How To Overcome A Weight Loss Plateau In 4 Simple Steps

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Plateaus are frustrating, disheartening and demotivating.  Although normal, it's important to know how to deal with them effectively and ensure your results moving forward in the right direction.  This article will show you how to overcome a weight loss plateau in 4 simple steps.

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Why Has My Weight Loss Plateaued?

Don't worry, you're not abnormal, nor are you necessarily doing anything wrong.  Hitting a  plateau when losing weight is perfectly normal and it happens to even the highest calibre of athletes.  You see, underneath we're all biologically the same.  What I mean is, whether you're an athlete trying to lose weight for a competition, or the average joe who sits at a desk all day, the same laws of thermodynamics apply.   

With this in mind, understand that your body will adjust to whatever method you've chosen to lose weight.  If you're using the Ketogenic method to lose weight, you'll plateau for the exact same reasons as somebody who's following IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros).  

The point is, weight loss plateaus are normal for every body but it's how you choose to deal with it is what will make or break your results.  Let's quickly look at the common scenario below:

You've worked hard all week and you've eaten all the right foods. You've lifted all the right weights, pushed through the pain and you've done every thing possible to lose weight.  You feel good and you're confident you'll see big progress this week.  After all, you've done every thing possible right? But it's downright heart breaking when you jump on those pesky scales only to see the same number staring back at you, especially when you're expecting them to go down.  

What do you do when this happens? What's your next plan of action? Let me show you.

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How To Overcome A Weight Loss Plateau In 4 Simple Steps

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Don't worry, there's much more to overcoming a weight loss plateau than simply eating less or trying to follow another stupid 'diet'.  
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Let's look at each step in detail and I'll show you exactly how to overcome your weight loss plateau. 

Step #1 - Figure Out Why You Plateaued In The First Place

I know this sounds so simple, but that's because it is.  So many people don't actually reflect on why they've plateaued in the first place.  More often than not, when you take the time to reflect on your week, you can figure it out quite easily.  The key here is that you're super honest with yourself.  No beating around the bush!  

• Did you eat a little more than normal this week?
• Did you skimp out on your last workout?
• Did you have an alcohol fuelled weekend?
• Are you emotionally eating?

The point is, keep digging and ask yourself why.  Once you find out, write it all down on a piece of paper and starting coming up a plan of action to how you're going to deal with it. Let's look at what to do next.

Step #2 - Decide What You Want To Change & If You're Ready To Change It

You might not be ready to change, and that's totally cool because we all go through change at our own pace.  If you're not sure what stage of change you're currently at, subscribe to my free weight loss course here (will open in new window) and complete Module 5.  

Start by writing a list things you're willing to change.  Remember to choose things you have full control of, such as behavioural goals.  Here are a few examples to get the ball rolling:

• "I'm prepared to change my food by preparing 3 x lunches this week"
• "I'm prepared to exercise for an extra 30 minutes per day this week"
• "I'm prepared to keep a food diary this week"
• "I'm prepared to plan a whole week's food menu for the next week"

Whatever you decide to change, make sure it's congruent with your goal, and nobody else's.  It must be something you have full control of.  For example, saying you'll try lose 1kg this week is a dead end goal because you cannot directly control how much weight you lose but you can control what goes in your mouth.  Once you've done this, let's move on to step 3.

Step #3 - Take Ownership

The moment you take ownership of your current situation is the moment you 'break through'.  The moment you stop blaming others is the moment you take one of the biggest steps forward.  Until you reach this point, it's going to be the same old story, the same old excuse, the same old cycle and guess what? The same old result.

One of the biggest 'wins' in a health and fitness journey is realising its up to you.  How do I know this? Because it used to be me. I used to blame other people for my problems and use other factors as excuses to why I had put on 15kg. 

You see, we all have a choice. We can choose to be reactive and choose to blame other things because that's the easy thing to do.  It gives us an 'outage' and makes us feel better by avoiding the truth.  Truth is, you can choose to take control of your self, your situation and make a commitment to take action no matter what the circumstance.

Hey, I've been there.  Being honest and taking ownership is painful but here's the thing:

Honesty = Ownership
Ownership = Progression
Progression = Results
Results = Motivation

See the snowball?  You're one decision away from overcoming your weight loss plateau.   Let's wrap this up with step number 4.

Step #4 - Move Forward On Your Plan Of Action

My favourite quote on the wall of my studio

Want to know the biggest secret to weight loss that nobody talks about?

It's taking action toward your plan.

That's it.  There's no magic formula to weight loss success.

In fact, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that right now, you probably know how to lose weight.  Hell, you might even know how to overcome your current plateau, but maybe you read this article hoping I had a magic formula or a special secret. 

Sorry, the only way to overcome a weight loss plateau is to take action on the above steps and what you wrote down from step two.  As my picture states, whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right.  If you think you can't get over your plateau, guess what? You won't.  Think the opposite and I promise you will.

Here's How To Take Action...

Now, instead of trying to completely overhaul your lifestyle, try focusing on changing one small thing at a time. This is more sustainable and creates long lasting results.  Overhauling will do one thing - overwhelm.

If you've built up poor habits over a period of 10-20 years, do you expect to completely change them all in 6-12 weeks? Highly unlikely.  Here's how I help my client's (and myself) move forward on their plan of action:

1. Select one habit per month that you're prepared to change (refer to step #2 above) - Changing one habit per month means you'll change 12 in a year. That's pretty powerful.
2. Write it ALL down - You'll need to specifically state what your goal is each day, when you'll do it and what your trigger will be.  Who will you be accountable to?
3. Post your goal publicly (Optional) - studies show those that post their goals publicly have a higher success rate than those who don't.
4. Report on your progress - my clients check in with me every day. Tell your friends, family and personal trainer daily how you're going (including those you shared your goal with).

Remember, changing habits takes time and hitting a plateau in your weight loss is completely normal, but it's how you deal with the set backs that matter most.

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What Now?

Put into action the things you've learnt and planned out from above.  

I don't want this to be just another article you read, waiting for the next one.  Do something right now that will help you overcome your weight loss plateau and before you know it, you'll instantly feel the changes on your body.  

​You'll be confident within yourself that what you're doing is right for you, you'll be working congruent to your values and you'll be rewarded with that mental freedom we all crave.  

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About The Author:

Aidan D'Arcy helps people lose fat for the last time.  Recently overcoming binge eating and losing 15kg, his goal is to help others take control of their health through science proven, habit based coaching.  Aidan is an established Personal Trainer, Fitness Model & Online Coach for D'Arcy Online Coaching based in Frenchs Forest, Sydney. He inspires, motivates and educates ​his clients resulting in outstanding transformations.