Tipping the Scale: Push Past a Weight Loss Plateau

Educating local community groups about why eating healthy is important is Virginia Vanderford’s passion. As a nutrition educator for The University of Missouri’s extension program, she’s worked with 4-H clubs, drug rehabilitation programs, alternative high schools, transitional housing programs and domestic violence shelters.

Although Virginia practices what she teaches, she struggles with weight loss and is all too familiar with a common challenge, what to do when she hits a weight loss plateau.

“I’m in a program right now where I work out six days a week, mixing cardio, weightlifting and yoga,” Virginia shared. “I eat everything I’m supposed to eat. I have days where I feel good and strong and like I lost a bunch of weight. Then, I step on the scale and realize I’ve gained a pound. I hit that weight loss wall often.”

Virginia’s experience is typical for almost anyone who is actively trying to lose weight. “If your weight loss is very fast in the beginning, you’re likely to hit a plateau,” explained Dayane Parker, RD. “You’re excited, you’re losing weight and then the scale stays the same or moves up. Yet, with the right tools, you can move past it pretty quickly.”

Virginia’s weight loss efforts are made more challenging because of Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disorder that causes hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid. A side effect of Hashimoto’s is a slow metabolism. “it’s really easy for me to gain weight and really hard for me to lose weight. I tend to gain weight around the middle, which, for women, is really hard to lose,” Virginia said.

Food Swaps

Diet tweaks are one way to push past a weight loss plateau. “Some people stick with the same meals because they know how many calories they are eating,” Dayane said. “But, if you eat broccoli, brown rice and chicken for lunch four days a week, your body is getting the same nutrients over and over. It needs something different. Find some new recipes and try something new.”

Virginia switches up what she eats and when she eats often. “I have some limitations in my diet because of Hashimoto’s, so I try to move things around. I’m consistent with what I eat for breakfast, but recently I realized I needed to switch up when I eat my biggest meal of the day.”


Because of the pandemic, Virginia works from home, which makes all-day grazing easier and leads to a big dinner. “I have to catch myself,” she said. “I try to eat a good lunch and a smaller dinner. After making that change, I noticed I had more energy.”

She’s also taken a hard look at her family’s overall eating habits. “I love food, especially pizza, and I don’t ever deprive myself, but I’ve had to become more mindful of what we eat, especially since we’ve been home,” she said. “We make sure we have food in the house to makes salads or healthy shakes for lunch instead of running out to pick up fast food. We also plan our dinner meals.”

Increasing your protein intake, staying hydrated and eating quality calories are other ways to get weight loss going again. “Many people confuse hunger with thirst,” Dayane explained. If you think you’re hungry, drink some water first. Eating more protein is important if you increase how much you exercise. Lastly, it matters where your calories come from. Eating a 120-calorie slice of cake isn’t the same eating as a 120-calorie apple.”

Dayane works with other NKCH registered dietitians to offer nutrition counseling services that include one-on-one sessions that provide insight and advice to get the scale moving again.

“We analyze your diet to figure out what’s going on,” Dayane said. “We look at your carb and protein intake to see if switching one for the other may help. We may also look at your restaurant choices and portion control to see if there’s something you can change. We bring new ideas to the table and provide tons of resources.”

The End Result

For Virginia, conquering a weight loss plateau sometimes takes a shift in goals and expectations. “I’ve realized that I can’t focus so much on losing weight in terms of a scale number,” Virginia said. “Instead, I focus on being physical active and working out five to six days a week. For me, it’s not so much about dropping weight as it is about building muscle, getting in shape and feeling good.”

Changing your lifestyle to lose weight and be healthier isn’t easy. Sometimes, you need help. Outpatient nutrition counseling can set you on the right path. Explore our services and find more healthy eating advice.