The inability to lose those last few pounds is a frustrating development for many individuals attempting to achieve a healthy body weight. When a person loses a significant amount of weight, it is not uncommon to experience a plateau where it becomes increasingly difficult to shed additional pounds. There are legitimate causes as well as simple strategies that can solve the problem.
First the bad news. There is a genetic component that is subtly working against the dieter, and we cannot do much about genetics. From an evolutionary perspective our bodies are programmed to store fat in times of abundance for possible future use in times of famine. While this survival mechanism was critically important tens of thousands of years ago for our ancestors, most people today do not find lack of food the problem. Too much food is more often the issue!
When our body senses an unusual amount of weight loss or a significant reduction in calorie intake, it instinctively adopts measures to conserve energy. These measures typically involve a depressed resting metabolism and reduction in physical activity. The result is that we require fewer calories to meet our daily energy needs, and thus it becomes more difficult to lose weight.
Our Bodies Are Working Against Us
There is also a biological component that may unwittingly counter our efforts to achieve a desired target weight. Two hormones ― leptin and ghrelin ― are the primary culprits. Levels of leptin, produced by the fat cells, decrease when a person loses a significant amount of weight. A decrease in leptin levels is a signal to the brain that the individual needs to consume more calories ― so appetite increases.
Ghrelin, made in the stomach and intestine, works in an opposite way. Ghrelin levels increase when a person has not eaten for several hours, as when dieting. The increase in turn alerts the brain that it is time to refuel. Levels of ghrelin can also increase when a person loses a significant amount of weight in a relatively brief period. The body’s response to the increase in ghrelin is to conserve energy by slowing metabolism.
This situation is not something the dieter welcomes when struggling to lose the last few pounds.
Physiologists also theorize that humans have an internally programmed and predetermined level of fatness that the body strives to maintain. Referred to as our setpoint, it is the amount of fat that the body would carry naturally if we did not worry about losing or gaining weight. When overall level of fat dips below the setpoint, our body senses something is amiss and begins to make internal adjustments to resist further fat loss. Metabolism slows, so we require even fewer calories to maintain body weight.
To add insult to injury, as we lose weight the energy cost of moving a smaller body is reduced. We expend fewer calories now than we did then for the same amount of exercise. All the aforementioned factors play a role in making it increasingly difficult to lose those last few pounds.
All Hope is Not Lost
That said, never lose sight of the fact that losing (or gaining) weight is ultimately a function of calories in versus calories out. If body weight has stabilized, or plateaued, it is because at that point in time you are consuming roughly as many calories as you are expending daily. You are in a state of energy balance. To stimulate further weight loss, you must re-enter a state of negative calorie balance. In other words, you must consume fewer calories than required to fuel daily activities.
You can do so by maintaining your present calorie intake while increasing the number of calories burned daily through physical activity, by consuming fewer calories daily through simple dietary adjustments, or preferably a little of both. You can burn additional calories by lengthening workouts, by increasing the frequency and/or intensity of workouts, or by simply becoming more physically active. When possible walk instead of ride, take the stairs instead of the elevator, mow the lawn, work in the garden — simply find ways to burn additional calories.
If not already doing so I would consider adding a strength-training component to your exercise plan. Strength training two or three times a week can add muscle to your frame. Not only will the added muscle tissue improve overall body composition, but it will also require additional calories daily simply to maintain it. In short, the more muscle you have, the higher your resting metabolic rate. That means you are burning additional calories 60 minutes every hour, 24 hours every day — just by being alive!
Don’t Forget to Watch What You Eat
At the same time you can reduce calorie intake through minor modifications in diet without sacrificing the amount or variety of foods consumed. One of the simplest strategies is to limit intake of nutritionally empty liquid calories. Drink your coffee black (no sugar), replace sweetened tea with unsweetened tea, substitute a bottle of water for the sugar-laden soda — there are myriad possibilities to cut hundreds of calories daily with little or no effort.
You can also significantly reduce the caloric value of meals simply by cutting back on dietary fat. Bake, broil or steam rather than fry foods. Choose lower fat items such as 1 percent milk instead of 4 percent whole milk, ice milk instead of ice cream, low-fat salad dressings, etc.
Over time, the collective effect of these calorie-burning and calorie-cutting strategies will enable you to push past the plateau, lose those last few pounds and achieve your target weight.