How to Break a Plateau in Weight Loss

Among the most common questions you'll face during your weight loss program are: how to break a plateau? You're probably wondering, "Is it possible to lose weight without hitting a plateau?" Here are some tips on how to break through a weight loss plateau: Improve your sleep, change your focus, eat protein, and keep your hunger at bay. Follow these tips and you'll be well on your way to reaching your goal.

Improving sleep duration and quality helps break through a weight loss plateau

Poor quality sleep has long been associated with obesity and metabolic disorders. Insufficient sleep increases your appetite and impairs your insulin sensitivity. It also undermines your efforts to maintain weight loss after dieting. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen presented their findings at the European Congress on Obesity, which will take place in Maastricht, Netherlands, in 2022. One of the researchers was Dr. Signe Torekov, professor of clinical translation metabolism at the University of Copenhagen.

Lack of sleep affects weight loss efforts and can lead to a weight loss plateau. Improving sleep duration and quality can help break through a plateau. Try to get at least seven to eight hours of sleep each night. If you can't get that much sleep, take a walk in the daylight. But the more active you are, the better. For example, 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week can increase your metabolism and decrease your level of daytime sleepiness.

Eating protein helps break through a weight loss plateau

Eating protein at each meal increases your metabolism and will help you burn more calories for hours. Additionally, protein will help prevent muscle loss, which can slow down the weight loss process. You can eat a higher protein diet to help you feel full and burn more calories, but the amount depends on your goals and body type. Check out the minimum daily protein target chart to see how much protein you should eat each day.

If you're having trouble losing weight, try spot measuring your protein. You can spot measure protein at several meals each day or just every meal for a couple of days. If you notice that your protein intake is too high or too low, you should increase your protein consumption. You may also notice that you tend to snack throughout the day. Eating too little protein may lead to hunger pangs throughout the day.

Keeping hunger at bay

Keeping hunger at bay is an essential aspect of a healthy eating plan. The key to weight loss is to keep your mind off food, even if you don't feel like you're hungry. It's also important to drink enough water to avoid false hunger. Other drinks, like water, have zero calories and no sugar. Alcohol, on the other hand, is filled with empty calories. Keeping hunger at bay is important for weight loss, because it keeps you from eating more than you need.

Crash diets will not work to break a plateau in weight loss. Instead, eat smaller meals more often and increase your metabolism. Eating more frequently does not mean eating more, but instead means eating four to five small meals throughout the day. Try to aim for between 1,200 and 1,500 calories per day. During a weight loss plateau, eating more frequently may seem counterproductive but it's the most effective way to break through it.

Changing your focus

One of the most frustrating aspects of losing weight is hitting a weight loss plateau. Weight fluctuates on a daily basis - sometimes up to five pounds in a single day - but when the fluctuation is prolonged, it can cause a complete stall in your weight loss efforts. In some cases, you may even find yourself on a plateau for several months. To break this plateau, change your focus and look at your daily eating habits differently.

You might be hitting a weight loss plateau because your metabolism isn't burning as many calories as before. If you've hit a plateau and aren't seeing any new weight loss progress, your current diet and exercise plan isn't working. To break through this plateau, try adjusting your goal and focusing on other strategies that can boost your motivation. A change of focus may be all you need to break your plateau and continue losing weight.