#182: Stages of Weight Loss: A Guide to Long-Term Success

 Are you stuck in your weight loss journey, wondering why the progress has slowed or why you're hitting roadblocks? In this episode, we dive into the 5 key stages of weight loss—from the initial excitement to the inevitable plateau and the crucial maintenance phase. You'll learn:

✨ Strategies to overcome plateaus and stay consistent
✨ Tips to build habits that last a lifetime
✨ Discover the real science behind sustainable weight loss and why understanding the process can help you achieve lasting results. 

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Transcript

#182: Stages of Weight Loss: A Guide to Long-Term Success

So when you're on a weight loss journey, it's really important to understand that there are different stages of weight loss. So what happens and what I've seen happen with so many women is they get to a different stage and they think that suddenly it's not working and then it's not working and then they, they.

pivot and they change. And the thing is that what actually you were doing was working and you don't need to change. It's just understanding through the phases. When you can understand the phases of weight loss, it can make it really easier for you to get through the really tough times and know this is all part of the process.

You know, we need to be really clear on the difference between understanding the difference between fat loss and weight loss because they are not the same thing. Most people's goals is to lose fat. And when you initially start restricting, you will lose weight, but you won't lose fat. You might see different fluctuations on the scales from day to day.

You're losing water weight. The ultimate goal would be to lose fat. Do you want to be able to lose fat while maintaining or gaining your muscle? And when you can do, you can do this by focusing on protein and eating more protein to help maintain your muscle. And we noticed this, um, when we're doing different programs and I've body scanned people when I can, I can tell straight away because the first time I did a body composition scan, I.

I did a body composition scan and I, uh, lost five kilos, but in that five kilos that I lost, I lost probably three kilos of muscle because I wasn't eating right. I wasn't eating the right amount of protein. So I was actually better off when I weighed heavier.  Um, but I would never have understood that if I hadn't done a body scan.

Let's start understanding the, uh, the stages of weight loss. So the first stage is kind of going to be your motivation stage where we're feeling a lot more motivated and we're excited about the whole process. So you've made the decision to start losing weight. You, um, You know, everything seems the plan seems shiny, new, exciting, we're ready, we're ready to get going.

Um, everything seems really achievable. We've got lots, lots of motivation. You are likely to see results quite quickly during, during this phase, but it's understanding that sometimes a lot of this, the initial results can be water weight. So what I've seen happening people is  That they get this, they have this, uh, initial loss and then the first couple of weeks and then the week three or four, whatever, they're not getting that same amount of loss and they feel disappointed or they feel that it's not working because they didn't get as good a result, you know, in the week three and four is what they were in week one and two.

And it's just because that, um, It's understanding the different stages and, and initially you're going to lose that water weight. Now we understand a lot more of that because we understand the things that affect the scale. Okay, so you've hopefully gone through that video by now.  So, so you are going to get this initial, um, this initial fast weight loss.

And, um, but you know, because as you're reducing your calorie intake, you're reducing your carbohydrate. It will begin to use the stored glycogen instead of because you're not replenishing it. But the fact is during this phase, you're not losing fat. So when people talk about, um, changing their body shape, you know, feeling more toned, defined, all of that, that's when we start to, uh, you know, like losing the fat and increasing muscle mass.

Okay. So stage two  becomes, um, a bit of a slower rate, weight loss and a bit more of a reality check. So that initial motivation has slowed down a bit. We start to realize that what we're doing isn't as exciting, the shininess and the excitement of the first phase is started to really, really wear off and reality has kind of clicked in a little bit.

During this phase, you might start to have more cravings or, you know, we're still not there yet. The habits still aren't ingrained enough to be stick. So you do need to be really more disciplined and be aware that this, this phase is. You know, the slow weight loss is how weight loss is going. Weight is going to stay off forever.

During this phase, just one small thing can, can derail  you because, because the motivation isn't there as good as what it was in the first phase. The habits, we haven't been doing that long enough. So this is where you see lots of people start trying to strain or giving up because they feel that it's not, uh, it's not working for them.

They're not getting it quick enough. So we really want to become aware that, uh, during this phase that, that this can happen to us and aware, aware of the signs, have in place things to help you out. For when you hit these roadblocks, because again, during any weight loss, any weight loss phase, any weight loss cycle, you are, um, you are going to hit roadblocks.

And, um, what I see is when people hit these roadblocks is that's when they give up. And what the thing is that the roadblocks, uh, They, you're going to hit, you're going to hit them and it's inevitable. And it's more likely to think about how quickly can you get back up from that and keep moving forward and not give up and not do what you've done before. 

Um, because, because most people just give up and they think it's not working and they think it's impossible for them, or they, they don't want to do it. Think, Oh, this is not working. I'm going to try something different. When actually you just need to stick to this a lot longer than what you expect to. So changes on the scales, it will come down, but it will come down at a slower pace during stage two.

It is here where you may need to tweak things in your diet, in your diet. diet to suit your lifestyle a little bit more during the phase where the, while the weight loss is slower, you are actually losing fat. Okay. So you are losing fats, which is what you're wanting to lose. So remember you don't, You don't want to be losing, you won't lose any more than 500 to 100 grams of to one kilo, sorry, of fat per week.

Anything more than that is water weight. So if you feel hungrier during these phase or anything, you just want to focus on protein. And protein is going to help, um, reduce your body fat percentage while increasing or maintaining your muscle mass.  And we don't, we don't want to lose muscle because when we do lose muscle,  it's really hard to get back.

