YI have watched the pounds fall, only to reach a buffer. The number on the scale stops going down, that last pound stops moving, and your motivation plummets. For many, it goes back to the biscuit tin. But while setbacks are almost inevitable, they aren’t insurmountable, and a number of recent studies offer hope for those who are considering giving up on their weight goals.
Dr Gilly Hendry, a researcher at Australia’s national science agency CSIRO, said: “A period of maintenance and small recovery is normal, but if continued, meaningful results can be achieved.” All you need to do is know how to navigate the ups and downs of the scale.
What if not? Many people struggling with their last few pounds will be looking forward to the Wegoby tablets, which are under review in the UK. The release date is rumored to be at the end of 2026. It is cheaper than traditional injectable GLP-1 weight loss jabs and is discreet as it is a supplement-sized pill.
It’s been on sale in the US since January, and has been dubbed the “last 20-pound pill” by dieters for its ability to move stubborn stones that dieting can’t overcome. Will it really bring an end to the terrifying plateau? Kevin Hall, a scientist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), said he has conducted research showing that people who take weight loss drugs are not immune to progress.
GLP-1 drugs extend the time it takes to hit a weight loss wall compared to regular calorie cuts, but Mr Hall found in a study published in Obesity Journal that the jab could help people lose weight for an additional year before hitting a plateau. However, nothing can prevent you from hitting a wall after about two years.
Dr Federica Amati, Zoe’s lead dietitian and head of nutrition at Imperial College London, says these aren’t quick fixes to shed that last bit of weight. “GLP-1 drugs are not the final touch to help an otherwise healthy person lose some weight,” she says. “And they are no substitute for the basics of a healthy diet.”
None of this means you are doomed to fail. It’s easy to think that weight loss is a linear process, but as anyone who’s ever tried to reach their weight goal knows, that’s not actually the case. A CSIRO study of 6,500 dieters found that weight loss was not persistent and that people experienced at least one three-month plateau before reaching their goal weight, often gaining back a small amount of weight before moving back towards their goal.
Throughout the year, I lost weight differently. Some people lose most of their weight in the first six months, hit a plateau, and then slowly return to their goal. Others lost weight for three months, then agonized and plateaued for nine months before reaching their goal. Meanwhile, 9% lost weight steadily for 9 months, followed by a 3-month plateau, and reached their goal at 12 months. Despite this variation, by the end of the study, two out of three people lost at least 5% of their starting weight.
Mr Hendry says the idea of wearing jeans again “gives hope to anyone who has ever been disappointed”.
Dr Madusha Peiris, senior lecturer in enteric neurobiology at Queen Mary University of London and founder of the appetite suppressant Elcera, says we need to think of this struggle as a normal part of the process. “Don’t think of it as a personal failure because it’s not a personal failure,” Peiris says. “It’s really just biology and your body telling you to do more because it can do it.”
Please believe me. There are ways to overcome that stubborn stone. Here’s what you need to know:
Why don’t you lose weight in the first place?
Nick Fuller is a professor in the School of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney and founder of the Interval Weight Loss Program (intervalweightloss.com). According to him, from the moment you start a weight loss program, your body activates defense mechanisms designed to resist weight loss. It’s all-out war.
“Your metabolism slows down, hormones that regulate appetite change, thyroid activity decreases, stress hormones like cortisol increase, and brain signaling changes to increase cravings for high-calorie, high-fat, high-sugar foods. These responses are called ‘set point.’ “This is an evolutionary survival mechanism inherited from our hunter-gatherer past, where food scarcity was a constant threat,” he says, which is why plateaus and weight gain are so common.
Will I be able to lose enough weight on Wegovy or Ozempic before I hit a plateau?
Chances are, no two weight loss journeys are the same. A lot depends on how much you had to lose in the first place. Weight loss drugs also prevent weight gain by reducing normal appetite signals, but if you stop taking them, you may gain the weight back.
A recent BMJ study showed that people who stopped taking the medication typically regained the weight they lost within 18 months and regained many of the associated health benefits. “For people who are chasing that last 21 pounds, I want to move the conversation toward what their real priorities are, what their health goals are,” Amati says. “The goal is not to ‘keep going’ at all costs, but to build habits that support long-term health and stick.”
I feel like I gained a few pounds before I lost some more. Why is this?
Your weight will naturally rise and fall every day, but if you weigh less than 21 pounds, the fluctuations may be more noticeable. “Changes in water retention, salt intake, hormones, stress, sleep, and even bowel patterns can all affect how much weight you tip on the scale,” Amati says. “If you weigh yourself frequently, it may appear that you’ve gained weight back when in fact your body fat hasn’t changed.”
