A person can give up sweets, start exercising, and be more careful about their diet, but after a few weeks, see almost the same number on the scale. This often leads to explanations like “I have a slow metabolism,” “my body is holding onto fat,” or “calorie deficits don’t work for me.”
Points of attention
- A balanced diet and exercise are not always enough for permanent weight loss due to reasons such as insufficient activity, large portions, excessive drinking, and unconsciously compensating for exercise with food.
- Insufficient sleep can make it harder to control your eating habits, altering hunger regulation and increasing your tendency to eat high-calorie foods.
- Medications, stress, hormonal disorders, and appetite can slow down the weight loss process, so it is important to consult a doctor if you have any accompanying symptoms.
Physiologically, losing fat mass still requires a situation where the body receives less energy than it expends over a period of time. But creating and sustainably maintaining such a deficit is more difficult than it seems. Appetite, energy expenditure, eating behavior, and even the number on the scale are affected by sleep, medications, stress, hormonal disorders, daily mobility, and changes in the body itself during weight loss.
So if you're not losing weight, cutting back on food even more isn't always the solution. First, it's important to understand what's going on.
The material is for informational purposes only. Self-medication can be harmful to your health. If changes in body weight are accompanied by other symptoms, you are taking regular medications, or have chronic diseases, you should first consult a doctor.
Why a calorie deficit may not work
The principle of energy balance itself is not going anywhere. If a person spends more energy than they receive for a sufficiently long period of time, body weight tends to decrease.
The problem is different: both energy consumption and expenditure are constantly changing.
After losing weight, the body becomes smaller and requires less energy. Hunger may increase. The person unconsciously moves less. The usual portions gradually increase. Calories appear in the diet that are not perceived as "food": latte, alcohol, oil, sauces, nuts, a few pieces during dinner preparation.
The NIDDK explicitly states that during weight loss, metabolic needs decrease, and hormonal and other physiological changes can make it difficult to continue losing weight and maintain the results.
That is why a plateau does not mean that the laws of energy balance have ceased to operate.
1. “Healthy” foods quietly provide too many calories
One of the most common reasons is not fast food, but foods with a reputation for being healthy.
Nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil, peanut butter, granola, and dried fruit can all be part of a balanced diet. But many of them are high in energy density.
For example, it's easy to eat a few handfuls of nuts, add oil to a salad "by eye", snack on dates, and then have a full dinner. The meal will look healthy, but the actual calorie deficit may disappear.
The same goes for portion sizes.
People generally underestimate the energy value of their diet. In studies using objective methods of measuring energy expenditure, self-reported food intake has often differed significantly from actual intake. This does not mean deliberate deception—it is indeed difficult to accurately remember and estimate each morsel of food.
Where extra calories are most often hidden
It is worth paying attention to:
oil when frying and dressing salads;
nuts and nut pastes;
cheese;
dried fruits;
sauces;
tasting dishes during cooking;
snacks "on the go";
large restaurant portions;
weekends, which are not included in the total ration.
You don't need to weigh your food for the rest of your life. But 7–14 days of more accurate accounting can sometimes help you spot a problem that you might not notice from memory.
2. You drink more calories than you think
It's easy to underestimate drinks because the brain doesn't perceive them the same way it does a plate of food.
Plain black coffee has almost no impact on your calorie intake, but a large latte, cappuccino with syrup, sweet iced tea, juice, energy drink, or soda can add hundreds of calories.
The CDC lists sugary drinks as sodas, fruit drinks, sports and energy drinks, sweetened waters, and coffee and tea with added sugar. Regular consumption of these drinks has been linked to weight gain and obesity.
Alcohol is another thing to consider. It also provides energy, and cocktails can contain extra calories from juices, syrups, and sugary sodas.
The practical test is simple: for a week, write down absolutely everything you drink, except water, and look at the total calorie content.
It often turns out that the problem isn't lunch, but two large coffee drinks and an evening glass of wine.
3. You don't get enough sleep.
Lack of sleep doesn't "create fat out of thin air," but it can make diet control much more difficult.
Insufficient sleep duration or poor quality alters hunger regulation, increases cravings for high-calorie foods, and a tired person is more likely to move less. The NHLBI lists insufficient sleep as a factor associated with an increased risk of obesity.
Particularly telling is a randomized trial of overweight people who habitually slept less than 6.5 hours. Participants who were helped to increase sleep duration had, on average, reduced objectively measured energy expenditure compared to a control group.
That is, sleep can affect weight loss even without directly changing your "metabolic rate."
