Think You’re in a Plateau? Here’s How to Know—and What to Do About It
Feel like you’re stuck even though you’re doing everything right? Before you overhaul your whole plan, listen up! In this episode of Embrace Your Real, I’m walking you through exactly how to tell if you’re truly in a fitness plateau—or if there’s just one key piece missing from your routine. I’m also giving you 5 of the most effective and sustainable strategies to break through a plateau without burning out or giving up.
What I Discuss:
The difference between a real plateau and a perceived one
6 questions to ask yourself to confirm if you’re actually stuck
Why living in a calorie deficit too long can stall your progress
The four macro counting phases you need to cycle through
How strength training and progressive overload move the needle
Why walking more can be a game-changer for fat loss
How recovery (not more hustle) might be the secret you’re missing
The power of loosening your grip and focusing on joy over pressure
Resources to help: Macro Counting Made Simple + Movement With Julie
Episodes Mentioned:
Episode 529: Do You Actually Need 10K Steps a Day?
Episode 13: How Much Weight Should I be Lifting?If you want more from me, be sure to check out...
Follow me on Instagram: @juliealedbetter | @embraceyourreal | @movementwithjulie
Movement With Julie | App: https://sale.movementwithjulie.com/
Macro Counting Made Simple Online Academy: https://www.macrocountingmadesimple.com/
Website: www.juliealedbetter.com
Get my eBook: FREE Macro Counting Ebook
Amazon Storefront: Julie Ledbetter's Amazon Page
Transcript:
00:00
Hey there, beautiful human, you're listening to Embrace your Real with me, julie Ledbetter, a podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I dish you a dose of real talk and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned. If you're ready to embrace your real, let's get it. Let's go. Hello and welcome back to another episode on the Embrace your Real podcast.
00:31
I am so glad that you are tuning in, because today we're going to be talking about something that so many women message me about, and that is they think that they are in a plateau. They're like, julie, I'm in a plateau, what do I do? Like, maybe you've been crushing your workouts. You've been watching what you've been eating, you've been showing up consistently, but you just feel like, all of a sudden, the progress is just slowing way down, you're not getting stronger, your body's not changing and you feel like you're just stuck. I know that it can be so annoying, so that's exactly what we're going to be diving in into today's episode. Today, I want to help you figure out two things. Number one, are you actually in a fitness plateau? And number two, if you are, what should you do next, because if you're not asking the right questions or using the right tools to fix, you could be spinning your wheels for weeks or months without even realizing it.
01:15
But before we dive in, I want to share this review. It comes from Paula Kronix. She gave a five-star review and said just what I needed. I subscribed to this podcast after starting Julie's workout plan and both programs are just what I've needed. I felt so good every day working out to one of Julie's at-home dumbbell routines and then, while I'm listening to the podcast, julie's voice pops up with the exact advice that I need, just when I need to hear it. Thank you for helping me with my weight loss journey and health journey. It has been a real blessing. Thank you again. I am so grateful. Thank you so so much, paula, for this review. I really really appreciate every single one of your guys' reviews.
01:50
If you haven't scooched over to Apple Podcasts, you can click over there, type in Embrace your Rail. First, make sure you subscribe so that you never miss an episode and then, when you scroll all the way down, you can just leave a rating and review. It really does help us out, kind of just know how the podcast is helping you, whether it's a specific episode or just the podcast in general. We would love to hear it. Okay, so before we dive into solutions, we need to figure out what if, like if we are truly in a plateau or if it is just a perceived one. So let's kind of chat through what a plateau checklist is.
02:20
First things first. I want you to ask yourself number one have I been 80 to 90% consistent with my workouts for the past six to eight weeks? Not just I've been doing some workouts or I've been moving here or there. I'm talking about showing up consistently at least 80 to 90% of the time for your schedules training sessions as they're written, and you need to be honest with yourself, like this means if your program that you have committed to has, you know, four workouts per week, you've been consistently hitting three to four workouts per week for eight to 10 weeks. You are not just skipping, like the strength sessions, and just doing the fun ones. Instead, you are doing all of the prescribed workouts and you're showing up even when you're not feeling super motivated, unless your body truly needs the rest, like you're very, very sleep deprived or you've been sick or whatnot. Because you have to remember that real progress doesn't happen from on again, off again, effort. It happens from compound consistency over time. Not perfection, but intentionally showing up. So if you've only been consistent, you know, for even two or three weeks, give it more time before assuming that you're in a plateau.