So the muscle you have, you want to maintain and you want to go, but it's also, um, it's also important to understand that it's, it's really hard to put muscle on can be very complicated. So what I say to all my clients, I says, during this phase, we want to, we want to maintain your muscle mass. So I don't expect any of that to change.

Yes, you will be working out. Yes, you'll be doing this, but we want to maintain your muscle mass. Why reducing your body fat percentage. Stage three is a plateau.  So we're all going to hit a plateau and expect that this is going to happen. So you're going to hit  a plateau. We can't be restricting forever.

You've been restricting and calorie for a few months now. You've been restricting your calories and you've had lots of setbacks. roadblocks, which I said are expected. We, um, it's been a roller coaster of emotions and you're starting to find this balance and not get discouraged. And then you're, you're getting more consistent with your exercise and your meals. 

And then you hit this plateau.  And you're thinking, why?  What's going on? Why is this happening? And I do have a guide for you that will help you through the plateau when you hit it. Um, so make sure that you download the  guide. Um, but it is really,  It is really an inevitable phase, but we also need to understand that we can't always be on a diet forever.

So we need to, we need to get back. We need to be restricting, uh, restricting your calorie, you know, like lessening calories. And then we need to go back to maintenance. So when you hit that plateau, sometimes you need to go back to maintenance or we need to look at your own individual circumstances. Go back to maintenance for a little while, get your body back to normal, reset that point of your weight and then, and then go back and start the phases again.

It's a journey and that's the thing is understanding. So once you hit the plateau,  be cheering, be right. Yes. Think this is me hitting my plateau.  I've hit the plateau. I'm going to go to maintenance for a little while. Okay. So you want to be in maintenance as long as you've been in the phase of weight off weight loss.

Okay. So you go back to maintenance and this is crucial. Okay. So when you hit the plateau and you go back to maintenance and then you go, then after that, Then, uh, after you've been in maintenance for a while, then you can go back to weight loss again. So the fourth stage is that we are starting to really make these habits.

So we are starting to, um, create real lifestyle changes. Um, we, and it no longer feels like an effort for you. It no longer, it just feels like part of your lifestyle. You are, you don't feel like you're dieting. Okay. So we don't feel like we're dieting or restricting. It is, it is just part of our lifestyle.

And this is. This is how, how we live. Habits take longer than we think to form. And, you know, our brain is always wired to keep us safe, and it's wired to go for what's familiar. So it, you know, it does take time to really concrete these habits. Now it's also understanding that you can swing between phases.

You can swing between stages and phases. And, um,  so, so it's something that, and like I said, you know, between stage one and stage two and, you know, and creating the habits and the plateau, like, you know, it's a, it's a long time because if you are constantly restricting your body, you, your body will just shut off things.

It will just shut off because it's not getting enough. It's not getting what it needs. So it'll do what it can do to preserve its energy. Um, it will only go to use the,  the vital things that your body, that your body needs, not anything extra, which, which is what happens when you're always restricting.  So, so these habits, so in the fourth stage, your habits are well, well established, and it really does feel good.

Part of your lifestyle. Now the fifth stage is maintenance, maintenance, and you know, is, is really maintaining this weight loss. So we don't yo yo and it is a stage that's often missed. So, because people, what I see happen all the time is I see people losing weight. And they lose weight and they feel really good about themselves and then they've lost the weight and then they go back to their normal lifestyle.

Um, the habits, they haven't been doing that long enough for these habits to be really concrete. And then, so then that means that then they put weight on and what happens is they put weight on even more. So they put their weight on that. They initially lost plus even more. So that's why this fifth phase is really, really important because you still want to have check ins.

You still want to have someone to make you accountable. We still want to make sure that you're making these choices that support where you want to be. And, um, it's, you know, it's something that we just don't want to. We don't want to yo yo.  We don't want to yo yo because that stuffs up your metabolism more, it messes with your head, and you know, and that's the thing is, so it's really important to understand the fifth phase,  which is maintenance and maintaining your weight loss and your new, your new lifestyle.

So if you were doing, that's why before you start anything, I always suggest whatever you're going to do, it has to be something you can stick to forever. Things you can do about To, to keep, to maintain your, in your maintenance, um, to maintain your weight loss in your fifth stage is, um, always make sure you're still preparing your food, uh, keeping healthy snacks around on you.

So you've got them for you. Try to avoid processed food as much as possible. Increase your protein intake. So protein's going to keep you full. It's going to help build muscle. Track and self monitor. I, I still always, I love my watch. It's a guide. To tell me things, I have a diary. I write things in my diary.

You know, I still really make informed choices all the time. What's going to make, I judge stuff about how it'll make me feel  and what's going to feel good for my body and feel good for me. You know, monitor stresses and have a stress management plan. And the other thing is, It's maintaining things while it's good, because what I also see happen all the time is people, they go, okay, everything's good.

I don't need to do that, but you still need to do it when it's good, because if you maintain it when it's good, when it gets bad, it doesn't get bad as, as, as bad as it can be because you've still kept that maintenance, even when you think you don't need to, it's, it's really important and focus on your sleep. 

Sleep is number one. Sleep is gold. So sleep is key and maintain your sleep. So it can be a really tedious, um, long process of weight loss. And, but the thing is remembering when it's slower, okay, you are losing fat and not water.  And you are keeping it off and we have to spend the time about developing these habits so the habits can work for you and the habits are all about something you can stick to for your life.

Okay, and, and taking the time to nuttle this stuff out and work this out is means you're going to keep the weight off. You're not going to yo yo anymore. We need to set ourselves up for inevitable roadblocks because they are inevitable and it's part of the process.