Compounding the problem is that every time you lose weight, your body’s natural defense response is triggered. “These evolutionary mechanisms prepare the body to anticipate future ‘starvation’ by storing fat more efficiently,” Fuller says. “As a result, people don’t just regain the weight they lost, they often put a little extra weight back, making each cycle harder than the last.” To stay motivated, rather than just focusing on daily peaks or weight loss, it’s a good idea to look at your weight loss trends over weeks and track other metrics like waist measurements, clothing fit, strength, energy, and overall mood.
Do I need to cut back on calories even more if I hit a plateau?
You can’t afford to forget good habits at this point, but strict restrictions won’t help either. Consistency is the key to success, even if it takes some time to get there. “If your approach always leaves you hungry, tired, or unhappy, it won’t last,” says Amati. “You need to stick to eating habits that support your satiety and energy levels and that realistically fit into your life.”
Keep temptation at bay for the final push
Peter Rogers, emeritus professor of biological psychology at the University of Bristol, says counterintuitively, and somewhat frustratingly, that the lighter we grab a snack, the hungrier we tend to feel. This is due to the relationship between the amount of body fat you have and your levels of the hormone leptin, which influences how much you want to eat.
“When you have a relatively high amount of body fat, the hormone leptin tells your brain to reduce your appetite,” says Rogers. “But when you lose body fat, your brain signals weaken and put a brake on leptin production, which means your appetite gradually increases, leading to a weight balance point or plateau.”
This is part of the reason why you need to work diligently to avoid tempting snacks and evening snacks. “The effect isn’t that big, but it’s one of the things that’s happening in the background as people lose weight,” says Rogers. “When weight loss slows later in life, diets are more likely to fail, further reinforcing the perception that plateaus are insurmountable.”
Do you need to train hard to lose that last bit of weight?
When it comes to moving those last few pounds, the effects of physical activity are complex. “Exercise does not necessarily ‘break’ a plateau by itself, especially if the plateau is caused by normal biology,” says Amati. “When we lose weight, our bodies adapt by becoming more energy efficient, which can increase hunger signals, meaning a routine that works initially may not have the same effect later on.”
What you need to do, says performance coach Dalton Wong, is to raise the bar in some way. “The important thing is not to get hooked overnight,” Wong says. “I advise my clients to add one or two workouts each week or increase the intensity of their existing sessions.”
This can be accomplished by lifting heavier weights, doing more reps, or doing more intervals than you’re used to. “At the gym, focus on compound movements that use large muscle groups, as they help burn fat,” says Wong. “Squats are great, but do them differently and with heavier weights.”
Focus on fiber, fish oil, and olive oil
In the fight against stubborn weight, what you eat is just as important as how much (or how little) you eat. “Nutritious foods provide more energy and specific nutrients than ultra-processed foods, and they stimulate intestinal cells to release appetite-suppressing hormones such as GLP-1 and PYY,” Peeris says.
“On the other hand, eating lots of processed and fast food along with stress can reduce gut signaling and impede weight loss.” Fatty acids found in fatty fish, healthy vegetable oils, and short-chain fatty acids that result from the breakdown of fiber by your gut microbiome are all important for weight loss. “There is strong scientific data showing that these nutrients are important for the release of gut hormones that reduce appetite,” Peeris says. “If these hormones aren’t released enough from your intestines, you’ll feel hungry more often and sooner after meals.”
Don’t cut back on dairy products or carbohydrates
Fuller says many of the foods commonly excluded during diets are actually things you should include for better weight management and overall health. “Carbohydrates are often cited as a cause of weight gain, but they play an important role in a healthy diet. The key is to choose nutrient-rich wholegrain carbohydrates rather than refined white varieties that are high in calories and low in nutritional value,” he says. “Dairy products are also frequently targeted, primarily due to concerns about fat, but research consistently shows that dairy products such as milk and yogurt are nutritious and that people who consume more dairy products have lower body weight.”
Will increasing my daily step count make any difference?
Just taking 2,000 more steps per day will burn about 200 more calories. “This makes sense because it’s not an intense activity that will make you hungry, and you won’t be too tired to do your regular workout,” Wong says. “This is one of the most powerful additions when you’re nearing the messy end of your diet.”
Restricting calories in an attempt to change your weight can backfire. When you have less energy, you’ll be less motivated to track your steps, and the cost will be higher. “When people eat less, they often move less without realizing it, so it’s really important to focus on walking, taking the stairs, and getting up regularly throughout the day,” Amati says. “You can increase your energy expenditure without constantly feeling the stress of trying to ‘go harder’ at the gym.”
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