Claire Jones is an award-winning weight loss coach, helping people build a healthy relationship with food and themselves. She is the author of How to Eat Less, and the founder of YourOneLife. Claire empowers clients to break free from diets, create effective habits, and build confidence in new challenges, guiding them towards lasting success.
You think you’re doing everything right. Eating better, moving more, and staying consistent. Then, suddenly, progress halts. The scale doesn’t budge. Your energy dips. Motivation fades. You start wondering, ‘What’s going wrong?’
The truth is, nothing is broken. Hitting a wall during weight loss isn’t a failure. It’s part of the process. What most people don’t realise is that your body isn’t designed to stay in a calorie deficit forever. It’s wired to protect you from losing too much too fast.
So, what’s keeping you stuck?
In this article, you’ll uncover the most common reasons weight loss plateaus happen, even when you’re trying your best. More importantly, you’ll learn simple, science-backed ways to move past them without fighting your biology.
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1. Eating too little for too long
When it comes to weight loss, more restriction isn't always better. In fact, chronically under-eating can be one of the biggest roadblocks to sustainable fat loss. Over time, a prolonged calorie deficit leads to metabolic adaptation. Your body becomes more efficient at conserving energy, and hormone levels (like leptin, ghrelin, and thyroid hormones) shift in ways that reduce fat burning and increase hunger.
I have worked with clients who, when they came to me, had been eating 1,200 calories a day for months. At first, the weight came off quickly. But then their energy tanked, their cravings skyrocketed, and their fat loss completely stalled because they were unable to sustain such a limited calorie intake. Their bodies and brains were simply doing their job, trying to preserve energy and seeking out more in what they perceived as a time of scarcity.
Fix it: Instead of tightening the calorie belt even further, strategically increase your intake to maintenance levels for 1 to 3 weeks. This allows your metabolism and hormones to recalibrate, reduces chronic stress on the body and mind, and often results in renewed fat loss once you return to a mild deficit. These “strategic maintenance breaks,” as I call them, aren’t setbacks. They’re powerful tools that work with your biology, not against it.
2. Doing the same workout over and over
Exercise routines lose their effectiveness over time if they’re not progressively challenging. Your body adapts to repeated physical stress to conserve energy. While consistency is essential, monotony is the enemy of change. Again, clients come to me after failing to achieve long-term results from consistent, strenuous exercise after an initial loss and think there must be something wrong with them.
Fix it: Your body needs progressive overload. More resistance, variety, or intensity helps continue adaptation and fat burning. Add resistance training and interval workouts, or change your rep and weight ranges every few weeks. Mix up cardio styles or include functional movement like hiking or swimming. A refreshed routine can reignite both your metabolism and your motivation.
3. Eating more calories than you think you are
When weight loss slows, it’s easy to blame your body. But often, it’s the little extras adding up in the background. The drizzle of olive oil on your veggies, the bites of your partner’s dinner, the few nuts grabbed between meetings these calories can significantly impact your deficit. Clients come to me convinced they’re not eating that much and struggling to understand why they’re not losing weight. But when we delve into it, we find lots of hidden calories here and there. It’s not always intentional overeating; it’s often just a lack of awareness.
Fix it: Audit your intake. Track everything for 5 to 7 days, including drinks, snacks, cooking oils, and sauces. Even if you don’t want to log food daily long term, a short-term tracking phase builds awareness. It’s not about being obsessive. It’s about being informed. Just like needing to be aware of how much things cost and what’s in our bank balance so we can get the best value for our money, knowing our energy consumption means we can make decisions that are more in line with our goals.
4. Overtraining and not enough recovery
Many people respond to plateaus by doing more: more cardio, more classes, more intensity. But without proper recovery, your body can become overtrained, inflamed, and chronically stressed. All of that impairs fat loss, usually because we respond by eating more, often without even realising it see point 3. When we’re tired, our decision-making is impaired, and we tend to reach for higher-calorie, tasty, less healthy options, and our appetite signals can become unreliable.
Fix it: Understand that rest is part of the process. Incorporate active recovery days, reduce high-intensity sessions if they’re daily, and prioritise quality sleep. Give your nervous system time to reset. A rested body is far more effective at losing fat than one running on empty because we have more capacity for making effective decisions.
5. Ignoring strength training
Relying solely on cardio is a common mistake, especially for those who are wary of lifting weights. But muscle is metabolically active. It helps you burn more calories at rest and improves body composition over time. Walking and cardio exercises are great for cardiovascular fitness, but if we’re not careful we can lose muscle mass, especially if we eat in a calorie deficit. While he lost some weight, he didn’t feel any leaner.
Fix it: Incorporate strength training 2 to 4 times per week. Focus on compound lifts such as squats, deadlifts, and rows that recruit multiple muscle groups. You won’t bulk up. You’ll build lean mass, improve insulin sensitivity, and support long-term fat loss as long as you eat enough to give your body the resources it needs to build it. No trying to do it on 1200 calories a day! See point 1.
6. Stressing too much about the plateau
Let’s be honest: Plateaus can be emotionally exhausting. When we obsess over the scale or feel like our effort isn't paying off, it creates stress that can be just as harmful as a poor diet. It’s all too easy to let the number on the scale determine our mood. We can constantly question our plan, second-guess every meal, and allow anxiety and self-doubt to derail our consistency.
Fix it: While the number on the scale can be helpful, it’s important to remain objective. Shift your focus from just the scale to non-scale victories. Look at how your clothes fit, your strength gains, your sleep, and how you feel in your body. Practice stress-reduction strategies like breathwork, journaling, or digital detoxes. A calm, supported body will always perform better than one under chronic stress.
7. Not reassessing your plan
The plan that worked in the first few weeks of your journey may not serve you months later. Your body, lifestyle, and goals evolve, and your strategy should, too. Smaller bodies need less energy, so if we don’t adjust our approach to take this into account, our efforts will be in vain.
Fix it: Every 4 to 6 weeks, pause and reassess. Has your calorie intake adjusted for your new weight? Are you still challenging your muscles? Are your habits aligned with your current goals? Small changes such as shifting your macronutrient ratios, modifying training intensity, or simply moving more during the day can break the plateau without overhauling your entire lifestyle.
Conclusion
A plateau isn’t punishment. It’s communication. Your body is giving you feedback, not telling you to quit. Understanding that your biology is not broken but beautifully adaptive can shift your entire mindset around weight loss. Plateaus are a normal, even essential, part of the journey. By addressing these common mistakes and making thoughtful adjustments, you can move forward in a way that’s both strategic and sustainable.
When you learn to listen to your body instead of fighting it, progress becomes a byproduct of self-trust, not punishment.
If you struggle to remain objective or consistent or don’t know what your strategy needs to be, why not consider some personalised weight loss coaching? You can find out more by booking a place on my next free Energise Your Life Weight Loss Workshop.
Read more from Claire Jones
Claire Jones, Weight Loss and Confidence Coach
Claire Jones is an award-winning weight loss coach and author of How to Eat Less. After struggling with her own weight and relationship with food, she transformed her mindset and developed a sustainable approach to lasting health. Now, she helps others break free from dieting cycles, build confidence, and create healthier habits. With a background in coaching and behavioural change, Claire empowers clients to embrace a positive, long-term lifestyle. Her mission is to inspire sustainable health and self-belief.
