Trying to Fix a Fitness Plateau? Don’t Make These Mistakes
When your progress stalls, it’s easy to panic and start doing all the wrong things in the name of “fixing it.” In this episode, I’m breaking down the most common mistakes women make when they hit a fitness plateau—and why these go-to fixes like eating less, adding more cardio, or jumping into a new program are actually making things worse. If you’re feeling stuck, this episode will help you understand what not to do, so you can stop spinning your wheels and start seeing progress again.
What I Discuss:
Why eating less and less can slow your metabolism
The truth about cardio and why more isn’t always better
What really happens when you cut carbs too low
How overtraining leads to burnout, not progress
Why switching workout programs too often kills your results
How to spot whether it’s a true plateau—or just a consistency issue
If you loved this episode, You’ll also love episode 331: 5 Reasons Why “More” Isn’t Better
If you want more from me, be sure to check out...
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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 in, let's go, let's get it, let's go. Hello, and welcome back to another episode on the Embrace your Real podcast.
00:33
I am so glad that you are here spending some time with me today, because we're going to be talking about something that every woman runs into at some point on her fitness journey, and that is the dreaded plateau. You know that feeling. You're doing all the right things, you're showing up for your workouts, you're eating healthy, you're being consistent, and yet nothing is changing. The scale's not moving, your clothes fit the same, your strength isn't increasing, and you start to wonder am I broken? Am I doing something wrong? Do I need to start over completely? If you've been there, this episode is for you. Not only are plateaus totally normal, most of the time, we go about breaking through them in all the wrong ways, and so, in today's episode, I'm going to be breaking down the biggest mistakes that people make, and this episode is part pep talk, part strategy and part myth busting, because I want you to walk away feeling empowered, not frustrated, but also have the steps and the tools that you need to take so that you can start to actually bust through this plateau.
01:27
But before we dive in, I want to share this review. It comes from Kay Definitely Knows I love that username. She gave a five-star review and said perfect timing. This show is so positive and real. Episode 300 popped up on my phone while I was in the garage working out and super struggling with body image and just feeling down for no full, tangible reason. It really did help me put things into perspective. Thank you so much. Thank you so much, kay, for leaving that rating interview. It definitely means the world to me. I love when you guys leave specific reviews on like a particular episode. That really helped you. So I'm so thankful that episode 300 popped up on your phone while you're working out in the gym. That just sounds like perfect timing and so that to me, is a God wink. It's not a complete coincidence. I think God's like hey, you need this little pep talk. I've got it for you. So, so grateful that you took time out of your day to send in that rating interview. If you guys could scoot you over to Apple Podcasts and leave a rating interview, that would mean the absolute world to me and our team.
02:24
All right, so let's dive into these mistakes that we often make when we are in a fitness plateau. Number one we eat less and less calories. This is, hands down, the most common quote unquote solution that I see. When women hit a plateau, they're saying if I'm not seeing results, I just must be eating too much, so I'm just going to eat less. But here's the thing your body is smart, like really, really smart.
02:46
And so when you keep lowering your calories without giving your body time to rest or reset, your metabolism adapts to match that lower intake, and this is called metabolic adaptation. Right, it's your body's built-in survival mechanism. When it senses that energy, which is your food right, is consistently low, it assumes that the resources are scarce and your body responds by burning fewer calories at rest, holding on to body fat more tightly, decreasing energy output from non-exercise activity like fidgeting, walking down-regulating key hormones like leptin, which regulates hunger and fullness, your thyroid hormones, which controls your metabolism. Your sex hormones, leading to things like irregular cycles or low libido, and, last but not least, cortisol, which can actually increase when you're under eating, plus overstressing. So not only are Do you stop seeing results, you start feeling it too right. You're more tired, you're more hungry, but you're never satisfied. You're sluggish in your workouts, you're constantly thinking about food and if you stay in that low calorie zone long enough, you can start to lose muscle mass, which further slows your metabolism and makes your body recomposition even harder. So let me say this very plain and very clearly If you're already in a deficit and you're not seeing progress, the answer is to not cut more. In fact, it might be time to eat more to support your metabolism, but we'll get into that in the next section.
04:10
Number two you likely start adding in a bunch of extra cardio. Like I get it the logic. It feels like the right move, like cardio burns more calories, right? So if your body isn't changing, it must be because you're not burning enough. But here's the truth Cardio is a tool, not a fix-all, and too much of it can actually stall your progress even more. And let me kind of break that down Like yes, cardio burns calories, that's true, but it also comes with something called diminishing return.
