Good News about the Ups and Downs of Weight Loss

The process of losing weight can make you feel like you're on a roller coaster 
- one week you've lost 6 pounds and the next you've gained 4 of it back. If you're not ready for a bumpy ride, these inconsistent results can lead to early failure and cause you to drop out before you reach your goals. It's discouraging when you do everything "right" and it doesn't lead to weight loss each and every week. The first question people ask is "what am I doing wrong?" 

The first question people ask is "what am I doing wrong?" 

 

First, realize that if you're being consistent about following your diet goals and you can track that you're eating the right amounts and types of foods and you've kept up your exercise goals, you're not doing anything wrong at all! Before you let those feeling of self-doubt defeat you, check your negative "self-talk" and realize that weight loss doesn't happen in an exact, predictable straight line week after week. Even though you may be doing the same thing you did the week that you lost 5 or 6 pounds, there are shifts in body weight that come and go (water loss, water retention, muscle building, muscle breaking down and repairing itself, hormonal fluctuations) and this affects total body weight from week to week. Your body is not a machine!

 

So, the first thing you need to do is to be patient and understand that if you're doing what you need to do (and you know that there aren't any logical reasons for the weight shift like overeating, not exercising, partying, etc.) you will see results but only if you keep up your weight loss habits and get through the tough week and every other tough week to come.

 

Next, instead of asking yourself "what am I doing wrong?" ask yourself "what am I doing right?" Focus on the good efforts and the progress that you're making in changing the things that made you overweight or unhealthy in the first place. Document these changes and re-focus  from your current body weight (a temporary thing that will change next week) to the results you're seeing in a better energy level, better health, and the better self-image that comes when you follow through on your personal goals even when it's hard to do.

 

At Personal Dietitian, we don't get too excited about all the advertisements like "lose ten pounds in 10 days".  We hope that you see past these as well.  Real weight loss (body fat) happens when you get past that initial water weight and become a real "fat burner" by improving food choices, eating habits, and including more physical activity in your day. That's real success and real weight control and you can make it happen.  Read more

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