A particular problem is night shifts
Working at night often combines several unfavorable factors:
insufficient sleep;
irregular meals;
night snacks;
more caffeine;
less physical activity;
disruption of the usual daily rhythm.
Therefore, it is wrong to explain the effect of night work solely by “cortisol.” The real mechanism is much more complex.
4. The body has adapted to weight loss
The first few kilos often disappear faster than the next ones.
Initially, some of the rapid weight change is due to glycogen and water. Over time, the pace naturally slows down. A smaller body uses less energy, and with continued weight loss, additional adaptive changes in energy expenditure may occur.
There is another mechanism - appetite.
NIDDK research has shown that as body weight decreases, physiological signals can increase the desire to eat. The authors found that increased appetite may be one of the powerful mechanisms that gradually counteract further weight loss.
Therefore, the situation may look like this:
first, a person eats a conventional 2000 kcal instead of 2500 and loses weight;
after a few months, its energy consumption becomes lower;
hunger is increasing;
portions are imperceptibly increasing;
Daily activity decreases slightly.
As a result, the previous deficit turns into a maintenance calorie intake.
This is one of the reasons for the plateau.
5. You exercise, but you move less during the day
Formal exercise is only one part of daily energy expenditure.
The other is ordinary movements: walking, climbing stairs, cleaning, traveling, working while standing, walking the dog, moving around the office, and other everyday activities.
After a hard workout or on a too strict diet, a person may unconsciously compensate for the load:
sit longer;
use the elevator instead of the stairs;
walk less;
lie down more often;
generally move slower.
In such a situation, the hour of training remains on the calendar, but the total daily energy expenditure increases less than expected.
The NIDDK views physical activity, sedentary behavior, appetite, and energy expenditure as interrelated components of body weight regulation.
The second typical problem is “I deserve a post-workout meal.”
An extra dessert, a large protein shake, a sports bar, and a sugary drink can easily offset the energy expended during a workout.
Therefore, it is more useful to assess not only the amount of exercise, but also overall mobility throughout the day.
6. Medications can affect weight and appetite
Some medications can actually promote weight gain or make it difficult to lose weight.
According to the NIDDK, medications that may affect weight in some people include:
some antidepressants;
some antipsychotic drugs;
some epilepsy medications;
corticosteroids;
insulin and certain medications for the treatment of diabetes;
some blood pressure medications;
part of antihistamines.
The mechanism also varies. One drug may increase appetite, another may affect energy expenditure or fluid retention, and a third may contribute to fatigue and decreased activity.
Therefore, the statement “sedatives slow down metabolism” is too general. The specific active ingredient is what matters.
You should not reduce the dose or stop the prescribed treatment on your own to lose weight. If the weight change began after a new drug, it is worth discussing this with your doctor: sometimes there are alternatives with a different profile of the impact on body weight.
7. A medical condition could be the cause — but don't blame it all on "hormones"
Some diseases can actually contribute to weight gain or make it difficult to control.
The NIDDK lists hypothyroidism, polycystic ovary syndrome, Cushing's syndrome, certain hypothalamic disorders, depression, and prolonged stress among such conditions.
However, these diseases have specific clinical signs and require diagnosis.
Hypothyroidism
Low thyroid function can be accompanied by weight gain, fatigue, chills, dry skin, constipation, and menstrual changes. However, being overweight does not mean you have hypothyroidism.
The American Thyroid Association notes that weight gain associated with hypothyroidism is usually modest, and much of it may be due to salt and water retention. Once thyroid function is normalized, the ability to lose weight generally becomes the same as in people without a thyroid disorder.
It is dangerous to take thyroid hormones for weight loss if your tests are normal.
Polycystic ovary syndrome
PCOS can be associated with insulin resistance, weight gain, or difficulty controlling it. Irregular periods, excessive hair growth, acne, and other signs of hormonal changes may indicate the syndrome.
Cushing's syndrome
This is a much rarer condition in which the body has an excess of cortisol for a long time. It is characterized by a specific set of symptoms: weight gain with relatively thin limbs, a round face, wide purple stretch marks, easy bruising, and muscle weakness.
Endogenous Cushing's syndrome is rare, so there is no reason to test cortisol in all people who cannot lose weight.
What if the fat is decreasing but the scales don't show it?
The number on the scale is not just fat.
Body weight includes water, glycogen, muscle tissue, digestive system contents, and other components.
After a salty meal, a large amount of carbohydrates, or an unusual workout, weight may temporarily increase due to fluid.
In women, the figure can also vary depending on the phase of the menstrual cycle. In a 2023 study, the average weight during menstruation was about 0.45 kg higher, and the change was mainly explained by an increase in extracellular fluid, not fat tissue.
