As December winds down, most of us are starting to ask ourselves what our New Year’s resolutions are going to be. Every year for (at least) the last 9 years, my resolution was to lose weight. Well, this New Year, I am excited to say that I don’t have to set that as mine. I have lost a fair amount this year. I know I have worked hard these last 8 months and I will be more than happy to come up with something else that I will try to finish and achieve. Maybe this time it won’t take me 9 years to complete it.
As you know, I use MyFitnessPal everyday. It’s such a great website and the phone app is so handy. Anyway, on the site, there are forums to where people can post questions, frustrations, concerns, comments, etc. I normally steer clear of the forums as some people can be extremely rude when you don't take their advice or some posters take on the the know-all, end-all mentality. But, I found this topic that was posted in March of 2008 and I found it to really hit home with me. The original poster of this topic is SHBoss1673, so I give all credit to him on this. The topic focuses on what to expect during the phases of weight loss. He does a great job hitting all the physical and emotional aspects of going through such a journey. It’s just simply amazing that reading through this I have been at each and every phase and am still going through them. Please take the time to read it in its entirety. Phase 4 and Phase 5 were the hardest for me. I am still battling through Phase 5.
For those of you that have been or are still going through your own weight loss journey, please comment and let me know where you are at and how you feel about what he posted. Enjoy!
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I just wanted to post something about what to expect during the phases of weight loss.
Overview (why I'm posting this)
Over the course of about seven months on here, I have seen many people succeed; I have also seen some drop off the map. I expect this is because some succumb to the demon that is temptation, and some to the devil that is disappointment. I wanted to give a few heads up's to both new comers and veterans to the site. Some may know already, some may not. But either way, if this helps anyone to set more realistic goals in their own head, I feel like it has done its job.
Phase 1. The start of a brand new day! (or week, or month, or year)
Expectations are sky high, usually so is motivation and intentions. This is where most people lose the most weight. At the start it's not uncommon to see four to eight pound losses per week. The reasons for this are mostly (sorry to disappoint) water weight. You drop excess water quickly, and you can have up to five pounds of water weight. The next biggest reason is the fat that is right next to the blood vessels, the stuff that you put on in the last month or three, will melt like butter usually.
Expectations are sky high, usually so is motivation and intentions. This is where most people lose the most weight. At the start it's not uncommon to see four to eight pound losses per week. The reasons for this are mostly (sorry to disappoint) water weight. You drop excess water quickly, and you can have up to five pounds of water weight. The next biggest reason is the fat that is right next to the blood vessels, the stuff that you put on in the last month or three, will melt like butter usually.
Phase 2. Reality setting in.
At about week three to a month or so, people suddenly realize that they are no longer dropping eight, six, or even four pounds a week. This is a crucial phase in your journey. Expect this, it is natural. You have shocked your body by changing both eating habits and exercise routine. Now it has had a little while to become used to the new lifestyle, it's going to compensate. Your body still doesn't believe it's permanent yet, so it will still try to store some fat, so now that it knows how to regulate it's new metabolic levels, it tries to store fat in earnest. It's not uncommon for people to hit a wall here, no loss for weeks. Expect this as well.
At about week three to a month or so, people suddenly realize that they are no longer dropping eight, six, or even four pounds a week. This is a crucial phase in your journey. Expect this, it is natural. You have shocked your body by changing both eating habits and exercise routine. Now it has had a little while to become used to the new lifestyle, it's going to compensate. Your body still doesn't believe it's permanent yet, so it will still try to store some fat, so now that it knows how to regulate it's new metabolic levels, it tries to store fat in earnest. It's not uncommon for people to hit a wall here, no loss for weeks. Expect this as well.
Phase 3. The routine.
At about two months or so, your routine is pretty much set, your body is beginning to believe that you really want to STAY the way you are going now. You will start to see more consistent (but lower, usually one to two pounds a week) loss, also, you should start seeing some muscle tone (depending on how much you had to lose in the first place). If you stop to think, you should realize that you have improved dramatically in your exercise levels. If you do cardio, you should notice how much longer and harder you can work. This is important to realize as it is just as big of an indicator as weight loss. Also, by now you may notice that your clothes no longer fit right. This is also very important. The weight may not be falling off anymore, but you are becoming a smaller person. Weight is arbitrary, if you are building muscle (which your body is doing at a furious pace by now) you won't notice huge losses, but you will notice wholesale changes in the mirror!