03:23
Number two you have to ask yourself have I been tracking my food accurately most days of the week? And this one's big like. Especially if your goal is fat loss or recomposition or even strength building, and you're not tracking your food with accuracy most days of the week, it's very easy to either eat too much or too little without even realizing it. So you have to ask yourself am I logging meals before I eat them and not just guessing after the fact? Am I measuring portion sizes instead of just eyeballing everything? Am I accounting for the bites and the snacks and the extra things that add up throughout the day? And last but not least, am I being honest with myself? Even on the weekends, even the small inconsistencies can keep you stuck, and so if you're just kind of tracking, you might not be in a plateau. You just might not have the full picture yet.
04:10
Number three ask yourself have I been getting seven to nine hours of quality sleep? Remember that sleep isn't just about energy. It's literally where your body does its best work when it comes to fat loss and muscle recovery. Hormone regulation, appetite control because poor sleep can actually lead to increased hunger hormones, because the ghrelin goes up, the leptin goes down, cravings for carb and sugar, lower insulin sensitivity, making it harder to lose fat, decreased recovery from workouts and increased cortisol, which is your stress hormone. So, even if you're doing everything else right, this chronic sleep deprivation can completely block your progress. So if you're only getting five to six hours a night, or your sleep is constantly interrupted, it's time to focus there, before assuming that you are stuck in a plateau Asking yourself number four have I been managing my stress reasonably well?
05:01
I know this one is really not easy to measure, but it really does matter so much. Like, when your stress is high, your body produces more cortisol, and when your cortisol stays elevated, your body holds on to fat more stubbornly. Right, especially around that mid section, you craved more high processed, high calorie foods. You don't recover as well from your workouts. You feel more fatigued, overwhelmed, burned out. Your hormones can get totally out of balance. And so check in honestly like have you been creating? Have you been creating space to decompress, like walking, journaling, praying, deep breathing, taking screen breaks, something to regulate that nervous system. Remember that even five to 10 minutes of intentional time, that can make a huge difference over time.
05:48
Number five asking yourself have I been recovering properly, taking rest days, drinking water, stretching, eating enough protein? You don't build your dream body during your workouts. Let me say that again. You don't build your dream body during your workouts. You build it after them, during recovery. And so if you've been going hard every single day but you've also been skipping rest days, you've been under-hydrating, you've been never stretching. That could be why you're not seeing progress. You have to ask yourself am I taking at least one full rest day per week? Am I drinking at least 80 ounces of water a day, more if I'm active or breastfeeding or whatever the case is in your season of life? Am I doing mobility, foam rolling or even just basic stretching to help my body recover? Am I supporting my recovery with protein and sleep? Because if recovery has not been a priority, your body could likely be inflamed, it could be stressed, it could be stuck in this protection mode which looks a lot like a plateau. Ask yourself.
06:46
Number six have I been progressively overloading in my training, aka adding weight, reps, time, volume, whatever it is. Your body needs a reason to change. Like if you've been doing the exact same thing every week, same weekend and week out same weight, same reps, same intensity your body will likely stop responding. That's not a plateau, that's just adaptation, right? Progressive overload means you're lifting slightly heavier than last week or last month, you're doing one to two more reps, or you're taking it very slow and controlled. You're adding in that additional two to three seconds at the top or the bottom of that movement and then, coming up, you're increasing that time under tension. Like I just mentioned, improving form or technique. You're reducing that rest time slightly if appropriate. Again, rest time is important. Especially if you are lifting the proper weights. You need to be taking a proper rest time. But that could be something that you know. If you don't have access to heavier weights, there are so many other ways to increase that volume increase that time under tension, reduce that rest time. So if you haven't been intentionally increasing your challenge in your workouts, your results will naturally stall right.
07:53
So before changing your plan, you have to ask yourself have I been pushing myself to progress? And if the answer is no to any of those, you might, and you are likely not in a plateau. You might just be missing one of those foundational pieces. But if you actually answered yes to most of them and you really have not seen changes in six to eight weeks, you've been honest with all of those things your food intake, your training, your sleep, your recovery, all of those things then, yes, you might be in a real plateau, and the good news is I kind of want to walk you through five of the most effective, sustainable and science-backed ways to get out of that plateau.
