Why weight loss may be choppy (initially)

After working with thousands of clients over about a dozen years we have noticed some fairly predictable patterns. In this weeks blog I would like to discuss one of these. This situation can be somewhat concerning if you are on a weight loss journey. It is certainly something that we have discussed with our weight loss clients in our Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky offices countless times. The phenomenon in question is the early plateau. More specifically we are talking about inconsistent or choppy weight loss during the initial few weeks of a weight loss program. I feel that is important for people trying to lose weight to understand WHY this may happen and potentially What to do about it.

First things first, everything we will talk about in this blog assumes that you have selected the right program for you. This initial step is crucial. If you go into a weight loss journey without understanding the commitment fully or being in full agreement with all of the parameters, then you are doomed before starting. With our system we take individuals through an exhaustive screening process before they are even allowed to participate in one of our programs. I have written extensively on this subject. Please see one of these posts for more information on selecting the right program.

So, if you are starting off on a program that you are fully aligned with you should expect to lose weight. We typically see our clients lose weight steadily and predictably. Unfortunately, however, the initial few weeks can get a little choppy with the weight loss numbers. This can happen for several reasons;

1. Your body may lose some water in the beginning.

This can be a good thing, especially if you are on an anti-inflammatory diet like the ones we generally prescribe. As you get healthier your body doesn’t need to carry around that bloated, sick water weight. One of the side effects of this, however, is that water weight can be easily regained. If you drink a lot of water one day and then little the next you may put back on some of this weight and then take it back off quickly. This can show up on the scale as large weight swings day to day. To mitigate this, try to consistently drink over 80 oz. of water each day.

2. Digestion may slow down.

When you initially start a weight loss program it is natural that you will be eating less. Sometimes you even intentionally eat less often (like with intermittent fasting). This reduction in food volume, frequency or both can cause your digestive system to slow down. If you are accustomed to having a bowel movement daily and then start only having one every other day this may show up as weight fluctuations. The reason here, I feel, is obvious, but it must be stated. If you are holding onto waste, then you are going to be slightly heavier until you eliminate it. Fortunately, this has nothing to do with the rate of fat loss. There are a number of natural ways to combat this. With our clients we often suggest increasing water or taking products like senna leaf tea or digestive fiber.

3. Your body resists losing fat.

Your body is an ancient machine. As such, it wants to preserve the body fat that it has just in case a harsh winter or famine occurs. Because of this it can be very stubborn in the beginning with giving up fat stores. There are ways of tricking your body into giving up fat stores more easily, however. One of these ways is the 3-Step Metabolic Reset that we use with the Brand NUE programs.