At about two months or so, your routine is pretty much set, your body is beginning to believe that you really want to STAY the way you are going now. You will start to see more consistent (but lower, usually one to two pounds a week) loss, also, you should start seeing some muscle tone (depending on how much you had to lose in the first place). If you stop to think, you should realize that you have improved dramatically in your exercise levels. If you do cardio, you should notice how much longer and harder you can work. This is important to realize as it is just as big of an indicator as weight loss. Also, by now you may notice that your clothes no longer fit right. This is also very important. The weight may not be falling off anymore, but you are becoming a smaller person. Weight is arbitrary, if you are building muscle (which your body is doing at a furious pace by now) you won't notice huge losses, but you will notice wholesale changes in the mirror!
Phase 4. Really digging in.
This is where the second wall can happen. You're probably at between three and four months by now, and if you have gone this far, you feel like you have already succeeded. This is where many people stumble. They are tired of the routine, tired of eating different things from all their friends, limiting their alcohol intake. Basically the shine has worn off. This is when you really need to plant your feet. Maybe change up your exercise routine, make a concentrated effort to find different, but still nutritional food. Talk to people. And examine how far you have come. At this point, no matter how much external motivation you receive, it's all about believing in yourself!
This is where the second wall can happen. You're probably at between three and four months by now, and if you have gone this far, you feel like you have already succeeded. This is where many people stumble. They are tired of the routine, tired of eating different things from all their friends, limiting their alcohol intake. Basically the shine has worn off. This is when you really need to plant your feet. Maybe change up your exercise routine, make a concentrated effort to find different, but still nutritional food. Talk to people. And examine how far you have come. At this point, no matter how much external motivation you receive, it's all about believing in yourself!
Phase 5. End game.
Five or six months in you are probably working on that "last ten pounds". This can be discouraging for many as it is a slow burn. Remember, your body probably feels like it is where it needs to be, your brain might think you need to lose ten more, but your body is quite proud of itself now, it feels like it has "Done enough" and it wants to stay RIGHT HERE. The body LIKES to have a little fat around just in case, especially for the ladies (sorry girls, it's just human physiology). If you feel like you still need to lose it, prepare yourself for some guerrilla warfare against your body. Design an exercise regimen that is very dynamic; forget the "same thing every day". Make a plan that challenges you both physically and mentally. Make sure you give yourself a day off here and there to just veg out. And by all means, remember, muscle burns fat at rest. So get some weight or resistance training involved.
Five or six months in you are probably working on that "last ten pounds". This can be discouraging for many as it is a slow burn. Remember, your body probably feels like it is where it needs to be, your brain might think you need to lose ten more, but your body is quite proud of itself now, it feels like it has "Done enough" and it wants to stay RIGHT HERE. The body LIKES to have a little fat around just in case, especially for the ladies (sorry girls, it's just human physiology). If you feel like you still need to lose it, prepare yourself for some guerrilla warfare against your body. Design an exercise regimen that is very dynamic; forget the "same thing every day". Make a plan that challenges you both physically and mentally. Make sure you give yourself a day off here and there to just veg out. And by all means, remember, muscle burns fat at rest. So get some weight or resistance training involved.
The last ten may take three to six months to lose. I know no one wants to hear that, but it's true. And forget the idea of increasing your calorie deficit, healthy bodies need good nutrition, your body no longer has the fat reserves to handle the large deficits you could when you were 30 40 or 50 pounds overweight. Better to make it a 300 or 400 calorie deficit (NET, please count your exercise calories too!). It may take a bit longer, but your body will like you for it. Plus it feeds those new muscles and keeps them burning fat, keeps your skin healthy (elasticity is important when you want those places that were stretched out to "snap back") and keeps you from getting head aches and depressed.
Conclusion:
This is what I have learned, not just from my journey, but from others as well on here. It saddens me sometimes to see people hit one of these stages and not recognize it for what it is, a part of the process. If we all can have realistic expectations, then we are more prone to win the fight and stay healthy in the long run. Note that some people will hit these stages harder then others, some may take longer, but for the most part, this is the rule that the exceptions will come from.
Best health to you all!
SHBoss1673, http://www.myfitnesspal.com/shboss1673
Best health to you all!
SHBoss1673, http://www.myfitnesspal.com/shboss1673