November 17, 2008

Why the Weight Loss Plateau?


This next guest post is by Jolene of Healthy Discoveries Blog. And today she's going to discuss six reasons you may not have thought of for hitting a Weight Loss Plateau.
1. You Are Dehydrated- Make sure you drink enough water each day to hydrate your body mass! Adequate hydration will help boost your metabolism. One way to make your cells more isotonic (absorb and eliminate water efficiently) is to drink some coconut water along with your daily water requirement.



2. You Are Eating Too Little Or Skipping Breakfast- Calorie restriction and portion control are important; but when taken too an extreme it can physiologically backfire. Dr. Diana Schwarzbein, Endocrinologist and author of The Schwarzbein Principle, cautions people who restrict carbohydrates under 20 grams per day. Very low carbohydrate levels along with skipping meals (especially breakfast) can raise adrenaline and cortisol. When these stress hormones are high the body becomes resistant to losing body fat. Along with elevated cortisol, irregular eating will slow down the metabolism.

3. You Are Not Eating Enough Of The Right Fats- Omega 3 fats are found in fish and flax seeds. Omega 6 fats are found in vegetable oils, Borage Oil, and Evening Primrose Oil. The typical American consumes a 20:1 ratio in favor of Omega 6 vegetable oils. Often an Omega 6 fat, such as soybean bean oil, is heated and turned into a trans-fat. Omega 6 oils are heated (hydrogenated) in order to fry food and preserve the shelf life of food. To improve weight loss, eliminate vegetable oils/trans-fats. Strive for a 1:1 ratio of healthy Omega 3 (fish oil, flax seeds) to a healthy Omega 6 (Borage Oil, Evening Primrose Oil).

4. You Are Intolerant To Certain Foods- Wheat gluten and dairy are the biggest offenders. If people avoid gluten and/or dairy products their water weight often disappears. Those stubborn 5-10 pounds are lost and they feel less bloated.

5. You Are Not Getting Enough Sleep- Sleep is one of the most important, yet overlooked factors, for weight loss and weight maintenance. Lack of sleep raises cortisol levels. High cortisol levels send a message to the body to store more fat around the middle. Also, when we continually miss out on deep, restful sleep the body is unable to maintain an adequate level of serotonin. Low levels of serotonin are connected to sugar cravings, carbohydrate cravings, and binge eating. Finally, the pituitary gland requires deep sleep in order to produce growth hormone. Growth hormone assists with muscle growth and fat loss.

6. Your Thyroid Gland Is Sluggish- The current TSH range is 0.3-3.0. If your TSH is higher than 3.0 you might have a hypothyroid. A hypothyroid may make weight loss more difficult.

27 comments:

  1. Thanks for all this good information. It's an area where I have a lot to learn. I still have some belief in a set point, and taking time to re-set it with a step down approach to large weight loss.

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  2. These are great...I've been plateued for well forever. Perhaps I've been ignoring some of these.
    Thanks!

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  3. Never would have thought of some of that. Great information - thanks!

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  4. I haven't been doing this whole weight-loss thing long enough to hit a plateau yet, but I really appreciate this information. Going to squirrel it away for future reference!

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  5. Great article, thanks!

    Apparently it takes a drop of only 2-3% water for our metabolism to slow down.

    I think we really underestimate the role of sleep. Eve Caulter at the National Sleep Institute calls a lack of sleep the 'royal route to obesity'. When we don’t get enough sleep prolatin continues into the day and it suppresses leptin which is the hormone that switches off our appetite for carbs. If this happens day in and day out, we build leptin resistence - our leptin receptors go dead from overload, so it’s as if you have none, it leaves your sweet tooth exposed.

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  6. I've been on a plateau for 8 months. Oh man. I just counted.

    I think one thing to think about, that has helped me tremendously, is that the goal is not necessarily the number, the the healthy journey towards that number.

    I am still losing sizes, so I know I'm toning up and adding muscle. Eventually, my body will catch on.

    This is GREAT information. Great topic. Thanks.

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  7. Great post! This is something that everyone has wrestled with sometime, and it's very frustrating!

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  8. This is good info. My problem right now is that I had a whole load of sugary goodness this weekend so now I'm craving sugar like nothing else. Sighs.

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  9. sadly I preach the hydrating and yet it's not my forte.

    at all.

    unless we can count my 20 oz of diet mt dew a day?
    yes??

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  10. Good ideas. There is nothing more frustrating than a plateau! Man, now I want to go take a nap;)

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  11. This was great information! I'm printing it off for reference later when I hit my plateau!

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  12. But what does coconut water taste like? Coconut? That seems too obvious...

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  13. Great List! Thank you for sharing it with everyone.

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  14. I'll need to check out the coconut water-- that's really interesting!

    Sleep is HUGE one for me. :)

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  15. Wonderful information. Thanks so much. I am going to try the occonut water and will push to get more sleep.

    Terrie

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  16. I can see the reasons relating to me on that list.
    Dammit.

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  17. Great advice we all should follow. The coconut water is an excellent all-natural sports drink. I found it works better than any commercial sports drink on the market.

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  18. Thanks for posting my article. Such a nice way to meet and discover new health and fitness bloggers!

    Cheers--Jolene

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  19. Gluten was my biggest hindrance to weight loss. Once I found out I was gluten intolerant and eliminated it from my diet, I instantly lost inches.

    I’m also hypothyroid and have insulin resistance. Unless I changed my diet and took proper supplements, all the exercise and conventional calorie restriction in the world didn’t help me.

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  20. This is all good info! Thank you!
    I have to say, lack of sleep is a killer on so many levels and yet one often overlooked factor. Sleep should not be optional... Right now, I would pay a lot of money for a full night's sleep... *huge sigh*

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  21. Really good info Jolene.

    I think that not getting enough sleep is a huge factor. I broke through a plateau once only by getting 2 extra hours sleep a day.

    (my daughter finally started sleeping in her own bed)

    I've also found that changing up my workouts shakes things up enough to breakthrough a plateau.

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  22. I love the support we give one another. Plateauing is inevitable and help is always welcome. I found a great tool that has helped lift my motivation by 200% Structure House's Weight Loss Clinic offered by Gerard Musante has one of the easier programs I have come across.

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  23. If you use a product such as Lactaid if you're lactose intolerant, as I am can you still lose weight? I love dairy products and many lo-cal snacks can be found in that category. Any thoughts?

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  24. Ah, water and sleep. Those are two things I did slack on these past 2 weeks (new puppy). Lost about 6 inches since December and stalled. Thanks!

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  25. Fish Oil is amazing, as you touched in the article it is all about the omega 3 that is in it!

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  26. I managed to break my last plateau by starting at the gym. Hopefully they will be able to help me through my next one too.

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