The first stage of weight loss is when you tend to lose the most weight and begin to notice changes in your appearance and how your clothes fit. It usually happens within the first 4–6 weeks ( 1 ). Most of the weight loss in this stage comes from carb stores, protein, and water — and to a lesser extent, body fat.
Mostly, losing weight is an internal process. You will first lose hard fat that surrounds your organs like liver, kidneys and then you will start to lose soft fat like waistline and thigh fat. The fat loss from around the organs makes you leaner and stronger.
While everyone loses weight differently, dropping as little as 3 to 5 pounds can show up on your face first, Eboli says.
"Women and men of average height need to gain or lose about three and a half and four kilograms, or about eight and nine pounds, respectively, for anyone to see it in their face.
Usually, when you lose the fat, it comes off in the opposite order that it was stored. If your body tends to store fat in your face or belly first, these will be the last places where it would shed from. The facial skeleton forms the foundation and shape of your face, and supports overlying soft tissues.
Your body stores fat as a resource to help protect you against starvation if you can't take in enough food. However, your fat reserve isn't the first place your body goes for food; instead, it reaches out for sugar for energy. Just being hungry doesn't mean your body is burning fat.
Do you ever wonder why the number on the scale doesn't move after you've made many changes to your diet and lifestyle? When the scale doesn't move, you are losing body fat while gaining muscle. Your weight may stay the same, even as you lose inches, a sign that you're moving in the right direction.
While you definitely don't need to feel hungry all day long to lose weight, a moderate level of hunger is important in order to signal to your body when it's time to eat.
Commit for a period
It takes time for the body to deplete fuel stores and mobilise fat stores and as such ensuring you are giving yourself enough time to lose weight is important. As a general rule of thumb, you will need at least 3-4 weeks to drop 3-5kg and up to 3 months to lose 10kg.
The triglycerides release fat as carbon dioxide and water atoms during fat metabolism or oxidation. In other words, fat leaves the body as carbon dioxide when you exhale. The fat which becomes water mixes into your circulation until it's lost as urine, tears, sweat and other bodily fluids.
But do you really know what's realistic? Over the long term, it's smart to aim for losing 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 1 kilogram) a week. Generally to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week, you need to burn 500 to 1,000 calories more than you consume each day, through a lower calorie diet and regular physical activity.
The rule of thumb, Fernstrom says, is that losing 8 to 10 pounds translates to going down one size. Still, if you lose "up to 15 pounds, you may be OK in your old size," she says. But putting off buying new clothes until you really need them doesn't work for everyone.
Your slower metabolism will slow your weight loss, even if you eat the same number of calories that helped you lose weight. When the calories you burn equal the calories you eat, you reach a plateau. To lose more weight, you need to either increase your physical activity or decrease the calories you eat.
You can further lose up to five kgs in a week by following a calorie deficit diet, though experts suggest that it is best to target losing 1-2kgs per week. The key is to keep the body in fat-burning mode with the combination of restrictive eating and increased physical activity.
Depending on the number of carbohydrates you eat, you can quickly lose weight or lose more slowly. Most people want to lose weight quickly. However, 10 kilos in two weeks difficult to achieve, even on the Atkins diet, this is not a healthy way to lose weight. 10 kilos in two months is more realistic.
Water can be really helpful for weight loss. It is 100% calorie-free, helps you burn more calories and may even suppress your appetite if consumed before meals. The benefits are even greater when you replace sugary beverages with water. It is a very easy way to cut back on sugar and calories.
When your body is losing more fluid than you can take in, you become dehydrated. With less water moving through your body, your urine becomes more concentrated. This can make other substances in your urine, such as fats, more visible.
Many studies have shown that following low calorie diets, including 1,200-calorie diets, can promote weight loss. For example, a study in 2,093 people with obesity demonstrated that a medically supervised 1,200-calorie meal replacement diet resulted in an average fat loss of 4.7% over 12 months ( 6 ).
But it may be healthier to go to bed hungry than eat too close to bedtime. There are several side effects associated with eating right before bed. Eating after dinner or late at night can result in weight gain and in an increased body mass index (BMI).
Lummus says that when your body goes into starvation mode, your metabolism slows to a crawl, burning calories as slowly as possible to conserve its energy stores. This is why people who cut their calories too much may reach a plateau and stop losing weight.