The 5 Stages of Noticing Weight Loss and Fat Loss
The stages of noticing weight loss aren’t always obvious, and they may be different from the stages of fat loss. They also don’t present the same way in every individual. Here are the main things to look for during your weight loss journey.
In my many years as a weight loss dietitian, I have seen that there are common stages of fat loss with my weight loss clients. While on a weight loss journey, it's important to know what to look for to stay motivated and to ensure you're on the right track. Here's what to look for to notice the results of your efforts.
Five Stages of Weight Loss
To be clear, there is no weight loss timeline that applies to everyone. Some people may go through these stages in a completely different order. Some may skip certain stages entirely, and others may cycle through them repeatedly before reaching their goal.
In any case, these are the five most typical body stages of weight loss, according to my experience with weight loss clients.
1. Increased Hunger
As can be expected, when you cut the calories necessary to lose weight from your diet, hunger is sure to follow. However, it may surprise you to know that hunger is actually a good sign, as it means you’re actually in a calorie deficit.
For some, this is one of the biggest obstacles to sticking to a weight loss diet and is a big reason many people throw in the towel before any significant progress can be seen. Experiencing hunger is a natural response to reducing calories. This is a result of the body's survival mechanism to urge you to eat when it doesn't get as much food as it is used to getting.
Hunger Hormones at Play
Not to worry, though, as your hunger hormones will eventually adjust to your current intake after a few weeks of being in your calorie deficit. However, most people give in before allowing this to happen, believing that they are doomed to feel the same intense hunger the entire time they are working towards their weight goal. Fortunately, a well-designed diet plan with a proper macronutrient distribution can alleviate this hunger.
2. Loss in Strength or Speed
If you engage in regular exercise while trying to lose weight, you can expect to notice a difference in your performance when you start a weight loss diet. It's natural to feel weak and less energetic when you are feeding your body fewer calories than it needs.
This becomes especially apparent if your main method of exercise is weight lifting or resistance training and you can expect to go down in weight on most of your lifts. Don’t let this discourage you from lifting. A combination of both resistance training and cardio is ideal, even recommended if you are planning on building some muscle after your weight loss is achieved.
Do not be alarmed by this loss of strength, however. When you begin eating for maintenance it should come back fairly easily. Just don’t expect to gain any muscle during this stage in weight loss, as this rarely ever happens.
3. Objective and Visual Changes
Once you get past the hunger, low energy and, in some cases, mood swings due to the sudden change in calorie intake, this is where the fun begins: weight loss. While your dietitian or other health professional may be tracking your weight during this time as an objective measure of your progress, it shouldn’t be your only metric. Sometimes fat is lost while muscle is gained, which makes it appear as if you aren’t losing any weight at all, according to the scale.
There may also be fluid shifts, inaccurate scales and other variables that make weight a surprisingly unreliable measure of progress. This can be discouraging for many people, especially if they have genuinely been doing everything right in the diet and exercise department. This is why it’s another stage in which people may feel so frustrated that they give up.
That’s why it’s important to track weight along with more qualitative metrics such as how you look in the mirror, how your clothes are fitting, and generally feeling “better.” You can also measure your waist circumference since the waist will usually shrink during fat loss even if your overall body weight has not changed much.
4. Reaching a Plateau and Decreased Motivation
What is the hardest stage of weight loss? The plateau. As mentioned in the previous stage, sometimes weight will not change or will even increase slightly even if you are doing everything right.
True, this could be due to some factors that cause a weight reading that does not reflect your fat loss. But many times weight loss will truly stall. This is called a plateau and it requires the highest level of patience out of any stage in the weight loss journey.
Reaching a Plateau
Why do plateaus happen? There are a number of reasons. As mentioned, you could have gained some muscle which can be confused for fat gain. Sometimes, people see the great progress they are making and get a little too comfortable. They start eating a lot more, become more lax with their diet and believe they have more wiggle room to take one or two extra rest days from the gym.
If you've lost a significant amount of fat, however you haven't adjusted your calorie or macro goals according to your current weight, you will no longer be in a calorie deficit, which can also result in a plateau. A registered dietitian can help guide you in this case.
Battling Decreased Motivation
No matter the reason for your plateau, it’s of the utmost importance at this stage to maintain your motivation. After weeks or months of meal planning, exercising consistently and planning your meals, it's understandable that you feel frustrated when the scale doesn't move and you see no changes despite your hard work.
However, breaking a weight loss plateau is entirely possible, you just have to remember why you wanted to lose weight in the first place to maintain your motivation and seek the help of a nutritional professional if you feel truly stuck.
5. Maintenance
So, you’ve broken through your plateau (or plateaus, as it’s normal to run into several depending on how much weight you have to lose) and have reached your weight loss goal. Congratulations!
But, the work isn’t done just yet. Studies have shown that those who completed a weight loss journey regain half of their weight after two years and more than 80% gain their weight back after five years.
To avoid being a part of this statistic, it’s important to maintain the lifestyle changes you made while on your weight loss plan. Continue to eat balanced meals, be mindful of portions and exercise regularly. Ultimately, though, the easiest way to ensure you can maintain your weight loss? Have a smart and sustainable weight loss plan in the first place.
Short Term vs. Long Term Thinking
When people pursue weight loss by thinking of their diet changes a short term thing, that’s when you run into trouble. Many people think “I’ll just go keto until I lose this weight, then I’ll go back to eating the foods I love!” However, this way of thinking does not serve this stage of weight maintenance.
When fad diets, elimination diets, or other weight loss plans that are so far from your normal way of living are implemented, it can be impossible to sustain. This is because you are missing the nutritional counseling, knowledge, and implementation of lifestyle changes that you can stick to long term.
However, with all of these things in place before you even start your stages of fat loss, you end up better for it in the long term.
The Bottom Line on Stages of Noticing Weight Loss
So, how long does it take to notice weight loss? This varies widely between person to person and depends on your:
starting weight
level of motivation
amount of professional support,
many other factors.
However, the stages of fat loss are usually about the same for everyone. Losing weight is rarely linear, and you often have to deal with plateaus, unpleasant appetite changes, and even some weight gain before you reach your goal.
Maintaining patience and motivation is absolutely key during this time. And understanding the stages you’ll go through can help you to mentally weather the journey.
You should also consult with a weight loss dietitian to devise a custom eating plan based on your specific calorie and macro goals, get advice on how to make sustainable changes to your lifestyle, and monitor your progress to prevent plateaus and weight regain. If this sounds like something you want to get started on yourself, contact me today.