What to do when my fat loss has stalled?

There will come a point where your fat loss plateaus.

Assuming that everything is on point in terms of adherence:

• Nutrition

• Training

• Recovery

It may well be time to make some kind of adjustment to either how much your eating or how much energy you’re expending.

The reason is simple. Now that there’s less of you, your energy needs have decreased.

This is called Metabolic Adaptation.

Consequently, what used to be a calorie deficit is now calorie maintenance.

However, we shouldn’t jump the gun here.

We need to know that our metabolism has actually adapted.

What is a fat loss plateau?

A plateau in weight/fat loss is where your weight, on average, is flat, your girth measurements of key sites aren’t changing and your photos show no change in appearance.

How long should a plateau last before making an adjustment?

This should be the case for around 14 days, as I’ve observed that if no adjustments are made in that period, we can sometimes experience a sudden drop in water weight and seemingly, fat loss is back on track again.

How do i know if my fat loss has plateaued?

The flow chart below, inspired by Andy Morgan’s from RippedBody and my mentor Simon Dutton

When to make an adjustment for fat loss

How do I make an initial adjustment for fat loss

If it is the case that an adjusment is need.

There are 2 variables which we can adjust:

NUTRITIONAL ADJUSTMENTS FOR FAT LOSS

• For men, decrease calories by 100-200

• For women, decrease calories by 60-120

• Decrease carbs 30-50g

• Decrease fats 5-10g

ACTIVITY ADJUSTMENTS FOR FAT LOSS

• Increase step count by 2000

• Increase cardio by 150 calories / 30 minutes per week

• Add in HIIT (only appropriate when not on a low carb diet)

• Increase Training volume (usually accessories by a set)

• Change training stimulus

How do I make my next adjustment(S) for fat loss

Start with a nutritional tweak. If you hit another plateau, switch to an activity adjustment.

For example, if we previously increased your step count by 2000, next time we'll add 150 calories worth of cardio (about 30 minutes per week).

After that, return to a nutritional adjustment. Typically, my clients don’t need more than two rounds of adjustments.

SUMMARY

Don’t freak out or get disheartened when you hit a plateau. Be patient and ensure the adjustment is actually needed. You now have the tools to make systematic, data-driven adjustments.