The plateau phase in the weight loss period

Anyone trying to lose weight sooner or later faces this problem. At first everything goes well, but after a while the pace of weight loss slows down. Then one day the scale gets stuck at a certain weight. This is called the plateau phase.

What to do in this situation?

To begin with, it is important to understand what is the reason for the plateau phase during weight loss, and then we will talk about how to combat it.

Insulin and the plateau phase

One of the main reasons that block weight loss is the hormone called insulin.

• First, insulin prevents fat burning
• Secondly, it contributes to the accumulation of fat

It would be wonderful if a certain amount of insulin had a stable effect on our body. If the insulin level decreases, the weight also decreases. It would be an ideal scenario!

But the problem is that the more weight you lose, the less fat remains and therefore less insulin is needed to stop burning fat. This process is called changing tissue sensitivity to insulin.

Tissue sensitivity to insulin depends on the amount of fat in the body. The more fat you have, the lower your insulin sensitivity. The less fat you have, the higher your insulin sensitivity.

What does this mean for you?

First, the closer you get to your weight loss goal, the harder it will be to burn fat. If at the beginning of the diet you can allow yourself to eat a banana, or even something sweet, and the weight still decreases, towards the end of the diet this already stops working.

This means that the insulin produced now is sufficient to slow down the lipolysis process.

Adipose tissue in our body is heterogeneous. As I mentioned in one of the previous articles, there are numerous receptors on the surface of fat cells. Some receptors are responsible for the breakdown of fats (lipolysis), others for their accumulation (lipogenesis).

Over time, insulin sensitivity increases, which hinders the weight loss process. But sensitivity to catecholamines, which help speed up the weight loss process, will decrease.

These factors slow down the weight loss process. You will eventually reach what is called the plateau phase in your weight loss period. What do you need to know about it? Here’s what.

1. Every week you will lose weight slowly and slowly, it is something natural and normal. This doesn’t mean the diet isn’t working anymore or that you’re doing something wrong.
2. The disappearance of problem areas in the last row is something normal.
3. Never use all weight loss methods at the same time. You will quickly lose the first kilograms, but after that the weight will stop at the same level. This happens because the sensitivity of the receptors decreases. The slower you reduce calories in your diet, the more weight you will lose in one step.
4. Each body loses weight individually. However, when you have already used all the methods and at some point the weight is still stuck at the same figure, you need to take a break. You can consciously increase your calorie intake a little and gain a little weight. Consider this a phase of your program. This will increase the sensitivity of the receptors. You can increase your calorie intake for a period of two weeks, after which you will return to your plan.

How to get out of the plateau phase?

If you have done everything right so far and have been losing weight steadily, there are two ways to overcome the plateau phase:

1. 1. 1. 1. Add something new to your weight loss program, such as starting cardio activity or replacing it with circuit training.
         2. Reduce your daily calorie intake or create a more balanced diet.

         But what do you do if you did something wrong from the start? Let’s look at two common scenarios.

         What are the causes of the premature onset of the plateau phase during the weight loss period?

         Before: Let’s say you chose a crash diet, where calories are reduced to 1000 per day. There will be a sudden increase in the number of hormones with the ability to burn fat.

         The body will react to this with rapid desensitization of the receptors. And usually, after ten days of such a diet, the plateau phase appears.

         In this case it is necessary to immediately switch to a correct diet, with a calorie deficit of no more than 10-15%. Yes, it may be that the daily amount of food can easily increase compared to the previous one. But, at the same time, the plateau phase will be postponed and you will start to lose weight again. And of course you have to wait. To avoid this, avoid crash diets.

         Second: You switched to a proper diet, reduced your daily calorie intake, immediately started strength training, cardio and… you entered the plateau phase.

         Hormones with fat burning ability are different:

         • when we are hungry: glucagon;
         • when we sleep – somatotropin (growth hormone);
         • when we are stressed – adrenaline;
         • when we train intensely: cortisol.

         When you suddenly change everything: diet, physical activity and lifestyle, you will bombard the receptors with a flood of various hormones with the ability to burn fat.

         To get out of the plateau phase in such a situation, it is necessary, just as in the case of rapid diets, to switch to a correct diet with a calorie deficit that does not exceed 10-15%, reduce physical efforts and rest more to recover. And of course wait.

         To avoid such situations, do not change everything in one day. Start by changing your diet and only then start training.

         So, as you noticed, in all cases it will be necessary to wait, wait for the receivers to regain their sensitivity. This way you will be able to overcome the plateau phase and continue losing weight successfully.