Weight Loss is Not Linear

I've seen a lot of threads about this since I joined, and also felt the same when I got stuck at 8 stone. So I thought I would share a great ( short ) article on what actually happens during weight loss.

You won't consistently lose 1-2lbs every week. You may even stall for several, and then gain one or two! But if you stick at it long enough you WILL see some results in time. ( as long as you are following a sensible plan of course! )


http://artofweightlossblog.com/the-true-path-of-weight-loss/

The True Path of Weight Loss
by Darren Beattie
Is not linear.

You do not step on a weight scale on day one and go down 4-8 lbs over the next month.

You do not get your body composition done every month and watch it go down 1-2% every single time.

You do not continue to lose 4-8 lbs every month for the duration of your efforts.

You could be perfect with your routine, and yet still not hit your expectations. Hopefully by now we both know that’s not really a realistic expectation —being perfect — for an extended duration of time.

Even if you were perfect or very close to perfect, you will not see a linear form of weight loss.

There is way more than that going on in your body, during the process of weight loss.

Losing weight is a non-linear process, something most people have yet to realize.

You absolutely need to give yourself a minimum 6 months with this process to really see the effects of your efforts over a long-term and I think a full 12 month commitment is an even better time frame to work with.

You may lose nothing for 3 months and then suddenly drop 10 lbs in that fourth month.

In fact it’s been my experience that this frequently happens, and most people drop off before they get results because it’s hard to stay motivated without seeing a little bit of progress.

Generally speaking though, if you’re completely new to training, the first thing that is going to happen is simple neurological changes and physiological changes, that rarely lead to weight loss.

These changes occur over the first 4-8 weeks and set you up for success at that point for making real weight loss progress.

I’m not saying I have an outline for you to view though, you could lose 8 lbs the first month, gain 2 lbs the second month and lose 6 lbs the third month. I’ve seen all kind of strange things happen.

This is perfectly normal. Your body will retain water more on certain days, you may put on a little muscle one month, your sleep patterns can affect weight, your nutrition that day or the day before can affect weight, the time of day can affect weight.

There are just too many variables to keep an eye on to get a really good sense of where you are at, at all times.

This is what everyone expects:


The expectation



This is what everyone actually does:





What you should look for is trends, like you would if you were investing in the stock market.

If you are following a trend towards your goal over all, then you are probably doing something right. The data you record over the long-term is what is important, not the data from week to week, or day to day.

Keep doing that, when you flat line for an extended period of time, now it’s time to consider changing something but only after you’ve given a program or your nutritional programming the time to take effect.

Watch the overall trend and you will be successful. Look for good patterns, don’t sweat it when you don’t lose the same or more weight week to week.

It’s about tweaking, not starting over every single time.