04:37
So the more cardio that you do, the more efficient your body becomes at doing it, meaning over time you actually start to burn fewer calories doing the same amount of cardio. So you end up working harder for less return. So not only that, but when you pile on cardio, especially high intensity stuff like running or hit or spin, without enough fuel or recovery, your body perceives it as stress. And what does it do in response? It cranks up that cortisol, your stress hormone. So elevated cortisol over time leads to that water retention, fat storage especially around that midsection in women cravings, blood sugar instability, interrupted sleep, poor recovery, increased inflammation not exactly the fat burning environment that we are going for right.
05:24
And so where it gets even more frustrating is that too much cardio can also lead to muscle loss, especially if you're in a caloric deficit and not prioritizing strength training or protein and muscle. Well, muscle in your body, that's your metabolic engine, it's what gives your body shape, it's what drives fat loss, it's what keeps your metabolism high. And so if you're doing tons and tons of cardio and losing muscle in the process, you're not just stalling, you're slowing down your long-term results. You might see the scale drop at first from water or muscle, but your body composition won't change the way that you want. You'll just feel skinny, fat, like flat, like your clothes fit the same, even though you're working harder.
06:06
Also, doing more cardio is super mentally draining a lot, at least for the majority of people. And this part matters too, because when you treat cardio as a punishment or this desperate fix, it creates this toxic relationship with movement. Like you start to dread your workouts, you feel burnt out and your motivation takes a hit. Working out becomes something you have to suffer through, not something that makes you feel strong and empowered, and that mindset is not sustainable and it's definitely not what we're building in this community. So the bottom line is cardio can and should be part of the plan Again, if you want it to be, but it should never be the entire strategy for breaking a plateau. Think of it as a supplement, not a solution. So you're going to use it, just use it intentionally. Low intensity cardio, like walking, is fantastic for recovery, for hormone health, for stress relief. Sprinkle it in, especially around your strength workouts, but don't make it the star of the show. Muscle should always be the priority. So building and preserving muscle is really how you change your shape and you boost your metabolism and you break through those plateaus for good.
07:13
Number three cutting carbs, even the healthy ones. Okay, let's talk about carbs, because they hit a really bad rap, like when women hit a plateau, one of the first thoughts that comes up is maybe I should cut out bread or fruit or sweet potatoes, and some even go full keto, thinking like that's the key to jumpstarting fat loss. But listen to me, carbs are not the enemy. If you are strength training, which I hope you are, carbs are actually your primary fuel source, like. They're stored in your muscles and liver as glycogen, and your body uses that glycogen to power you through your lifts, your circuits and your everyday movement.
07:49
So what happens when you slash carbs too low? Let me kind of walk you through it your glycogen stores deplete, so this means that your muscles don't have the fuel that they need and your workouts start to feel flat. You can't lift as heavy, you fatigue faster, your performance drops, you feel sluggish and weak. So without enough carbs, your energy crashes, not just physically but mentally. You start dragging throughout the day. Your motivation to move absolutely plummets. You stop building muscle efficiently. So your body needs insulin, which is triggered by carbs to help shuttle nutrients into your muscles post-workout. So without it, your muscle building potential actually slows down and your muscles lose fullness and shape. Carbs help your muscles to hold onto water and look fuller and more defined. So when you drop carbs, your body can look smaller, but not necessarily leaner or more toned. You lose that tight, strong appearance and feel flat. Your recovery suffers. So glycogen isn't just for performance, it's also key for recovery. Without enough carbs, your body doesn't bounce back as quickly between workouts, which can lead to soreness, fatigue and eventually burnout. Your hormonal balance takes a hit. So as a woman, your body is especially sensitive to low energy availability.
09:06
Like going too low carb for too long can actually disrupt your cycle, can lower your thyroid output, can elevate your cortisol all of which make fat loss harder, not easier. And last but not least, you start craving everything. Ever notice how you lower your carbs? The harder it is to stick to your plan. That's your body actually trying to protect you, because cutting carbs too low can lead to these binge restrict cycles that wreck consistency.
09:33
Okay, so I know a lot of you are thinking I cut carbs and I had a lot of weight loss at first. But let's kind of chat through about the initial weight loss. Yes, cutting carbs often leads to quick weight loss in the first week or two. But let's be clear that's not fat loss, that's water weight. Every gram of stored glycogen holds on to about three to four grams of water. So when you cut carbs, your body burns through glycogen and releases that water. You drop a few pounds and it feels like progress, but that's very temporary, and unless you're in a sustainable, well-fueled routine, that progress rebounds fast and you'll regain the water and maybe even extra fat once you reintroduce carbs, because your body was never actually losing fat to begin with.
