Stopped Losing Weight? Don't Blame Genes; It's Your Diet

Stopped Losing Weight? Don’t Blame Genes; It’s Your Diet

By Lorra Garrick | Last updated 05/23

Reviewed by Prajakta Apte, RDN

Don’t chalk your stalled weight loss up to body type or genes.

There are several dietary reasons why the scale is now stuck at that still-too-big number.

When I was a personal trainer at a gym some years ago, I frequently counseled clients on nutrition and the reasons for weight loss stalls.

Not Eating Enough

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Significant calorie restriction may at first result in weight loss, making clothes fit looser, but the body doesn’t take long to start “panicking” and go into the so-called starvation response.

Stored body fat becomes harder to lose, to protect the body from what it “thinks” is a severe food shortage. We are hardwired for this response.

So why doesn’t it work in underdeveloped nations where multitudes of people starve to death or in developed countries where anorexia nervosa seems to be on the rise?

The severity of the typical dieter’s calorie shortage isn’t extreme enough to cause blatant wasting away of muscle and bone and impair organ function.

For some people, calorie restriction in the dieting range, rather than underdeveloped-country or anorexia nervosa range, may result in the weight loss eventually stopping.

Long Periods Between Eating

Long periods between eating can dip a person’s energy level and result in subdued physical activity: a smaller calorie expenditure. It may also slow metabolism.

Eating every three hours can spike energy levels in those who feel fatigued.

Unknowingly Adding More Food

You’ve lost sight of what you’ve been eating, and the diet has now increased in calories, causing you to stop losing weight.

Re-examine your portions including how much dressing or sauce you’ve been using.

Eating at the Wrong Times

Are you now eating cheat meals late at night, when metabolism has slowed down and there’s no activity to burn off the food?

Diet Is not Effective at Losing the Desired Number of Pounds

It’s possible that the weight loss has stopped because you’re still overeating, even though initially, there was some weight loss.

What if you’ve gone through the above list, made the corrections, and are still stuck at a weight loss plateau?

“If you stop losing weight after being on a healthy diet, it could be possibly because of certain foods causing inflammation to your cells and tissues,” Prajakta Apte, RDN, owner and founder of Right Nutrition Works who helps people create a healthier lifestyle.

“Inflammation can be an origin of you having challenges in weight loss,” continues Apte.

“You are not what you eat, but you are what you digest. A simple blood test can solve this problem.”

The blood test is called C-reactive protein and can be ordered by your doctor.

Don’t go overboard by going on a starvation diet. Practice portion control, limit processed foods and fast foods, and engage in strength training and high intensity interval training to fire up metabolism.