What to Do When You Have Hit a Weight Loss Plateau? So you have been working out, eating well, practicing mindfulness, and your weight loss journey is going well. The first month, it seemed like the weight was just falling off. Until it isn’t. You’re still doing everything by the book, so why are you stuck? We’ve all made it to this point, and it can be very frustrating. Why Do I Plateau? The stall, or weight loss plateau, occurs because our bodies are extremely efficient and adaptable machines - becoming stronger and more efficient at burning calories every time we exercise, and through a diet and exercise plan, requiring less calories than before. So despite you best efforts, eventually, you will need to change what you are doing for your weight loss program, in order to almost surprise or shock your body out of the routine you have created, and there are a few options to do so. How to Get out of Plateau Phase 1) Track your meals. Sometimes we actually are underestimating the calorie-count of the meals we are eating. Using a fitness tracker like MyFitnessPal can help you manage what you are eating and portions, to ensure that you are in fact in a calorie-deficit. 2) Increase exercise. Reaching this plateau phase may mean that you need to rev up your routine. Studies show that as you lose weight, your metabolism generally decreases, as it doesn’t need to be quite so high for someone of a lower rate. Of course, this does vary, depending on many factors including age, gender and strength. Resistance or strength training can combat this, and seems to be the best activity to add to your weight loss regimen, because more muscle burns more fat. 3) Drink water. Making sure that you are getting enough water is critical to any weight loss regimen. Studies also show that drinking water before a meal can impact your weight loss - one study showed that people who drank water before meals lost 44% more weight than those who did not. The average adult recommendation is to consume 2 litres of water per day - this of course could be more depending on what exercise and activities you are engaging in daily. 4) Reverse dieting. This simply means, if you have been dieting and exercising a certain way for some time and just not seeing results any more, it can be tempting to try...