You've been working out regularly, eating well, and initially saw promising results. But now you've hit a frustrating plateau. According to Autumn Bates, a certified clinical nutritionist with a master's in nutrition and human performance who shares tips with her 600,000 YouTube subscribers, this is a common issue she sees with clients. "It's usually at this point that they come to me," says Autumn. "What's interesting is it's not usually a really big, glaring, obvious thing that's holding most people back from achieving their goal, but pretty small, little tweaks." Let's explore these tiny habits that might be sabotaging your progress and the simple fixes to overcome them.
Problem 1: The Sneaky Sweet Tooth
Those small, seemingly insignificant sweet treats throughout your day could be the biggest culprit behind your weight loss plateau. Autumn explains that about 80% of the people she works with experience this exact issue.
"It's where they're eating very well, exercising, focused on protein, fat, and fiber, but then they might have a little bite of something," Autumn points out. Whether it's a small piece of candy at the office, a nightly peanut butter cup, or a handful of dried fruit after lunch—these tiny hits of sweetness add up when you're trying to break through a plateau.
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Solution 1: The Seven-Day Sugar Reset
First, determine if you're having sweets because you're genuinely hungry (which might mean you need to eat more at meals or increase protein intake) or if it's purely habitual. For sugar addiction, Autumn recommends "a clean slate by removing all forms of added sugar for at least seven days" to reset your taste buds.
"Our body gets used to the flavor of sweetness in a similar way we get used to caffeine," says Autumn. "The more consistently that we're having these really sweet flavors, the more that we need to have of it to get the same result." A seven-day reset breaks this cycle and reduces cravings naturally.
Problem 2: The Wind Down Paradox
After a long, stressful day, many of us unwind by watching TV. While this seems relaxing, it can easily turn into hours of screen time, pushing your bedtime later than intended.
"This means you're getting less sleep than your body needs," Autumn warns. "You have lower melatonin, which means the sleep you're getting is of poor quality." The results include increased sugar cravings the next day, elevated hunger hormones, and preferences for larger portion sizes—particularly around the midsection where stress hormone cortisol tends to deposit fat.
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Solution 2: The 30-Minute Screen Time Limit
Autumn suggests setting a strict time limit for evening screen time—ideally no more than 30 minutes. "Even setting just any type of time limit is a great place to start," she says.
Once you've reached your limit, switch to genuinely relaxing activities: "Do other things that wind you down like get ready for bed, take a shower, take a bath, go for a walk, or read a book." These alternatives promote better sleep quality, allowing your natural sleep hormone to rise and giving you longer, more restorative rest that supports weight management.
Problem 3: All-Day Caffeine Consumption
It's surprisingly easy to consume caffeine throughout the day—morning coffee, afternoon tea, and even chocolate as an evening treat. While some caffeine offers benefits for cognition and athletic performance, constant consumption disrupts your hormone balance.
"Too much coffee can make our cortisol go up," Autumn explains. When caffeine keeps cortisol elevated, it interrupts the natural rhythm where cortisol should dip in the evening to allow sleep hormones to rise, affecting both sleep quality and weight management.
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Solution 3: Morning-Only Caffeine Strategy
The solution is simple but effective: "Stick to no more than one to two cups of coffee or caffeinated drink and specifically have it in the morning when our cortisol levels are supposed to be higher," Autumn recommends.
This timing works with your body's natural rhythms and allows plenty of time for your system to process the caffeine before bedtime, regardless of whether you're a slow or fast caffeine metabolizer. The result is better hormone balance and improved sleep quality—both critical for breaking through weight loss plateaus.
Problem 4: Underestimating Protein Needs
Many people think they're consuming adequate protein but fall short of what's actually needed for weight loss. This deficiency has serious consequences for body composition and metabolism.
"When we have lower amounts of protein, it can cause our body to start to lose weight from our muscles as well," says Autumn. "This can be as high as 30 percent of our weight loss coming from our muscles." The result is a slower metabolism and difficulty maintaining progress—plus you're losing less fat despite the scale moving.
Solution 4: Visual Protein Measurement
Research suggests you need at least 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight to preserve muscle while losing weight, but your individual needs may be higher based on activity level.
Autumn's practical approach: "A little hack is to just a couple of times measure out your proteins that you typically are eating. If it's like fish or chicken or beef or yogurt, whatever it is, measure out the amount you would need at each meal just a couple of times." This creates a visual reference you can use moving forward without constant measuring, making high-protein eating sustainable.
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Problem 5: Weekend-Long Cheat Days
A common pattern is eating well Monday through Thursday, then going off-plan Friday through Sunday with pancakes, nachos, pizza, alcohol, and processed foods—effectively undoing half a week's progress.
"The biggest reason why I see people do this is because they're really tired of the clean food that they're eating during the week," Autumn explains. "They see those clean foods as more of a punishment rather than something that they truly enjoy," leading to weekend rebellion against bland "diet" meals.
Solution 5: Enjoyable Everyday Eating
The sustainable approach is to make your everyday meals delicious and satisfying. "Make sure that you're actually enjoying the food that you're eating during the week so that you can have the occasional treat meal," Autumn advises.
When your regular meals are both nutritious and enjoyable, you can indulge in a single treat meal (not entire days) without feeling deprived. "By the time it is the weekend, you'll be able to more consciously think about the treat that you want to have—something that maybe isn't as in line with your goals like a pizza, but also that you truly love and enjoy—and be able to balance it out with the other foods that also support your goals and taste great."
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