10:16
And so all this to say carbs are not the reason that you're plateauing. In fact, cutting them could be the reason that you're stuck, and so, instead of eliminating them, learn to fuel with them. That's how you move forward without burning out. So if you've been scared of carbs or you just don't know how much you actually need, you're not alone. I get it. There's no need to guess. And so I do have a program for you. I will go ahead and link it. It's called my Macro Academy, made Simple Online Academy, but I teach you how to calculate the right amount of carbs, protein and fats in your body based on your workouts, your goals, your lifestyle, and you'll learn when to eat, how to adjust over time and how to finally fuel your body with confidence. Because once you know how to eat to support your goals, you'll actually stop.
11:03
Number four doing more and more and more instead of smarter. This one is sneaky because it kind of sounds like dedication right, like you've hit a plateau and your brain immediately goes okay, I just need to work harder. I'll add a workout in, maybe I'll stop skipping rest days. I'll double down and push through it. I get it Like. This mindset is so common, especially among high achievers, enneagram number three people that just go, go, go, go go.
11:25
But here's the truth most women need to hear your body doesn't get stronger from working out. It gets stronger from recovering after your workouts. Let me repeat that for the woman in the back your body does not get stronger from working out. It gets stronger from recovering after your workouts. Let's let that sink in for a second. We've been trained to believe the more equals better. More workouts, more sweat, more calorie burn. But here's the truth More can actually hold you back if it's not paired with the right amount of recovery, rest and fuel.
11:55
And let me kind of break down the science. So when you strength train, you're creating tiny micro tears in the muscle tissue, and that's the point, like it's called progressive overload challenging your body just beyond its current capabilities so that it has a reason to adapt. That's literally what those micro tears are doing. Right Like it's, you're challenging your body just beyond its current capabilities so that it has a reason to adapt. But here's the catch those muscles only grow and they only get stronger when you give them enough time, nutrients and rest to rebuild. If you keep training hard day after day without enough recovery, the tears don't heal properly, the inflammation builds up, the cortisol rises and, instead of adapting and progressing, your body stalls or, even worse, it starts to break down.
12:40
So if your progress has plateaued, it might not be because you're under-training. It might be because you're over-stressing and under-recovering. If you never take a true rest day or you're under training, it might be because you're overstressing and under recovering. If you never take a true rest day or you're constantly adding more and more to your plate more workouts, more cardio, more intensity here's what you might experience Chronic fatigue, like you're always tired even after sleep Plateaus, no matter how much effort you put in, you still do not see change. Poor sleep your nervous system never powers down. Increased inflammation, which can stall fat loss, impair recovery, muscle breakdown especially if you're under fueled and mental burnout you stop looking forward to your workouts or you dread them altogether. Eventually, it leads to a total crash where your body just won't respond anymore. Your motivation, yes, that tanks along right with it.
13:25
So what does that mean for you and your fitness plateau? Well, it likely means that you don't need to do more. You need to do it better. You need to recover, you need to refuel and you need to give your body the support that it needs to respond, because progress doesn't come from going 100 miles per hour. It comes from knowing when to push and when to pull back. You don't need more hustle, you likely need more balance. And, last but not least, number five, program hopping, aka why you're not actually stuck. You're likely just starting over too often.
13:57
Okay, let's talk about the final plateau trip. It's a big one, and that is scrapping your current workout program. The second that things slow down. You know that thought process like this plan isn't working. I should be seeing faster results. Maybe I need that 30-day shred that everyone's doing, or the new bootcamp challenge on Instagram. Here's the truth, though If you haven't given your current program eight to 12 weeks of consistent effort, you haven't hit a real plateau, you just interrupted your own progress. Let me repeat that again because I think it's so important If you haven't given your current program eight to 12 weeks of consistent effort, you haven't hit a real plateau, you've just interrupted your own progress. Because let's be real for a second the urge to start over with a different plan when you're not seeing results that's called program hopping, and it's one of the biggest killers of results.
14:44
Your body needs time to adapt to a training stimulus. When you start a new program, you're introducing new movement patterns, new intensities, new muscle recruitment strategies, and at first, your body's just going to be figuring it out. You might feel sore, challenged or even energized, but that initial excitement doesn't mean that you've made lasting change yet. True progress happens through progressive overload, which means challenging your body a little bit more, week after week over time, and this could be, you know, lifting slightly heavier, doing more reps, increasing time under tension, working out four days a week or five days a week instead of two or three, or improving your form. But if you switch programs consistently, your body never gets the chance to fully adapt and grow stronger. You keep restarting the process without giving it time to work.
