6 Reasons You Stopped Losing Weight (and how to fix it!) Blush & Pearls

Weight loss plateaus are very common and can be super frustrating when they stop your progress, causing many people to go as far as giving up on their weight loss journey.

But there are a lot of valid reasons that your weight loss has stalled and once you understand what’s going on, you can take steps to correct things going forward.

I also share a few tips on weighing yourself to help monitor your weight loss.

So let’s examine a few reasons why you have stopped losing weight so we can get back on our weight loss wagon, shall we?

1. You Are Retaining Lots Of Water

Women are programmed to retain fluid at varying levels based on their hormonal cycles. This means that the amount of water you are retaining at any given time can cause the number on the scale to fluctuate drastically.

To keep water retention in check, make sure you drink enough water! This may be counter-intuitive, but your body will actually retain more water when it’s dehydrated. I also expect to gain a pound or two when I’m on my monthly cycle. You can’t control it, so don’t fight it (and don’t bother weighing yourself during this time either!).

Water retention is also affected by the amount of salt you eat and can make it seem as if you stopped losing weight.

Down a bag of chips last night? Your scale will remind you of your guilty secret when you step on it a pound or two heavier. Try to keep your salt intake to a minimum where possible.

The amount of glycogen you have stored also dictates how much water you will retain.

Glycogen binds a lot of water (~3g water per 1g glycogen).

Sometimes when you first start losing weight, most of the weight loss is from lost water as you begin to eat less and your glycogen stores drop. This fast weight loss is quite common in low carb diets.

Over time as the amount you eat begins to stabilize again, so to do your glycogen stores and water bound to glycogen, which means less weight loss from water loss.

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2. More Muscle = More Weight?

Muscle takes up less room than fat, but muscle weighs more than fat. If you have started a strength training routine, it’s important to remember this concept, as it can contribute to why you stopped losing weight. I started lifting heavy weights at the end of 2015 to build muscle and burn more calories. I went about 2 months straight without losing a single pound on the scale.

But…I didn’t care because I lost noticeable inches from my chest, belly and hips. I was able to fit into jeans that were previously skin-tight. My back bulge had less…bulge. Why? I had gained muscle, which provided a smoke-screen for the amount of fat I had lost when weighing myself.

This is a common experience for people new to weight lifting referred to as “newbie gains.” Building muscle will add weight to your body, which can inflate the number on your scale. Don’t be deterred by this; muscle-building will change the shape of your body and burn more calories over time. So if the number on your scale is not moving down, focus instead on the size and shape of your body.

Measure yourself with a measuring tape and monitor your measurements regularly to determine your fat loss progress. In time, muscle will become harder to build and will not interfere with your weigh-in results as much.

3. A Legitimate Weight Loss Plateau

Sound familiar? You eat less, lose five pounds, and then get stuck at the same weight for the next couple weeks. What happened?

Well…to lose weight, you have to consistently maintain a caloric deficit (calories eaten < calories burned) and this formula constantly changes as your body weight changes. Dropping body weight is another of many unknown reasons why you have stopped losing weight.

As you lose weight, your body requires fewer calories to operate; this means you burn less calories as your weight drops.

You need to re-adjust how many calories you can eat to be in a caloric deficit as you continue to lose weight.

If you don’t reduce the amount you are eating to compensate for this change, you will stop losing weight. It sucks, I know, but don’t shoot the messenger!

Personally, I use a weight loss calculator to determine the amount of calories I need to lose weight. The calculator will set a calorie target for weight loss based on my weight, body fat percentage and activity level.

Many calorie tracking or fitness apps will also have a similar calculator built into them and can adjust your caloric needs as you adjust your weight within the app.

As your weight changes, remember to update your weight in the app or recalculate your calorie target to determine how many calories you need to cut to keep losing weight.

Don’t want to use a calorie calculator?

Just reduce your normal daily intake by a serving, or increase your daily activity to burn more calories instead.

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4. Are You Cheating On Me?

Personally, I find that after I lose a bit of weight, the unhealthy and high calorie snacks start to slowly make their way back into my diet. A little cheat here and there starts to add up and can cause your weight loss to stall and one of the reasons why you have stopped losing weight. The usual suspects for me are Nutella, chips and alcohol.

While cheat treats are inevitable for most people, be aware of how much and how often you are indulging in this type of eating. If you are incorporating a cheat snack every day, chances are it’s causing your weight loss progress to hit a wall.

Be mindful and keep cheat eating to a minimum. I find the best way to stay on top of what I eat and keep myself accountable is to keep a food journal.

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5. The Pipes are Backed Up

Constipation is no laughing matter. If you are having irregular bowel movements, this can show up in the number on the scale. Make sure to eat plenty of fibre-filled foods on a daily basis.

Fibre is a wonder food because it not only keeps your bowel movements regular but it also keeps you feeling full, which can help you eat less and aid in weight loss. I eat half a cup of Fiber One Crunchy Original cereal every day to keep my tummy full and my pipes empty. Also remember to drink lots of water whenever you eat high fibre foods, as fibre needs water to do it’s thing and clean out your bowels!

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6. Is It Hormonal?

Certain hormonal conditions, such as PCOS or hypothyroidism can really affect weight gain and weight loss and can be one of the reasons why you stopped losing weight and have hit a weight loss plateau. If you feel like you are doing everything right to lose weight, but are still struggling, talk to your doctor.

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How I Weight Myself To Monitor Weight Loss

I try to keep the above-mentioned weight loss factors in mind during my weekly weigh-in. I also try to weigh myself under the same conditions each week (usually Saturday morning, on an empty stomach after going to the washroom). This helps keep some of the factors above in check.

I use my weekly weigh-in as a checkpoint to my progress, but it doesn’t define my progress. I know how much I have accomplished just by how my clothes fit and the way my body has changed in shape over the last year.

Don’t let the scale define you.

I tend to eat a little more after I lose a chunk of weight and the scale acts as a reminder that I still have a ways to go and need to keep my eating within my calorie targets if I want to get my pre-pregnancy pants to fit (so close now!). Don’t get caught up in the numbers game. An increase in the number on the scale doesn’t always mean you gained a pound of fat. Focus on the long game and the results will come.

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