Weight is standing still, what should I do? Why does the weight stand still when losing weight?

You are thoroughly prepared and decided to lose weight as correctly as possible. Developed for themselves a power system, planned physical exercises and even started a diary of fixing the results. But then the euphoria passed from the first dropped kilograms, and the process stopped. Weight is standing still, what should I do? The first thought is to tighten the diet, but do not rush, it's a dead end. As a result, you will still lose weight, and the kilograms will return with a gain. In this case, you need to wait a bit. But a few weeks pass, and the arrow of the scales still does not move, the weight stands still. What to do in this case, we will decide together.

Plateau effect

This is the name of this unpleasant phenomenon. Every nutritionist knows that there comes a time when the weight is standing still. What to do? First of all, do not panic. If you do everything right, then the period of calm will pass, and the kilograms will begin to melt again. The main cause of this phenomenon is the slowing down of metabolism. Sometimes it happens in the first week, and sometimes after a few weeks or even months. And all because, trying to get results faster, you try to eat as little as possible, in response, the body reduces not the weight, but the energy expenditure. As a result , the metabolism slows down, and the weight stands still. What to do? Do not eat as little as possible, you need to eat right and eat healthy foods.

Let's look at the process of losing weight soberly

Focusing on weight loss, we try to subordinate all the processes to one rule - every day the scales should show at least a little less. In order to see at least a short-term result, a person refuses liquids, avoids large meals, even if they are vegetables, low-calorie and very useful food. And in parallel he also sits in the sauna, drinking diuretics and laxatives. It should be noted that the depletion of the body will come very quickly, and then the positive dynamics will stop. Disappointment, breakdown, weight gain - this is the cycle that many pass. At best, a person will turn to a specialist and ask what to do if the weight is in place. The reasons that the doctor will voice, we will list a little later.

Our body is a complex system

Every second in the body there is a huge number of biochemical processes, each of which requires "fuel", energy. Breathing, contracting the heart, maintaining muscle tone and body temperature, dividing cells - all this requires a constant flow of resources. The organism can receive energy from two sources - external (food) and internal (fat reserves). Theoretically, if you reduce food intake, the body must begin to empty its pantries. But here there is a very important psychological component. If you perceive the process of losing weight as violence against yourself, and every day like torture, then the alarmed organism will protect stocks by any methods, the very first of which is the reduction of energy expenditure. That this does not happen, you need a good psychological attitude. You are not on a diet, just changing your lifestyle. You do not deprive the unfortunate organism of the last chocolate, but change it to a full and useful breakfast or dinner.

Cases from life

Clearly you will show why the weight stands still when losing weight. Imagine a man who for a long time did not want to notice the accumulating fat. At one point he "woke up" and resolutely set to work. And the most radical way, with the help of a hunger strike. At first the weight decreased rapidly, about 3 kg a week, and then stopped. There was a strong weakness, and a normal person can feel now, only lying in bed. The last week of fasting - and the result is minus 400 g. And of them fat is only 150 g, the rest is the most important protein, that is, liver, muscle, blood cells.

Let's do some simple calculations. For a week, 150 grams of fat are thrown away, this is only about 1500 kcal. That is, a day left only about 200 kcal. Normally, our body simply spends about 1700 calories per day just to maintain all processes without taking into account external physical activity. That is, the metabolism slowed down tenfold.

Refusal to lose weight

After the described stress, a person can decide to give up the idea of losing weight and start eating as before. But the metabolism will turn on in full force not yet soon, which means that normal nutrition will serve as a source of new extra pounds. Thus it is necessary to consider, that any violence on itself an organism remembers for a long time. If you after some time try again to enter a rigid power-limiting mode, then the metabolism will slow down even faster, and it will take even longer to recover when you return to normal diet.

The reasons why the weight is in place

The first and most important reason is the decrease in caloric intake. The fewer calories there are, the more likely that their consumption will also decrease. But there is one nuance: with a moderate, comfortable decrease in the caloric content of the diet, the rate of metabolic processes, on the contrary, increases. There is no overeating, so there will be no sleepiness. The easier the dinner, the better the dream, and the next morning you will be full of strength and energy. This is the most frequent answer to the question of why sometimes on a diet the weight stands still. In this case, a smooth and gradual decrease in the caloric content of the diet, on the contrary, leads to an increase in the activity of hormones that have a fat-splitting effect.

The second reason, surprisingly, is a violation of the ratio of fats and carbohydrates. If carbohydrates are small (and the energy from them is the easiest to obtain), then the economy mode is activated. Therefore, slow carbohydrates (porridges) should always be in the diet. In general, this rule refers to the lack of any important element, be it amino acids, vitamins, minerals or omega-3. Therefore, it is very important that the diet is balanced.

Finally, the last reason is too serious physical activity. The man limits the diet and begins to train hard, but a week later he noticed that he practically did not lose weight. But intense physical exercises do not increase the splitting of fat, but more often vice versa. They spend energy, which the body draws from carbohydrates, it is impossible to break down the fat so quickly.

How not to fall into the trap

First of all, you do not need to focus on reducing weight. Often happens, that volumes leave, and the weight costs on a place. This indicates a loss of fluid, which is quickly compensated. You need to develop a clear strategy that will not be too complicated or difficult, and stick to it. Do not resort to diets, the process of losing weight should not be reduced to weekly self-torture. Well and in plenty sleep. Properly eat, the diet should have enough protein and complex carbohydrates. It's just a matter of sweet and fat. Do not tire yourself with heavy workouts, ordinary walking is quite an option.

If you have already encountered a plateau effect

Do not try to set yourself a regime that is even more severe than it was. As you can see, this path does not lead to good results. After a couple of weeks, the "tightening of the nuts" will stop working, and the weight will stop again. And after returning to the usual diet, you will very quickly dial the dropped weight again. Try to retreat a few steps back. Add to the diet a small list of products, review the food system. You need to make it as comfortable as possible, because this is not a diet, but a new way of life. Assign yourself time to walk, at least a few stops after work, sleep well, and soon you will see how the weight slowly but surely begins to decline.