15:33
So before you completely scrap your program and chase something new, pause and reflect and ask Okay, have I truly been consistent with this plan for the last 8 to 12 weeks? Not perfect, but have I shown up 80 to 90% of the time? Am I following the workouts as written, including the rest days, progressive overload, or am I just kind of cherry picking? And, last but not least, am I supporting my training with good recovery, sleep, hydration and nutrition? Because if you're outside of, your workout habits are not in check, no workout plan is going to work. Let me repeat that again If you're outside, the workout habits are not in check, no workout plan will actually work. Let me repeat that again If you're outside, the workout habits are not in check, no workout plan will actually work.
16:10
If you're not doing these things consistently, it's not the program, it's the execution. And that's actually good news, because that means that you don't need to overall everything, you just need to recommit to the basics. Okay, but one more thought on this topic. You might be consistent and you might be doing everything right, but if your program isn't designed for progressive overload or if it's too random, your results will be limited. And that's not your fault, it's just the plan isn't aligned with the principles of building strength, muscle and fat loss, and here's what I mean lack of structure. So if your workouts are changing drastically from week to week, like you're doing all different muscle groups from week to week, like you're not following any sort of structure, that's going to never give your body a chance to adapt.
16:51
If there's no progressive overload, so you're not increasing intensity, volume, weights over time, your muscles have no reason to grow stronger. And if it's too much of the same, if you're doing the same exact muscle or exercises over and over again, or you're always doing high intensity circuits without giving your body time to recover, you're likely not targeting all of the muscles effectively. And this is like, again, kind of cherry picking. So if your program is just cherry picking certain moves and it's doing those same moves but you're not adequately working your entire muscle group, then it's not going to follow the basic principle of strength, muscle and fat loss, and so that's likely why you're not seeing results. So what do you do if this is happening. Well, number one, you have to reassess your program. Make sure that it includes progressive overload. Again, this is something that you can do on your own if the program itself is not a strength program.
17:42
So like, for example, my weekly workouts inside my Moot with Julie app, they are weekly workouts. They are there for the majority of women who want to get stronger, but they also just want to stay consistent and they want to train effectively and efficiently in their time constraints as well as their equipment constraints. So in there I give you moves. So we have a move of the month in lower body, a move of the month in upper body, a move in the month in shoulders and glute stays, and that's where you gradually, over time, increase the reps and or volume. And then also from week to week, although the moves change from week to week, the basic muscle groups are staying the same. So you will always see some sort of chest press, you will always see some sort of back row, you will always see some sort of deadlift or some sort of squat. And so we are working those compound, we are doing those compound movements, but we are adding in some variation, but from week to week you are able to get stronger, able to challenge yourself with those.
18:40
Number two vary your rep ranges and rest periods, so this is going to challenge your body in different ways. So 10 reps, 12 reps, 15 reps, 20 reps, whatever it is, or maybe eight reps or six reps, depending on the movement, if you go heavier or if it's a two in one movement or three in one movement, whatever it is. Number three include rest and recovery. Without it, you are not going to make progress, no matter how hard you work. And last but not least, number four, again, like I just mentioned, focus on those compound movements squats, deadlifts, presses that hit multiple muscle groups for maximum efficiency. And again, that's one of the biggest reasons why I created the movement with Julie was to solve this exact issue.
19:17
Most plans don't balance intensity, progression and recovery properly, right, and so inside this app, every single workout is designed to follow kind of progression over the course of the week, over the course of the month, making sure that you're hitting all of those muscle groups, including proper rest times, ensuring that you're always challenging yourself in a smart, sustainable and effective way. You're never going to be left wondering you know what to do next or whether your plan is working. It's literally laid out for you in a way that works with your body, not against it, and so if you feel like your plan is missing the mark, this is exactly why I structure my Moot with Julie, and it's really designed to keep you consistent and progressing and seeing results. You can go to sale that's S-A-L-Emootwithjuliecom and you can get 50% off your first month if you are a brand new subscriber. But if you're stuck, it might not be you, it could be your program isn't aligned with the principles that lead to real, lasting progress, and make sure that it's set up for success. Like smart training beats overtraining every single time, let me say that again, smart training beats overtraining every single time. Okay, so there you have it. Those are all the things that you should never do if you are in a fitness plateau. Let me quickly recap what we talked about. If you are stuck in a plateau or feel stuck, don't panic, don't slash calories, don't pile on cardio, don't go low carb and don't scrap your plan and start over from scratch. If you've only been doing it for two or three weeks and haven't seen results, you don't need a harder plan, you need a smarter approach and, again, that is why I created my Movement With Julie community and fitness program. So you can learn more by going to sale. That's S-A-L-Emovementwithjuliecom.
20:53
If you love this episode, I know you'll also love episode 331, five reasons why more isn't better. I will go ahead and link that in the show notes below, but that is all that I have for today's episode. I love you so dang much, I mean it, and I'll talk to the next one. 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.
21:22
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.