Breaking a weight plateau

Almost everyone stops losing for a while. As you get lighter, your body needs fewer calories, so the plan that worked at the start slowly stops working.

Check these first

• Portions creep back. Measure rice and snacks for a week.
• Drinks and weekends. Two big weekends can cancel five good days.
• Water weight. Salt, hormones and new exercise can hide fat loss for a week or two.

Then adjust

• Recalculate your daily calories at your new weight.
• Add 15 to 20 minutes of walking or two strength sessions a week.
• Look at your waist measurement too — it often keeps dropping when the scale does not.

All tips