08:27
So let's dive into the next part of this journey. Number one you have to change the phase of macro counting. So if you've been in a caloric deficit for a while and by a while I mean eight plus weeks or more and you're not seeing changes, you are, like I said, being consistent. You are staying very consistent with your eating. You're not just mindlessly eating or just estimating it or eyeballing it. It's likely that you need to shift phases, because your body was never meant to live in this deficit forever, right? When we talk about macro counting, there are four primary phases that you should be cycling through, and let me kind of dive into those. So phase one is the deficit phase, and this is where fat loss happens, but it's not a place to live in. You are consuming fewer calories than your body is burning to create that fat loss, but staying here too long leads to hormonal changes, slowed metabolism and, yes, even plateaus.
09:21
Phase number two the reverse diet phase. This is the phase where most women skip, and likely because they just get overwhelmed. They don't know how it works, but it's so important. So, after time in a deficit, your body needs time to slowly increase calories to return to a healthy maintenance level, and it's really how you preserve your muscle, you restore your metabolism and you set yourself up for success in your next fat loss phase or even in your maintenance phase. Right, because your maintenance phase can be a higher number of calories if you are properly reverse dieting.
09:54
Phase number three the maintenance phase. And this is kind of where you hang out. This is where you live your life, this is where you stop obsessing over the scale. This phase is all about body recomposition. You're building muscle, you're keeping fat gain low, you're supporting hormone health, energy consistency. Again, it's basically just think of it as the phase where you're just hanging out. You're living your life right.
10:16
And last but not least, phase number four is the muscle building phase. So in this phase, you intentionally eat in a small caloric surplus to support building lean muscle. Now, this doesn't mean getting bulky, it just means fueling your body with enough food to recover well, to lift heavier and to create definition and tone. Right that you're creating and building that muscle so that when you get back into that fat loss phase, you will be able to see more definition and more tone because you've actually built more muscle. You have to remember that most women want to look leaned and more sculpted.
10:52
This is the phase. The muscle building phase is the phase that helps make that actually happen, because you can't shape what hasn't been built. Let me say that again you can't shape what hasn't been built. Shape meaning that if you you know, once you go back into a caloric deficit, if you have been building muscle, you're likely going to see more definition. But if you haven't been actively building more muscle, it's you're likely going to go back into that caloric deficit and you're not going to see the definition that you've been wanting. So if you've been in a deficit too long, that could be your plateau. You might need to eat more, not less. But you also might need to start eating more strategically through a reverse diet.
11:30
If you want to learn more, I highly suggest gaining access to my Macro County Made Simple Online Academy, because I literally walk you through how to properly and effectively cycle through these different phases. So the four different phases that I just mentioned. So the deficit phase, the reverse diet phase, the maintenance phase and the muscle building phase. I show you how to effectively cycle through those different phases. If you're not sure what phase you should be in or how to transition between them, this is exactly what I teach you, right? I break down each phase, how long to stay in them, how to adjust based on your goals and your lifestyle. So if you want to learn more, you can go to MacroCountingMadeSimplecom and yes, it is very, very beginner friendly. Again, the link is in the show notes to go check that out.
12:12
Number two you have to pick up heavier weights or start strength training period. If you haven't, the hard truth is, if you're not lifting weights or you're not lifting heavy enough, you will hit a plateau. It's not if it's when your body adapts very fast, and so if you've been doing the same 10-pound dumbbells for months or just relying on body weight HIIT workouts. No wonder your progress has stalled right? Muscle is the engine that drives your metabolism. Let me say that again. Muscle is the engine that drives your metabolism. The more lean muscle that you have, the more calories you burn at rest and the more your body shapes and changes and the easier it becomes to break through those stubborn plateaus. But you have to remember that you don't get more muscle by doing more reps with light weights. You get it by challenging your body with heavier loads, increasing resistance over time, working to near failure with good form. So those last one to three reps should be nearly impossible, but you're still able to maintain that proper form and also prioritizing those compound moves like squats, deadlifts, presses, whether that's chest press, shoulder press, whatever it is.
13:17
If you've been doing cardio only or sticking to the same circuits week after week, it's time to step up your strength training. This does not mean two-hour workout sessions. Even three to four short, focused, very, very strategic, planned-out strength workouts a week can make a huge difference because it's really training smarter, not harder. Muscle isn't bulky, it's empowering and it's your best friend when it comes to really breaking through a plateau. If you're unsure of how much weight you should be lifting. I actually have a very OG episode. It's episode 13, how much weight should I be lifting? So I will go ahead and link that in the show notes below so that you can go check that out.
