Scale Won’t Budge? Why Weight Loss Stalls Happen (And What To Do About It)
This is for you if this sounds familiar: You started strong doing all the things - food was on point, you were drinking your water, getting your steps in, the scale was moving, you were feeling pretty dang good…
Then all of a sudden it’s like you hit a brick wall and now that scale just won’t budge no matter what you do <argh!!>.
It's soooo frustrating when you inevitably hit that weight loss stall.
If you're questioning everything you're doing, trying to figure out just where you went wrong - why it stopped working - take a deep breath. That feeling is totally normal. Weight loss stalls can be one of the most disheartening parts of the weight loss journey.
This is such an important topic because stalls have the potential to throw you completely off track if you let it. But the fact is, weight loss stalls are gonna happen. As frustrating as it can feel it's just part of the process AND it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing anything wrong!
So expect that it WILL happen at some point and maybe at multiple points along the way.
As much as we’d like it to be, weight loss is not linear, much like when you put on the weight it's totally normal for it to come off in spurts too. Oftentimes, it's just your body adjusting either to the changes you’ve been making or to a recent weight loss.
Sometimes your body just needs a minute to figure out what's going on - to recalibrate.
Your body doesn’t see your body fat the same way you do - to your body that body fat is like gold - its stored energy! Historically our ability to store fat on our body was a very important part of our survival. It came in really handy during times when food is scarce. It's like your emergency supply - your body doesn’t necessarily want to give that up unless it feels safe to do so.
Before we get too far into this - let's talk about what a stall actually is or rather what its not. It's not just a few days or even a week of the scale not moving. Most experts define a true weight loss stall as 4-6 weeks with no movement on the scale or the tape measure - this is an important distinction to remember because you can lose inches without losing scale weight.
A different way to look at these stalls is that you are actually practicing maintenance and this is a good thing. Believe me, I get that you want that number to keep going down steadily, but it's also a really good thing when your body can maintain a steady weight - meaning not gaining - especially if you’re able to do so without hunger or increased cravings.
Ok, but let's say it's been more than 6 weeks and the scale is still stuck - what now?
If it has been several weeks and you think it's time to start to investigate further, here are some things you might look at - but I do caution you not to just automatically jump to this conclusion, as I said these periods of weight stability are a natural part of the process and doesn't mean that you’re doing anything wrong.
When the scale stops moving our natural tendency is to diet harder, restrict more or maybe even spend more time in the gym but that's usually not necessary at all and can just make losing weight more of a struggle. Here are some areas that you can look at:
Stress: How is your stress level? Has it changed recently? This can be physical or emotional stress. Even things that we don’t outwardly see as stress, may be interpreted as stress in your body - like stressing over the number on the scale (wink).
Sleep: How is your sleep? Are you getting enough hours? How is your sleep quality? Has anything changed in this area - bed time? Wake time?
Alcohol: Because alcohol is a toxin in the body, your body will process any alcohol first, this means your body will deal with that before fat burning. Alcohol can also be a source of empty calories. I’m not saying you can never have a drink, but if your weight loss has stalled this is definitely an area to look at - especially if you’re drinking on a regular basis.
Eating Too Little: This one is more common than you might think. If you eat too little, over time your body will adapt to that - it's part of your survival mechanism. If your body feels like food is scarce and it needs to start conserving energy (just in case) it will turn down your resting metabolic rate to do so. It does this to conserve energy for those systems that are important for your survival - like keeping your heart beating, your lungs breathing and your blood pumping etc. When this happens that's usually when you start to feel more hunger, cravings kick in and yes, weight loss stalls.
Chronic Cardio: Are you doing too much cardio? Has your workout routine changed at all?
Too Much Dairy, Nuts or “Clean Treats”: These things can really increase the calories more than we realize. Has that small handful of nuts morphed into a bigger handful of nuts? (wink)
Too Many “Products”: Are you relying more on packaged products (even “clean” ones) over real whole foods?
You’re Adding Muscle: If you’re strength training and relying on the scale to measure your progress, you may be losing fat, but gaining muscle - the number on the scale won’t necessarily reflect that change in body composition. Additionally when you’re strength training your muscles tissue will retain more water as it breaks down and repairs.
Now that we’ve gone over some of the things to look for you might be thinking ok but what can I do??
First Look At The Data. I’m not a big fan of tracking as I find that it's not something that most of us want to do over the long term. However it can be helpful to track for just a few days or even a week to see exactly how much you’re consuming. Are you eating more or more often than you thought? Are you eating only when you’re actually hungry or has snacking and grazing crept back in? Stopping when satisfied? A food/mood journal can come in handy here as a way to check in.
Track Non-Scale Victories. Sometimes it's good to get out of weight loss mode for a bit - it really can be a stressor on your body and your mind. It can be helpful to take a break from weight loss for a few days/weeks. Now that doesn’t mean going off the rails - but what I mean is focusing on your non-scale victories instead of the number on the scale - focus on the health benefits rather than the weight loss.
Focus On Habit Goals. Another way to take the focus off weight loss and still stay on track is to work on some habit goals. This is also something that's great to practice for when you reach your goal weight and want to maintain it - so you might as well start practicing it now.
It's simply just creating a new habit - say you really want to focus on getting to bed by 10 or drinking more water throughout the day. Putting your energy into making that happen can give you something to focus on rather than just the number on the scale.
Use a habit tracker and feel proud of yourself for being able to check off that box or closing that loop each day. It can be really rewarding to see evidence of the progress you’re making add up.
Refocus On Your Why. This is one of those times that's really handy to revisit your why. Why you started this process in the first place - what you’re working towards and why that's important to you. Stalls can feel discouraging, but remembering what you’re really striving for and why it's important to you can help you to just hunker down and keep moving forward.
So, the next time that stubborn scale refuses to budge, remember you're not alone, and it doesn't mean you've failed. It's a natural part of the journey. The key is to understand what might be happening beneath the surface and not let it completely throw you off track.
If you're looking for a supportive space, a place where you can ask questions, share your experiences, and get encouragement as you work through your weight loss journey (stalls and all!), come join our free Facebook group, Weight Loss Unstuck.
Inside, you'll find a community of like-minded individuals, additional tips and insights, and a place where we celebrate all victories – on and off the scale. Click here to join the Weight Loss Unstuck community.