A weight plateau is a problem many women deal with on their weight loss journey, and it has many causes. It can happen from following the wrong plan (too many calories, the wrong type of food, or a plan that has not changed in a very long time), or it can be caused by the wrong kind of exercise (usually excessive exercise that causes water retention and blocks the scale from moving).
Or the plateau might simply mean you need a break from your usual eating and exercise routine.
In this article we give you a method that drops the number on the scale in just two days, as long as you follow this method for exactly two days.
To get the scale moving, it matters a lot to focus on reducing water retention, because retention is what blocks the scale from moving most of the time and stops a lot of people from seeing clear results.
The First Thing We Do
- Early in the morning after waking up, do lymphatic drainage exercises (like manual massage, or follow a short 8-10 minute YouTube video titled "lymphatic drainage exercises"). There are many types, pick whichever you like, just make sure it does not go over 10 minutes
- After these exercises, drink one cup of warm water with a squeeze of lemon, and go for a very slow, relaxed walk. This will likely boost digestion for a lot of people and make you feel like you need the bathroom, which is exactly what we want
- Now comes the food. It matters to follow the eating plan as described, because dialing in your food and cutting salt and carbohydrates helps a lot with dropping weight. See the plan below and follow it exactly
The One-Day Eating Plan
- Breakfast: two eggs with cucumber and 1 chopped tomato, 5 olives, two tablespoons of labneh, and 10 nuts of your choice
- Snack 1: a banana and 10g of dark chocolate
- Lunch: 150g of roasted sweet potato topped with 100g of lean ground meat, cooked with oil spray and seasoned with spices (go light on salt to keep sodium down these two days), with a slice of low-fat cheddar, green onion, and chopped lettuce on top
- Snack 2: dandelion tea with one medium or large date stuffed with half a walnut
- Dinner: a container of low-fat yogurt mixed with a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil and 1 chopped dried fig (important note: eat dinner before 8pm)
That is day one. Day two is the same, except lunch changes slightly: the sweet potato becomes regular potato in the same amount, and the meat is replaced with 120g of grilled chicken breast. Do not forget to go light on salt (this includes sauces like ketchup and hot sauce, which are high in sodium), stick to spices and natural herbs instead.
Important point: drink enough water during the day (2 liters), and stay away from carbonated drinks that cause bloating. If you want coffee, stick to one cup a day with no additions.
Exercise and Movement
On these two days, do not exercise, especially resistance training and HIIT. We know some of you are used to it and it is hard to skip, but try it for just these two days. On these two days, walk 30-45 minutes, ideally spread out through the day.
Why Does This Plan Work?
This plan is built to move the scale because it is low in sodium, low in carbohydrates, contains a good amount of potassium, and the overall food quantity is relatively small. The movement in it is gentle and does not cause retention or put the body under stress. Most of the drop will come from fluids.
But as we said, this plan is meant to be followed for only two days, so the picture becomes clearer for you. The quality of the food matters, the additions matter, and the type of exercise matters too.
How Do You Keep the Weight Moving After Breaking the Plateau?
Once the weight starts moving, what do you do to keep it going, keep losing fat, and avoid hitting another plateau quickly, especially once you go back to your regular plan?
- Pay attention to the amount of carbohydrates and sodium in your diet. It is best to choose complex carbohydrates and spread them across breakfast and lunch while reducing them at night. As for sodium, it matters that you add it to your food in the amount that suits you, instead of relying on ready-made food (frozen meals and sauces) which tend to be high in sodium
- Cut back on drinks and foods that cause water retention, such as carbonated drinks, certain vegetables (legumes, for some people), artificial sweeteners, and excessive gum chewing
- Practice light movement in the morning, like stretching or lymphatic drainage exercises, to reduce retention, improve circulation, and support your metabolism
- For exercise, it matters a lot to choose types that do not cause too much inflammation, fluid retention, or bloating, and that do not increase hunger too much (resistance training and muscle building tend to increase hunger and change how the body stores energy)
Keeping these points in mind makes weight loss easier and prevents plateaus from happening repeatedly and quickly.
And if you are someone whose plateau comes from following the same plan for a long time and you need a change, we recommend trying calorie cycling, which is designed specifically to break plateaus and revive a sluggish metabolism.