13:57
But even if you're not sure, kind of where to start when it comes to strength training or how to actually train with progressive overload without spending hours in the gym or in your workouts, literally. This is why I created my Movement With Julie app. Inside this app, you are going to find structured workouts where you can do between two to five workouts per week, depending on what fits your life right. Every workout is built around smart programming, progressive overload, total body balance all of those things so that you're not guessing what to do or you're stuck in the same weights, same reps, loop right. Whether you're brand new to lifting or you're just ready to challenge yourself with heavier weights or just fun, effective workouts, I walk you through step-by-step. You'll know how to lift, what to do, when to rest so you can finally start seeing real results without burning yourself out. And that's why I give you brand new workouts every single week. Yes, the same, similar movements, compound movements, the chest presses, the shoulder presses, the deadlifts, all of those things from week to week are going to be similar but different variations. To keep it fun and exciting and engaging, you can go to SALE. That's S-A-L-E dot MUMUJULEcom. Again, that's SALE. S-a-l-e dot MUMUJULEcom. I would love to train with you inside. I would be honored to be alongside of you in your journey. And if you are a brand new subscriber, you actually get 50% off your first month inside the app. So you can go to sale. That's S-A-L-Emoonwindjuliecom. Or I will link it in the show notes as well so that you can go check it out.
15:27
Number three walk more. I know this one sounds so simple, but it's so wildly underrated. Like, if you're not getting at least I would say, seven to 8,000 maximum of, you know, 10,000 steps a day on average. Again, some days are going to be higher, some days are going to be lower. Your body might not be moving as much as it would like to outside of your workout. So find the number of steps a day that meets your body's needs. Maybe 10K isn't realistic, I know. For me, like right now, that's just not realistic in my season of life. So maybe aim for 6,000 or 7,000. Even just a little bit of more walking is going to be better than none, no matter what, right Again, even if it's not 10,000 steps. And here's why Because of NEAT N-E-A-T, which stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis.
16:12
This is the energy that your body burns just from living your life walking, standing, cleaning, taking the stairs and get this. It accounts for 15 to 30% of your total daily calorie burn. Let me say that again your knee, your non-exercise activity thermogenesis. So you're walking, you're standing, you're cleaning, you're playing with your baby, you're taking the stairs. That accounts for 15 to 30% of your total daily calorie burn. And so if you're crushing your workouts but you're sitting completely still for the remainder of the day, your overall activity is low. Fat loss will likely slow down. Walking more can help to combat this. Plus, walking more can give your body more movement without causing you to overtrain, which is what we want to avoid. Walking also lowers cortisol, it improves digestion, it boosts recovery, it clears your mind, it keeps your metabolism humming without the added stress.
17:04
So if you are stuck, try this. Set a step goal, track it, prioritize a morning walk or take mini walking breaks throughout your day. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, but it absolutely works, and I actually just recently did an entire episode on this and giving you tips on how to walk more. So you can go check out episode 529. Do you actually need 10K steps a day? I will go ahead and link that in the show notes, but in this episode I really do also share tips on how to get more steps in your day.
17:33
Number four recover better. Now, this one is massively, in my opinion, overlooked and it's probably the number one reason why I see women stuck in a plateau, even if they're doing everything that they think right, right, quote, unquote, right. Because some real talk for you is that you can train like an athlete, but if your recovery is complete trash, your results will be as well. Let me say that again you can absolutely train like an athlete, but if your recovery is trash, your results will likely be as well. I'm sorry if that was harsh, but it's actually the truth. Like recovery needs to be taken more seriously.
18:08
More often than not, I see women stuck on a fitness plateau simply because they're not giving their body the proper recovery that it needs. So asking yourself Am I drinking at least 80 ounces of water a day? Am I getting seven to nine hours of sleep each night? Am I managing my stress through breath, work, praying, walking downtime? Am I stretching or foam rolling at least two times a week, and am I hitting my protein goal? Most women need around one gram per pound of goal body weight. So whether that's 0.75 to one gram per pound of goal body weight, of protein per day I know I've mentioned these things already in this episode, but they are so important. So if the answer is no to even a few of those, your recovery might be holding you back. Your muscles don't grow in the workout. They grow during sleep. They grow during rest, after protein, during downtime. So before you ask your body to do more, you have to ask if you've actually been supporting it enough to respond. And last but not least, number five relax and have fun.
