Since 1992
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By Lanell Beckles
The journey to a healthy body composition is filled with peaks and valleys, and sometimes, flat terrain. The highs of seeing the scale decrease, the clothes fitting better, and the increase in energy can feel like smooth sailing.
When the scale indicates weight gain, there is enough data for us to make necessary adjustments to reverse the trend. But what happens when the scale doesn’t budge for an extended period of time? What’s the next step?
The body loves to be in homeostasis, or a state of equilibrium. Fat loss is minimized as the body wants to maintain weight for our survival, also known as the metabolic set point. When you disturb this set point, the body will do whatever it takes to get back to where it was functioning optimally. A sign that your metabolic set point is disrupted is an increase in hunger signals.
When fat loss stalls, most people tend to increase exercise and decrease caloric intake. This approach may not work for everyone When the scale doesn’t budge, many people think they’re not working hard enough and they’re eating too much. This may actually be the opposite in many cases.
Don’t opt to decrease calories unless you are consulting with a qualified professional. If you’re exercising and eating right and still not losing weight, you may have metabolic and hormonal issues that need to be addressed.
Here are three (non-obvious) ways to restart fat loss when the scale doesn’t budge.
1. SLEEP MORE. In a world of chronically sleep-deprived people, sleeping more is a simple answer. Being sleep deprived will increase your hunger signals, thus causing you to consume more calories mindlessly. If these calories were of the healthier variety, everything would be fine, but these calories usually take on the form of processed foods, sweets, and salty snacks. By sleeping more, your body regulates your hunger, as well as lowers cortisol (a stress hormone), and gives you a clear head to make better decisions
2. PROMOTE BETTER GUT HEALTH. All foods do not work for all people. Thus eating what everyone else is eating may not be sound advice for you. Instead, try a month of clean eating to reset the gut. The most popular one is the Whole30 diet, which is based on eating more quality meats and vegetables, and less processed foods. Along with some simple supplements to help rebuild the gut (glutamine, curcumin, and cod liver oil), you should feel a dramatic difference in 21 days.
3. INCREASE MUSCLE MASS. Fat is metabolically inactive, which means it doesn’t require many calories to survive. Muscle, in contrast, is metabolically active and requires energy to be maintained. When muscle mass is increased and caloric intake is maintained, fat loss should resume again, if all your other health markers are reasonable.
Assuming you are eating a relatively clean diet full of vegetables, quality meats, and good carbs, these three tips should jumpstart your fat loss journey. The body wants to function optimally and you can help it by eating clean and maintaining an active lifestyle.
Lanell Beckles is a certified strength and lifestyle coach. Along with helping people and athletes function optimally through performance training, he also educates and guides people in revamping their metabolism through lifestyle choices to be the best version of themselves.
