Health and wellness expert Dr Michael Mosley has explained why people suddenly stop losing weight when they are dieting, a problem called plateauing, and says there are ways to get over it.
Dr Mosley is a doctor, journalist, and television presenter best known for his work in the field of health and wellness, particularly in the areas of nutrition, weight loss, and intermittent fasting. Dr. Mosley has authored several bestselling books on health, including "The Fast Diet," "The 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet," and "The Clever Guts Diet," which have gained worldwide popularity.
Dr. Mosley has also hosted numerous television programs related to health and medicine, including "Trust Me, I'm a Doctor" and "The Truth About..." series, where he explores various health topics and provides evidence-based information and practical advice to viewers. He has received several awards for his contributions to health journalism and has become a well-known figure in the field of health and wellness, both in the United Kingdom and internationally.
Writing on his Fast800 blog in a new post, Dr Mosley said: "The weight loss plateau is a common phase that can be frustrating, confusing and demotivating. It, therefore, often leads to many people giving up on their weight loss journey."
He added: "If you’re on a weight loss journey, it’s highly likely that you’ll experience a weight loss plateau. It can occur at any point during the journey, and is a period when it seems that you’ve stopped losing weight, despite carefully following an appropriate diet and lifestyle plan."
Explaining why it happens, Dr Mosley said: "One reason may be that the body switches from using glucose to using its stores of glycogen (before then moving into fat-burning mode) when calories are significantly reduced. As the body uses glycogen, it is also excreting water, so many people experience an initial rapid weight loss as the body loses both fat and water. Once this initial “water weight” is lost, weight loss inevitably becomes more gradual as the body works to burn its fat stores."
The reasons could also be linked to muscle mass reduction during weight loss.
Dr Mosley said: "Following a Mediterranean-style diet that is rich in protein, like The Fast 800, is one way to better maintain muscle mass while also losing fat. As muscle weighs more than fat in volume, weight loss can therefore seem more gradual, but the long-term benefit is not losing heavier muscle stores while burning fat."
Dr Mosley says you can help avoid plateau by eating moderate amounts of protein, increasing your intake of healthy fats, completing regular high-intesity workouts and increasing 'incidental exercise' as part of your daily routine.
He says if you do plateau, you can help kickstart weight loss by switching to a low-carb diet.