19:11
This one is the most important and also the most counterintuitive, right, because sometimes the reason that you're not seeing progress is because you're gripping too tight. You're obsessed with the weight loss, you're obsessed with your measurements, you're obsessed with the tracker, you're obsessed with your macros. You're so focused on what's not happening that your nervous system is literally stuck in a constant state of stress, and stress mental, emotional or physical really does make it harder for your body to change. Happiness and peace can really be the most underrated fat loss tool that there is, and I know that this might sound wild, especially when they are so conditioned and when we are so conditioned to believe that fat loss only happens through the grind and by doing more. But the truth is that most women don't hear enough that your emotional state impacts your physical health.
20:04
Let me say that again your emotional state impacts your physical health and results, and so when you're constantly stressed, when you are anxious about progress, when you're frustrated with your body or you're obsessively tracking every number, you're literally keeping your nervous system in a state of chronic stress. And guess what happens? When your cortisol, which is your stress hormone, stays elevated, your body starts to hold on fat, especially around that midsection, your belly right. Your hunger and fullness cues get completely dysregulated, your sleep quality tanks, your recovery stalls, your cravings skyrocket, and the list goes on and on and on. So if you're doing everything quote, unquote right, and you're still not seeing progress, your next move might not be to push harder. It might be to loosen your grip on your progress, like focus more on being happy than the progress that you're seeing from your workouts.
20:54
Sometimes the thing that is holding you back isn't your workout routine or isn't your macro split. It is the pressure that you've put on yourself to constantly be changing. Take a breath, let go a little bit. Happiness, joy and peace are not extra. They are 100% still part of the plan.
21:14
Okay, so let me recap. I know today's episode encompassed a lot, so let me kind of just recap what we talked about. So, if you think that you are in a plateau, start by asking yourself have I truly been consistent with my workouts? Am I tracking my food accurately most days of the week? Am I sleeping enough? Am I managing my stress? Am I actually recovering that's, hydrating, stretching, eating enough protein and am I progressively challenging myself in my workouts? If you answered no to any of those, you might not be in a plateau. You might just need to tighten up, kind of those basics. But if you've been doing all of those things, you've been honest and you're saying, yes, I've been all of those things and you're still not seeing results or change after six to eight weeks, then yes, you're probably in a real plateau. And here's how to break through it.
22:01
Number one change the phase of macro counting. You cannot live in a deficit forever. Learn how to move through the deficit reverse, maintenance and muscle building phases. Number two pick up those heavier weights. If you're not strength training or not lifting heavy enough, your body has no reason to change. Number three walk more. Remember that NEAT, that non-exercise activity, thermogenesis, is powerful and walking is a very underrated fat loss tool. Number four recover better. This means sleep, water, protein, stress management, mobility and, last but not least, number five loosen that grip. Stop obsessing over the progress and instead start focusing on peace and joy and showing up with consistency. The second that you really stop forcing it, your body can finally respond. You don't need to overhaul your life. You just need to look at what your body's asking for and actually listen.
22:55
Before you go, don't forget everything else I mentioned in this episode that's linked for you in the show notes, so you'll find my Macro Counting Made Simple online academy. So if you're ready to learn how to cycle through all four phases of macro counting the right way. So, whether you're in a fat loss phase, your reverse diet, maintenance or muscle building, I have all of that inside that program. You can go to macrocountingmadesimplecom and I've also dropped the link for Movement With Julie so you can grab 50% off your first month If you're a brand new subscriber. Those are my dumbbell-only workouts. All you need for them are a few pair of dumbbells in a small space, genuinely, and you can gain access to smart, structured strength training that helps you break through plateaus without the burnout. So you can go to sale that's S-A-L-Emovementwithjuliecom to learn more.
23:41
And if you want to dive deeper into a couple topics that I mentioned, you can check out episode 13, how Much Weight Should I Be Lifting? And episode 529, do you Actually Need 10K Steps? So there you have it. I hope that this was kind of just like your toolbox, something that you can put in your toolbox and your toolkit so that you can really just remind yourself all of the things that go into really asking yourself honestly if you are in a plateau, yes or no. If no, you can continue working on the basics. If yes, you know and now have the five tools that you need to really, hopefully, break through that plateau. So that is all that I have for today's episode.
24:20
I hope that this was helpful. If you have a friend, a coworker, someone in your life that you feel like would really benefit from this episode, I just ask that you share it out with them. You can copy the link, send it to them in a text message. You can also screenshot this and post it up on your Instagram story. I love you so dang much. I mean it, and I'll talk to you in the next.
24:42
All right, sister, that's all I got for you today, but I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you are not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie, a ledbetter yes, it's with an a in the middle for that daily post-workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing, be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world, and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real, because you're worth it. Thank you.