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 7 months on here, I have seen many people suceed, 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 dissapointment. I wanted to give a few "heads up"s to both new commers and vetrans 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 it's 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 4 to 8 lb 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 5 lbs 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, it will melt like butter usually.

Phase 2. Reality setting in.
At about week 3 to a month or so, people suddenly realize that they are no longer dropping 8, 6, or even 4 lbs a week. This is a crutial 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 permenant yet, so it will still try to store some fat, so now that it knows how to regulate it's new metabolic levels, it tryies 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 2 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 consistant (but lower, usually 1 to 2 lbs 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 becomming 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 3 and 4 months by now, and if you have gone this far, you feel like you have already suceeded. 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 your 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.
5 or 6 months in you are probably working on that "last 10 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 10 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 guerrila 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. And by all means, remember, muscle burns fat at rest. So get some weight or resistance training involved.
The last 10 may take 3 to 6 months to lose. I know nobody wants to hear that, but it's true. And forget the idea of increasing your calorie deficite, healthy bodies need good nutrition, your body no longer has the fat reserves to handle the large deficites you could when you were 30 40 or 50 pounds overweight. Better to make it a 3 or 400 calorie deficite (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!

-Banks

ummm..... ditto!

Scarily accurate! Looks like I'm in stage 3, and I'm going to allow myself to be pretty proud for getting there. Great information to keep in mind throughout the journey. This should be required reading!!

Thank you it is nice to know what to expect. So when I hit that wall of not loosing it wont hurt as much. I will fight hard to keep with this program. My sickness is a great incentive but living and feeling good about yourself will be my reward. Thank you for giving me some where to go when I need support and to meet some fantastic people.

Wow--I can tell I'm in stage 4. I can tell I'm allowing myself indulgences I wouldn't have considered a few months ago because I'm getting tired of it, I guess. I'm trying to change up my exercise routine. I usually run on my treadmill, but I've been waiting for a kickboxing DVD I ordered and it hasn't come and I'm frustrated because I WANT to do something different!

Thanks for the great reminder that I'm in this for the long haul!

Thanks banks!!!

Great post banks!

I'm at stage 4 - after 9 months, I'm slower than most.

Well said Banks! Everyone should read this.

I am just beginning Phase 4 after almost 4 months. And I admit, I am dreading the "last 10 lbs". Luckily it will be summer by then and I will have so many more exercise options outside!

Heres to being in stage 4
After 6 months!
Cheers Banks!!!

Thank you, it will help to know these Phase's

just gonna give this a quick bump

bump. I feel like people really need to read and understand this.

That was excellent Banks! Thanks for sharing.

Oh, I almost forgot:

Phase 6: Maintenance

So this one is probably the hardest of all, not because any particular portion of it is difficult, but there are a few demoralizing aspects to it. First, most of us have spent so long overweight and trying to lose weight, seeing the scale stagnant at one spot for a long time (even if it's our goal weight), can have a negative effect. Second, here is where we look at the big picture, and there are no more goals to try to attain, so the "What now" mentality really comes into play. It's hard enough to stay focused when you have a goal in sight, it's ten times harder when there is nothing left to shoot for. At this point it's a mental game. If you want to avoid YoYoing, you need to find things you really enjoy, both food wise and exercise wise, that take the chore aspect out of a healthy lifestyle. I am smack in the middle of this stage right now, and since my main exercise is Baseball, I am doing anything and everything to bide my time until I can get outside 2 to 3 times a week with the team to practice. There is really no "sure fire" answer to this stage. You just have to be concious of the fact that it's not going to get a heck of a lot easier and you just need to buckle down and ramp up the things you enjoy that will help keep you fit!

Hope this helps.

This is very very helpful! Bumping it so more can learn

Thanks Banks!!! That is fab info. I'm just beginning, again. I missed a week and kinda got off track, but back now !!!

Thank you. I am in stage 5. It has been a struggle, but I did as you suggested and the scale is starting to move again.

I am in stage 3 so i'm a little behind you guys, but i'm getting there. I finally seemed to have got over the plateau stage!

Thanks, Banks! Your posts are so motivating.

I'm in stage 3 moving rapidly towards stage 4. I just keep telling myself, "it's about small changes," over and over. That's what keeps me from falling off the wagon! I'm probably only losing half a pound per week, but that's better than gaining!

Bump.

I'm definitely in about Stage 3. And I'm a lot like Melathon - I have to "coach" myself with encouraging phrases.. that this is a PROCESS, it's BABY STEPS but at least they are FORWARD steps. A lot of weight loss is about ATTITUDE. I have to choose my attitude. And so I just have to keep trucking along and I sure hope to still be here later this summer or however long it takes to share what it's like in Phase 6 (Maintenance)!!

Thanks, Banks!

This is great, informative and useful.. I thank you. Keep the bumps coming too.. much appreciated

I'm in stage four. Gave up on the site for about a week, gained a few pounds(5 ) but now I am back at it. Glad to see that it is just part of the "battle"!

B is for the bad crap I used to put in my body.
U is for the ugly state my belly was in.
M is for the mad workouts I do during the week.
P is for the playing I will do this summer (baseball).

Thanks BANKS! That was great - I think I'm stuck in #2 at week 4, and I was getting really ticked off - but reading your post helped! Can't wait to hit phase 3.