Help! I've Hit A Plateau!

Here’s what to do when your weight-loss results get stuck.

- Lizza Gebilagin

Since the day you began making positive lifestyle changes, your weekly weigh-ins have been an encouraging reflection of all the effort you’ve put in to nourish your body, move more and develop a positive mindset. 

Not only did you feel the great changes taking place, but you could see them as the number on the scales dropped. But then something happened: the numbers have stopped moving and they’ve been stuck for a few weeks now. You’ve hit a plateau.

But don’t give yourself a hard time, because many of us go through the exact same thing.

“You are always going to hit a plateau at some point, it’s just a matter of when,” explains accredited practising dietitian Melanie McGrice.

“You could be 80kg and lose the first five to 10kg quite easily, but then that’s where you might plateau. Many people find their plateau occurs around the five to 10 per cent mark.”

Dr Helena Popovic, an expert in applying brain science research to weight loss, adds that plateaus can occur to give the body a chance to naturally adapt to its new weight.

“A good analogy is this: You know when people climb mountains and the air becomes thinner? You’ll find you’ll start struggling for air, but if you stay at that altitude for a while your body will adjust,” Popovic says.

“It’s a similar thing with weight loss. Your body just needs time to adapt to the new state.”

Hitting a plateau isn’t a sign you should give up on your goal.