3 Phases of Weight Loss: #2. Loss
Something that keeps coming up in conversation is weight loss and the process. If you think that if you move a little and eat ‘well’, you will lose weight. Essentially, this is true, but once you dive into the details of weight loss, exercise and food, there is so much to learn.
I keep a safe space where I don’t blame, shame or judge anyone who wants to talk to me about anything health related. I believe honesty is the best policy and pride myself on being me while we talk. Talking helps to promote knowledge. It illustrates what we know, what we think we know and can even highlight what we don’t know or (my favourite one) don’t know what it is that we don’t know. Confused? I’ll simplify.
I have been through the process of weight loss. It is not always easy or fun, but it is worth it. Lately, in discussions I have had, I have had to define the process of weight loss more and more to explain how each phase impacts our lives. The more I have researched, read and talked about this, I believe it something worth writing about.
The Three Phases of weight loss are 1. Gain, 2. Loss and 3. Maintain.
In each phase, there are different stages that you go through and overcome. I will discuss each phase in more depth. I have broken this down into 3 blogs for the next 3 weeks. Today, I’m going to dive into the details of the stages during the Gain Phase.
Weight Loss In General
To me, weight loss is about tweaking our habits in ways that work for us to reach our ideal weight. There are different tweaks that I believe necessary for each of the phases and in turn each stage as well. For instance, you cannot go back to the habits you had during the Gain Phase after you lost weight in the Loss Phase. If you want to maintain your newly lost weight, you have to find a happy medium or what I call balance.
Balance, to me, is understanding good and bad, it is enjoying high energy days along with rest days, massive workout sessions and easy breezy, relaxing walks or healthy meals and meals containing sometimes foods. Balance, to me, is no starvation or deprivation. Balance is all about moderation.
I focus on a balanced lifestyle. This is because I believe a little good and bad is always necessary. Should there be equal amounts of good and bad? Probably not because but everyone will have their own amounts of each that they can live a healthy life and a happy one as well. Weight loss is about finding what balance will work for you, so you are not overwhelmed or frustrated.
Weight loss is tricky but it doesn’t have to be daunting, and you don’t have to feel inadequate or overwhelmed. I know, I have been there.
To me, the Gain Phase happens when you are less mindful about your choices when it comes to eating, drinking, socialising and relaxing. These are the ‘normal life’ habits that you fall back into when you are cruising through life. You then have to undertake changes through better choices to enter into and to get through the Loss Phase. There are more dramatic changes from Gain Phase to Loss Phase. Then you tweak your habits from the LOSS Phase again for the Maintain Phase. In the Maintain Phase, you find what per cent of good and bad you need to sustain the weight that you feel great at.
As a mentor, people want to the secrets of weight loss; it seems like everyone wants a magic pill. Sorry, there is no pill. The Gain Phase is quite gradual, so you have to be mindful that the Loss Phase has to be as well.
There is, however, something that can be help, knowledge. And knowledge is power. Knowledge is what helped me. Understanding what you are going through, where you are at and what needs to come next is the best way to take action. Action or change is what gets results.
After all this, I want to dive into the stages of the Loss Phase.
Loss Phase
A friend of mine who has recently been through a whole-body transformation – she lost half herself looked and pointed at herself one day as we were talking and said, “this sh*t is hard work.” This made me giggle, but at the same time it made me think – it is that simple. Weight loss is hard work.
You HAVE to be ready to be hard on yourself and make choices that serve YOU and only YOU. Are you ready? It is a big commitment, but it’s worthwhile. A great way to think of it is
“Nothing worth it is ever easy, and nothing easy was ever worth it.” – unknown
There are metal, physical and emotional changes necessary to take place to alter certain behaviours. And doing all this while living your normal life with the same routines as friends and family – HELLO this is not going to come easy. HOWEVER, as stated before
“Nothing worth it is ever easy, and nothing easy was ever worth it.” – unknown
Do you see what I am getting at? Take the Gain Phase, for example, it was easy to gain weight because you weren’t thinking about it. It just happened over time, and you lost focus for a little while. Was it worth it? No. At least not right now because now, you want to lose it.
Ok, now that we know it will be hard work, how do we understand the stages of the phase so that we know we can get to the end and lose the extra weight that you are currently frustrated with yourself for gaining? Well, let’s look at the stages in detail.
