# When your weight stops moving It often goes quickly at first and stalls after several months. This is the usual course, not a personal failure.[^1] ## When it usually happens A review of 80 studies lasting at least a year shows a typical pattern: weight falls on average by 5 to 8.5 kg in the first 6 months and then roughly stops.[^4] A diet trial of 811 people found the same shape. On all four diets weight went down for 6 months, and from month twelve some of it came back.[^5] A mathematical model explains why this happens even without mistakes: the body responds slowly to a lasting change. It takes about a year to get half of the way to a new weight.[^6] ## What is behind it As weight falls, so does expenditure. According to a review, appetite plays an even larger part, because the body works against further loss.[^1] One calculation estimates that people eat about 100 kcal more a day for each kilogram lost.[^2] ## Does metabolism go to sleep? You hear this a lot, but the data are more sober. Of 33 studies with 2,528 people, most reported an adaptation, yet well-run studies found small values or none. Once weight was stable it tended to fade.[^7] After losing about 12 kg, the resting metabolism of 171 women was 54 kcal a day below the expected value. That did not predict later regain.[^8] During a strict diet the gap can be larger: in 71 people on 1,000 kcal a day it was 92 kcal after 8 weeks.[^9] So energy use falls mainly because a lighter body needs less. Your metabolism is not broken. ## First check if it really is one Weight changes even during a normal week.[^3] A few equal values are not yet a plateau. The mean over several weeks says more. See [Why the scales go up and down](https://kostenlos-abnehmen.de/en/wissen/wasser-und-gewicht). ## What you can do then - Look at your needs again: if you log your weight, the app uses the newest value. - Check your entries: portions often grow unnoticed, and drinks count too. - Keep your weight: this is also a good decision if a further deficit does not fit your life right now. If the plateau weighs on you or you keep eating less, read [When to get medical advice](https://kostenlos-abnehmen.de/en/wissen/aerztlicher-rat). ## Do diet breaks help? The results differ. In a small study of men, those with two-week breaks lost more, but it took them almost twice as long.[^10] In 61 trained adults, three one-week breaks gave no advantage for fat or muscle, though participants felt less hungry.[^11] After a break week, weight rose by 0.6 kg in a sub-study without any added body fat.[^12] Don't let that fool you. So a break is fine if you need some air. No study has shown that it ends a plateau you have already reached. ## What to leave alone - **Cutting hard:** In a Swedish analysis with 3,320 people per group, a 500 kcal diet led to gallstones with a hospital stay about three times as often as a 1,200 to 1,500 kcal diet. The absolute risk was low.[^13] - **Doubting yourself:** Estimating food and movement is hard. In a small study, people who did not lose weight despite eating little were well off on both, and their metabolism was normal.[^14] This is not about blame. - **Judging by speed:** In 200 people, as much came back after fast loss as after slow loss.[^15] What you can keep up matters more. What comes next is under [Keeping weight off](https://kostenlos-abnehmen.de/en/wissen/gewicht-halten). ## Sources [^1]: [Hall KD, Kahan S: Maintenance of Lost Weight and Long-Term Management of Obesity. Med Clin North Am, 2018](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29156185/) [^2]: [Polidori D et al.: How Strongly Does Appetite Counter Weight Loss? Obesity, 2016](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27804272/) [^3]: [Orsama AL et al.: Weight rhythms: weight increases during weekends and decreases during weekdays. Obes Facts, 2014](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24504358/) [^4]: [Franz MJ et al.: Weight-loss outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of weight-loss clinical trials with a minimum 1-year follow-up. J Am Diet Assoc, 2007](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17904936/) [^5]: [Sacks FM et al.: Comparison of weight-loss diets with different compositions of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. N Engl J Med, 2009](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19246357/) [^6]: [Hall KD et al.: Quantification of the effect of energy imbalance on bodyweight. Lancet, 2011](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21872751/) [^7]: [Nunes CL et al.: Does adaptive thermogenesis occur after weight loss in adults? Br J Nutr, 2022](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33762040/) [^8]: [Martins C et al.: Metabolic adaptation is not a major barrier to weight-loss maintenance. Am J Clin Nutr, 2020](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32386226/) [^9]: [Martins C et al.: Metabolic adaptation is associated with less weight and fat mass loss in response to low-energy diets. Nutr Metab, 2021](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34116675/) [^10]: [Byrne NM et al.: Intermittent energy restriction improves weight loss efficiency in obese men: the MATADOR study. Int J Obes, 2018](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28925405/) [^11]: [Peos JJ et al.: Continuous versus Intermittent Dieting for Fat Loss and Fat-Free Mass Retention: The ICECAP Trial. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2021](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33587549/) [^12]: [Peos JJ et al.: A 1-week diet break improves muscle endurance during an intermittent dieting regime in adult athletes. PLoS One, 2021](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33630880/) [^13]: [Johansson K et al.: Risk of symptomatic gallstones and cholecystectomy after a very-low-calorie diet or low-calorie diet. Int J Obes, 2014](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23736359/) [^14]: [Lichtman SW et al.: Discrepancy between self-reported and actual caloric intake and exercise in obese subjects. N Engl J Med, 1992](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1454084/) [^15]: [Purcell K et al.: The effect of rate of weight loss on long-term weight management. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol, 2014](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25459211/) --- Last updated: November 2026. This is general information and not medical advice. Original article: https://kostenlos-abnehmen.de/en/wissen/plateau