Anyone else hit a workout plateau after losing weight? What helped you break through

Hi Lara. I hit the same wall after losing about 30 pounds and sitting flat for six weeks. What broke it was a 10 day diet break at true maintenance to reset adherence and fatigue. I found maintenance by averaging the calories that held my weight steady for two weeks, which was 2450 calories at 185 pounds, then kept protein at 180 grams and let carbs rise. I held steps at 9 to 10k and kept lifting, and I tried to keep sodium and meal timing consistent to reduce water noise. After the break I dropped to a 300 calorie deficit and losses resumed at about 0.6 pounds per week while my waist started moving again.

The other lever was tightening tracking errors, because oils, nuts, sauces, and tastes were easily 200 to 300 calories I was not counting. I started weighing cooking oil on a scale, logging condiments, and pre-portioning snacks, and that alone shaved enough to create a small deficit without turning into a snack gremlin. Training wise I ran a one week deload cutting volume by roughly 40 percent and intensity by 10 percent, then shifted my next block to 8 to 12 reps with one to two reps in reserve and added one set to my main lifts. I also replaced sprints with two zone 2 sessions of 30 to 40 minutes at 120 to 135 bpm, which did not beat me up and let me keep pushing legs. If you give this four weeks with eight hours of sleep when possible, 30 to 40 grams of fiber, protein around 0.8 to 1.0 g per pound of goal body weight, and a weekly average weigh in plus a weekly waist average, and nothing changes, drop another 150 to 200 calories from carbs or fats and repeat.

Have you tried asking the scale nicely? Maybe threaten it with a sledgehammer. Or just stare at it until it gets scared.

Stalled around the same two pounds for about five weeks and thought my watch was gaslighting me. Took a full deload and ate at maintenance for nine days, then added a slow 10–15 minute incline walk after each lift. Swapped one push day to higher reps with shorter rests and kept the other heavy, which oddly kept hunger in check. Waist finally dropped 0.5 inch over three weeks and the scale slid 3 pounds by week four. Side note, the garage smell never leaves and I found a single microplate under the lawn mower that had been messing up my math.

After dropping 30, I stalled hard because hidden calories wrecked me until meticulous weighing.

Maintenance week helped me, but progress stays slow with kids and chaos. For what it's worth, taking a few minutes to practice this in a calm setting usually helps it stick.

Recalculate maintenance and run a two-week maintenance phase, then resume deficit. For what it's worth, taking a few minutes to practice this in a calm setting usually helps it stick.

Man, I tried pushing through a similar plateau last year by adding more cardio and it just left me exhausted and hungrier without losing an ounce.

Plateaus suck but they're normal. Keep doing what you're doing and it'll break eventually. Or don't, up to you.