When people ask questions about a diet, one of the things they always want to know is how much weight they can expect to lose in a week. Health advisors, too, talk about how much you should lose per week as if weight loss is a steady progress. However, this is not the case and it is important to understand this if you want to be successful in your diet.
So what really happens when we lose weight?
For most people, the first effect of starting a diet is that a considerable amount of weight is lost in the first 7-15 days. This is particularly true if the diet is very restrictive or has a jump start induction phase.
What do we mean by 'a considerable amount'? Well, it will depend on the person and the diet. Generally, heavier people will lose faster, and men will lose faster than women.
A man who weighs over 300 lb might drop 15-20 lb in the first two weeks. A woman who is only a little over the normal range for her height might only lose 2-5 lb in the same time on the exact same diet.
After the first two weeks, you can expect your weight loss to slow down. Some people experience their first plateau at this point and do not lose anything in week 3.
If this happens, it is vital to stay motivated and stick with your diet. You have probably moved into a second phase which is less restrictive but that is not the reason for the plateau. It is simply that having lost a lot of weight, much of which was water, the body is taking a little time to adjust to its new set point.
This will happen over and over as you continue with your weight loss. You'll lose different amounts for 2-4 weeks and then there will be a week or two when you don't lose. It's possible that there will be times when you will even gain a little. But it's a question of taking two steps forward and half a step back.
After the plateau there will come a moment when for no apparent reason your weight drops again. Anything that was gained is lost, along with more.
Tracking your progress on a graph will help you see this clearly. The graph will move downward for a while, then it will flatten out or even rise a little, then drop again. Over time, you could maybe work out an average, but from week to week the variations can be great.
Have patience. Do not be tempted to return to phase 1 or look for a different diet. That will just send you off the rails completely. Stay with your plan and if you want to change anything, think about getting a little more exercise. You will soon see the weight dropping off again.
