Breaking the Mental Barrier: How To Overcome a Plateau

Written by: Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Kim Feinstein, Red Mountain Weight Loss® Behavioral Weight Loss Specialist

We’re all too familiar with the plateau period on the scale. But have you ever experienced a mental plateau when your motivation just seems to have vanished into thin air? The first step to a healthy resolution is identifying the mental barrier.

Imagine you started a new diet and think: “I’m not losing weight as fast as I wanted to.” Because of this thought, you start to feel discouraged just thinking about the diet. Because you are discouraged, you begin to eat off the plan.

The thought (“I’m not losing weight fast”) led to a feeling (discouragement), which led to an action (eating off the plan). By simply changing your thoughts, you will change how you feel and behave. Here is another way to put it:

Strategies To Overcome Mental Barriers

Revisit Your “Why”
Your “why” can be anything, as long as it’s important to you. Did you want to lose the weight to keep up with your kids, or feel like the very best version of you every day? Reminding yourself why you initially started your weight loss journey can often recharge your motivation and get the scale moving in the right direction.

Connect With Others
Peer pressure can either seduce us into bad habits or inspire us to new levels of success. Find individuals with similar goals who can encourage you to achieve the latter. Often, one person is enough to help you get back on track.

Change Your Behaviors
One antidote to a mental barrier is a physical change. Ask yourself, “What am I telling myself?” Decide if this thought is helpful or harmful. Then, think about what actions you can do differently and change your behavior.