by Michelle Graf

Created on: October 29, 2009

It happens on every diet - after weeks or months of progress, you suddenly hit the wall. It is called a 'plateau' in diet parliance. Weight loss suddenly tapers off, despite sticking to the diet. So, now what?

First, evaluate if you have truly hit a plateau. The Weight Watchers literature indicates that in the initial weeks, weight loss may exceed the recommended 1 to 2 pounds per week, so if you are a few weeks into the program and your weight loss seems to be slowing, you may just be adapting to the program. The initial weight loss is often water weight as well as true body weight loss, so a drop in the number of pounds lost after the first few weeks is to be expected. If you are losing at least a pound a week, you are not actually at a plateau, you are stilling losing weight.

Second, be brutally honest with yourself. Have you truly been sticking to your daily points? Have you been consuming more than the maximum, less than the minimum, or fudging on portion sizes a little bit? Think over your day - is there anything you have not been accounting for - i.e. the sugar in your coffee, nibbling while preparing meals, 'cleaning' your children's plates for them? These little bits can add up over time, and if you are not accounting for them, can hinder your efforts.

Also, failing to meet the minimum recommmended number of points can hinder your weight loss efforts as well. Eating too few calories will cause your body to try to protect itself from starvation by conserving energy, which in turn, reduces the rate at which you burn calories, even at rest (your basal metabolic rate). If this is the case, start meeting your minimum calories, and expect a bit of weight gain before you start to lose again. As outlined below, exercise can help stave off the weight gain somewhat by increasing your calorie expenditure. Resist the temptation to come out of a plateau by cutting your points intake without consulting with your counsellor, as this can further sabotage your efforts to maintain your weight loss down the road.

Weight Watchers, unlike some other diet programs, builds in an exercise component. Regular activity and exercise adds points to your allotted caloric intake. Exercise not only burns calories, but by increasing muscle mass increases the basal metabolic rate. If you have not already done so, start incorporating exercise into your schedule, slowly at first. If you are already incorporating aerobic activity, trying starting some strength training exercises. Aerobic exercise is ideal for burning calories, strength training helps increase bone and muscle mass, which in turn will increase your basal metabolic rate.

Is it time to adjust your point target? The points are set in part by your starting weight, as the more you weigh, the higher your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is. Generally, Weight Watchers sets short term goals at 10% of body weight, and as you achieve these goals, your points will need to be adjusted to account for the lower weight in the calculation of BMR.

Finally, are you being realistic about your weight loss goal? If you have achieved a healthy weight based on your Body Mass Index (BMI), and your body is simply refusing to give up any additional pounds, perhaps your body is trying to tell you something. We are not all meant to be size 2s and 4s, and perhaps the days of fitting into our prom dress again are long past. Framing your goals around feeling good, having more energy, and overall health rather than an unrealistic idea of body image will help you set realistic goals for your body type.

Learn more about this author, Michelle Graf.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.