5 Tips for Breaking a Weight Loss Plateau
Losing weight — and keeping it off — is rarely a straight path. It’s a process filled with ups, downs, and unexpected pauses. One of the most discouraging moments can be hitting a plateau — that point where your progress seems to freeze, even though you're putting in the work.
The reassuring part? Plateaus are completely normal and usually short-lived. Often, all it takes is a moment to pause, reevaluate your current habits, make small strategic changes, and refocus on your long-term goals.
It's easy to react emotionally when the scale stops moving — but approaching it with patience, honesty, and self-compassion makes a real difference.
Here are five research-backed strategies to help you push past a weight loss plateau and get moving in the right direction again.
1. Adjust Your Calorie Needs
As your weight goes down, your body doesn’t need as many calories to function as it once did. If your food intake hasn’t changed since you started, you might no longer be in a calorie deficit — which can stall your progress.
Keeping track of what you eat can help reveal sneaky calories or portion sizes that have slowly increased over time. Apps like MyFitnessPal or Cronometer are helpful tools, but if tracking feels overwhelming, a simple food journal works just as well. The goal is to build awareness and regain clarity about your intake.
2. Switch Up Your Workouts
Your body adapts to repetitive exercise over time, which can reduce the number of calories burned during workouts. The common denominator to all activity, however, is movement = life. To reignite your metabolism:
Incorporate brisk walking into your daily routine. This is especially important if you have a sedentary job (such as office-based).
Add strength training to build muscle, which increases resting metabolic rate and offers so many other benefits.
Try new activities like swimming, cycling, or yoga to challenge different muscle groups (Swift et al., 2018).
Keep things exciting and enjoyable so that these are sustainable.
3. Watch Out for Sneaky Liquid Calories
It’s easy to overlook how many calories you're sipping throughout the day. Sweetened drinks, alcohol, and even some smoothies can quietly stall progress if you're not paying attention.
Instead, try sticking to water, unsweetened tea, or plain coffee. If you enjoy alcoholic beverages, save them for special occasions and keep the portions light. And when it comes to cocktails or mocktails, keep an eye out for added sugars in mixers — they can add up fast.
4. Protein and fiber: Key nutrients to keep you full and support weight management
Protein helps maintain muscle mass while you're cutting back on calories.
Fiber slows digestion and helps regulate blood sugar, which can curb cravings and reduce overall hunger.
Incorporate foods like lean cuts of meat, legumes, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables into your daily meals (Slavin & Lloyd, 2012).
5. Prioritize Stress Relief and Restful Sleep
Ongoing stress and insufficient sleep can interfere with the hormones that influence appetite and metabolism:
High cortisol levels caused by stress may trigger cravings for sugary and high-fat foods.
Lack of sleep impacts ghrelin (which stimulates hunger) and leptin (which signals fullness), making it more difficult to manage food intake.
Try adding calming practices like mindfulness, deep breathing, or journaling to your daily habits, and strive for 7 to 9 hours of restorative sleep each night (Patterson et al., 2015).
Knowing When to Get Expert
Motivation to Keep Moving Forward
Plateaus are a normal part of any weight loss journey—they’re not a sign of failure. Instead, see them as a chance to reflect on your habits and refine your approach. Celebrate progress beyond the scale, such as having more energy, sleeping better, or feeling stronger. With steady effort and a few small changes, you’ll be back on track before you know it.
References
Hall, K.D., Sacks, G., Chandramohan, D., Chow, C.C., Wang, Y.C., Gortmaker S.L., & Swinburn B.A. (2011). Quantification of the effect of energy imbalance on bodyweight. The Lancet, 378(9793), 826–837. https://doi.org/10.1016/S01406736(11)60812X
Hu F.B., Malik V.S., & Willett W.C. (2014). Sugarsweetened beverages and risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes: Epidemiologic evidence. Physiology & Behavior, 100(1), 47–54.
Slavin J.L., & Lloyd B. (2012). Health benefits of fruits and vegetables: Fiber and phytonutrients in prevention of chronic diseases. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 52(9), 788–802.
Swift D.L., Johannsen N.M., Lavie C.J., Earnest C.P., & Church T.S. (2018). The role of exercise and physical activity in weight loss and maintenance. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, 61(2), 206–213.
Patterson R.E., Laughlin G.A., LaCroix A.Z., Hartman S.J., Natarajan L., Senger C.M., ... Villaseñor A. (2015). Intermittent fasting and human metabolic health. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 115(8), 1203–1212.