1. Week 1: Determination!
This is the best week because you are over Phase 1: Gain and feeling motivated and determined. You have set yourself a plan: Weight Loss is the name, and healthy eating and exercise is the game.
This week you plan everything out Sunday and start Monday. You got this. You are feeling confident and really proud of yourself. To make sure this works, you have signed up to a challenge, detox, pull out something you have previously purchased or you enlist the support of a mentor/coach to help hold you accountable to learn what foods and exercise will benefit you the most to make healthy lasting changes. You are excited because you planned out your meals and went grocery shopping. You even prepped what you could.
Stage 1: Week 1: Determination! goes by amazingly. You are focused, and you adapt your busy schedule to fit in with these changes. Your eye is on the prize, and the prize is losing weight.
You rocked your week, and you rocked your weekend due to getting rid of any obstacle that might make you second guess yourself. In other words, you had a boring weekend at home, but you did it for the greater good. On Sunday you even had to time plan and prep again!
This stage can last from a day to months… it is dependent on how fast you want to reach your goal. You will be losing weight in this stage.
2. I’m Hungry
Stage 2 happens when you get in your routine, but since it is routine now and not taking up all brain space, you start to feel a bit hungry waiting for the next time you eat.
This stage can happen for a few different reasons:
• Feeling left out of social functions (FOMO)
• A holiday, tip or a social function that you can’t miss comes along and willpower is low
• Family and friend’s unsupportive comments on your weight loss goals
• Not telling family and friends about your goals so they are criticising you for your change in behaviour
• Bigger workouts and not enough nutrition in the food you have allowed yourself
• Not enough nutrition in the food you have allowed yourself to maintain the ‘diet.’
• Receding willpower from second guessing if you can do this
• Second guessing if what you are doing is healthy
• You have plateaued and not sure what to do
• Not drinking enough water
• Not understanding how this is supposed to last
• You don’t feel or see results
There are so many different reasons that can make you get to Stage 2: I’m Hungry. Because of these thoughts, feelings and functions, you end up relaxing a bit and indulging. Indulging is simply not being strict with your meal and exercise plan. This is where you sway and try and have it all. The social life, outings, confidence and weight loss.
With indulging, you either go one of two pathways.
First Pathway
The first way is that it is a full out indulge where you end up in Stage 1: Ignoring the Problem of Phase 1: Gain. This is where you fall into a slump and have to start the process over, and the process can move as quickly or slowly as you chose.
Second Pathway
The second way is that you understand this is going to happen. Weight loss is like a rollercoaster ride, and you will have your ups and downs. If you are on a down, you will be able to talk to someone about it and get the support and motivation to help get you back on the up. You will be ok with not being perfect in your weight loss journey because life is not perfect. You will know tips, tricks and tells to help you get past this stage and back you’re your mindset of Stage 1: Week 1: Determination!
Not being too hard on yourself in this stage is important to realise which pathway you will head down. Be prepared for this stage and understand what you might want or need and plan ahead for when it creeps up and just shows up with no warning. Weight loss is different for everyone, so understanding yourself and planning the lows on the rollercoaster is essential. This stage can have you gain, plateau or lose weight.
Stage 3: WOW results
Once you are successful through Stage 1 and Pathway 2 of Stage 2 (if it happens), you will be in Stage 3: Results. This is when you can feel and see the difference. This stage is when others can also see the difference in you physically, mentally and emotionally. You will be beaming because you have or are on the way to reaching your goal!
This stage makes you feel great. You are YOU again… You are comfortable in your clothes, walking with a strut or a swagger, healthier, you feel sexy and confident, you are radiating happiness.
This stage can take as long as it takes for you to reach your goal. Stage 2 can creep in, but it is up to you to not let it get you down. This stage is the goal you set for yourself. Celebrate this stage in a way that doesn’t undo the great that you did to lose the weight. Stage 3: Results will flow into Phase 3: Maintain.
If you are ready to commit and get your Phase 2: Loss started. If you are ready to commit, then click the link below to join up for the October Jump start. You will end the frustration and overwhelm of starting Phase 2: Loss. You will kick start simple, proven, healthy habits for lasting change to be able to lose the wight that you are wanting to lose!
