintained. You can increase aerobic exercise time from 30 minutes to 45 minutes or even 50 minutes, but not exceeding an hour. This can increase oxygen intake, enhance metabolism, and overcome weight plateaus.
After listening to today’s content, I hope that when faced with a weight plateau, you won’t panic or give up. Instead, reflect on whether your methods are correct, starting with adjustments in lifestyle, portion, proportion, and frequency. If these methods are ineffective and you feel uncomfortable, seek help from a nutritionist.
In conclusion, remain steadfast, focus on diet, exercise, and rest, and you will surely achieve your goals. Insight into the world, safeguard your health, I am the nutritionist Wang Yan, see you in the next episode.