Therefore, comparing Monday with Tuesday is not very informative.
More practical:
be weighed under the same conditions;
look at the 7-day average;
compare trends over several weeks;
additionally assess waist circumference and clothing fit.
If your weight hasn't changed for three days, it's not a plateau.
After what time can we talk about a plateau?
There is no universal number of days.
If your body weight fluctuates in one range for just a week, the cause could easily be water.
In practice, it is more appropriate to assess the problem based on the trend over at least a few weeks, if the diet and activity pattern truly remains stable.
At the same time, it is important not to demand a linear graph from the weight.
Weight loss often looks like this:
84.5 → 83.9 → 84.2 → 83.6 → 83.8 → 83.1 kg,
and not as a daily drop of exactly 100 grams.
What to check if your weight has stopped decreasing
You don't need to immediately switch to a very low-calorie diet.
First, within one to two weeks, you should check seven things:
The portions have not increased.
Are drinks, oil, sauces and snacks included?
Are you getting enough sleep?
Has daily activity decreased?
Have you started compensating for your workouts with food?
Have any new medications been prescribed recently?
Are there any symptoms that might indicate a medical cause?
The NIDDK recommends using a realistic, long-term diet and physical activity plan that you can maintain, rather than treating weight loss as a short-term diet.
When the cause may be medical
A routine examination is especially advisable if, along with weight control difficulties, you experience:
pronounced constant fatigue;
severe frostbite;
unusual changes in the menstrual cycle;
excessive hair growth or severe acne;
swelling;
muscle weakness;
wide purple stretch marks;
sudden unexplained weight gain;
significant changes in appetite;
symptoms that began after the prescription of a new drug.
Such signs do not confirm a specific diagnosis, but they provide reason not to limit the explanation to diet alone.
Conclusion
When weight stops coming off, it rarely means that the body has "refused to lose weight."
More often, one or more components of energy balance change: consumption increases imperceptibly, calories from drinks accumulate, sleep worsens, household activity decreases, or the body adapts to the weight already lost. For some people, medications or diseases are important.
The most useful thing to do when you're on a plateau is not to cut back on your food intake as much as possible, but to check your actual diet, sleep, mobility, medications, weight changes over several weeks, and any medical symptoms you may have. This will help you distinguish between a true fat loss plateau and normal water fluctuations and find the factor that is really hindering your progress.
FAQ
Why am I eating little but not losing weight?
Often, actual energy intake is higher than it appears, or energy expenditure has decreased. Portions, drinks, oil, snacks, reduced mobility, medications, and some diseases can all play a role.
Can weight gain be caused by a slow metabolism?
After weight loss, energy expenditure does decrease, partly because a smaller body requires less energy. Additional metabolic adaptations are possible. But this does not mean that the possibility of losing weight completely ceases.
Does lack of sleep hinder weight loss?
Maybe. Not getting enough sleep affects appetite, food choices, and daily activity. In a randomized trial, increasing sleep duration in people who were consistently sleep deprived was accompanied by a decrease in energy expenditure.
Why does the weight not change even though the volume decreases?
Body weight includes water, muscle, and other tissues. With exercise and dietary changes, body composition can change without a proportional change in the number on the scale. Therefore, it is worth evaluating waist circumference and long-term trends.
Can the thyroid gland prevent you from losing weight?
Untreated hypothyroidism can contribute to moderate weight gain. However, significant obesity is rarely attributable to the thyroid gland alone, and once thyroid hormone levels are normalized, the ability to control weight usually returns.
What medications can contribute to weight gain?
These may include certain antidepressants, antipsychotics, antiepileptics, corticosteroids, insulin, some blood pressure medications, and some antihistamines. The effect depends on the specific substance and the person.
Why does weight loss slow down after the first few kilograms?
At first, some of the water associated with glycogen stores is lost. Later, the body requires less energy and can increase its appetite. As a result, the previous deficit gradually becomes smaller.
How much weight can stand through water?
Short-term fluctuations over a few days are normal. They are influenced by salt and carbohydrate intake, exercise, digestive system contents, and menstrual cycle. It is best to assess progress based on a trend over several weeks.
Do I need to reduce calories even more if my weight has stabilized?
Not necessarily. First, it's a good idea to check portion accuracy, drinks, snacks, activity, sleep, and plateau duration. Excessive food restriction can increase hunger and make it harder to stick to the regimen.
Can stress prevent you from losing weight?
Yes, primarily through behavioral and physiological mechanisms. Prolonged stress can affect appetite, sleep, and eating behavior and is a factor associated with weight gain.
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