Three Ways to Deal with a Weight Loss Plateau

When trying to lose weight, staying motivated is one of the most important parts of success. So when the scale suddenly stops moving, it can be an incredibly frustrating time. If your weight loss has stalled in the past few weeks, here are three helpful hints to try to get the scale moving in the right direction again.

Write down everything that you’re eating

When our dieting choices start to become habit, it’s easy to slide in a few extra calories here and there. And while they aren’t much on their own, when you add the calories up over the course of the week, it could be enough to detriment your progress. On the other hand, you could be eating too few calories as well. Start writing down everything you eat and drink with specific portion sizes, either with a hand-written food journal or tracking application such as My Fitness Pal, and make a plan for how you can improve your nutrition intake.

Try a new exercise routine

Are you a regular on the elliptical machine at the gym? Spice up your workout by taking a Zumba or kickboxing class. De-stress with a yoga session. Incorporate strength training exercises. Go for a walk around your town instead of using a treadmill. By spicing up your usual exercise routine, you can banish workout boredom and jumpstart your weight loss.

Talk about it

Having a workout buddy or joining a weight-loss forum to talk to when you’re struggling means getting advice from other people who’ve hit similar weight loss plateaus. You’re likely to get a plethora of ideas and inspiration to get you over this bump in the dieting road.

Bonus Tip: Don’t forget to measure your loss in other ways

Just because the scale isn’t moving right now doesn’t mean your diet isn’t paying off. Have you lost inches? Can you fit into an old pair of jeans that were too tight to close last month? Celebrate those milestones as well – you’ve worked hard to get them!

Lose weight at Penn Medicine

Learn about medical weight loss in Philadelphia, and the Penn Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Program at a free information session about weight-loss surgery in Philadelphia.

There, you will hear about your weight-loss surgery options, and how Penn can help you lose weight and get healthy for good.