The 3 Stages of Weight Loss: What to Expect on Your Journey

Embarking on a weight loss journey is akin to a marathon, not a sprint. Each person’s weight loss journey is unique, with its own timeline, hurdles, and milestones. Safe and sustainable weight loss takes time. In general, weight loss can be delineated into three stages: rapid weight loss, gradual weight loss, and maintenance. Being able to identify these stages may be a key sign of healthy and sustainable weight loss.

Understanding Weight Loss vs. Fat Loss

If your heart is set on losing weight, you might be focusing on consuming fewer calories or putting in long bouts of cardio or resistance training at the gym. These methods can be part of an effective plan to lose weight, but to achieve your optimal results, it’s important to know whether your goal is to lose weight or to lose fat.

Fat loss refers to a decrease in body fat mass specifically, while weight loss encompasses any reduction in overall body weight, including water weight and muscle mass. Prioritizing fat loss through healthy lifestyle changes is preferred over simple weight loss for improved body composition and overall health. The key concept here is zooming in on long-term fat loss over weight loss, since preserving lean muscle mass will promote overall health. To avoid losing muscle mass while losing weight, prioritize strength training and keep up your protein intake.

Let’s start by defining a few terms. Fat mass is the weight of all of the fat in a person’s body. Body fat percentage can be calculated using a few different types of assessments, including:

• Measuring your waist circumference
• Using skinfold calipers
• A process called hydrostatic weighing

Your fat levels are influenced by many things, including:

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• Genetics
• Dietary intake, including amounts and ratios of macronutrients (fats, carbs, protein) and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals)
• Physical activity
• Other environmental factors such as stress levels or even environmental exposures

Lean body mass and fat-free mass are synonyms. They refer to everything in a person’s body that isn’t fat (including water, skeletal muscle, bones, organs, and connective tissue).

When you’re focused on weight loss, the weight you lose could be from fat loss or loss of fat-free mass, with different results in how you look and feel. For example, if you’ve lost weight but most of it is lean body mass, you may see muscle loss. This might negatively impact your metabolic rate, among other areas of metabolic health.

Conversely, if your weight hasn’t changed, you may have gained lean body mass while losing fat mass, causing your body to have a different silhouette. This is what is also known as body recomposition.

The Importance of a Healthy Weight

A healthy weight can help you to manage your blood sugar, cholesterol, and reduce your risk for chronic diseases such as:

• Heart disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• Cancer
• Osteoarthritis
• Liver and kidney disease
• Sleep apnea
• Depression

Research has shown that losing as little as five percent of your body weight can come with health benefits such as reduced inflammation, more sleep, an improved mood, and even an increased libido.

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Understanding the Three Stages of Weight Loss

Most weight loss plans focus on a calorie deficit, meaning you’ll have to restrict calories or exercise more to reduce your net calories by that amount. This is the basis for the calories-in, calories-out model. But while tracking calories as part of a weight loss program can make a difference, it’s far from the full story. For many people, a weight loss journey may happen in a few different stages, so let’s take a closer look at what can happen at each one.

Stage 1: Rapid Weight Loss

It's not uncommon to see substantial drops in weight right at the beginning of a weight loss journey, as the body adapts to new habits. This stage is the initial, and typically, the shortest stage. This is the time when diet modifications have just begun and there is a significant drop in body weight within a short period. During this stage, individuals usually experience a pronounced decrease in water weight, likely due to a reduction in glycogen stores which are used up for energy when the body is in a calorie deficit. This stage can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, depending on factors such as starting weight, dietary changes, and physical activity levels. While rapid weight loss can be motivating, much of the initial drop on the scale can be attributed to fluid loss rather than fat loss. People often incorporate drastic calorie restriction or extreme exercise regimens to hit this rapid weight loss stage quickly. This approach can lead to muscle loss, nutrient deficiencies, and potential health risks such as gout attacks and liver issues. To ensure sustainable, healthy weight loss, most people don’t want to lose more than two pounds a week. Rapid weight loss is not recommended, as losing more than two pounds in a week can cause muscle loss and increase the risk of gout attacks and liver scarring.

During the first few weeks of trying to lose weight, you may notice that the weight comes off more quickly. Weight loss during this first stage can be largely attributed to a loss of glycogen stores and therefore water weight-not necessarily fat loss. Glycogen is stored in the liver and skeletal muscle as reserves for the body to turn into glucose when it’s not getting enough carbohydrates. It's important to drink plenty of water during this stage, as hydration supports many important functions in the body.

Stage 2: Gradual Weight Loss

As the body adapts to the changes introduced during the rapid weight loss phase, progress may slow down during the second stage. This phase involves a more gradual and sustainable rate of weight loss, typically ranging from 0.5 to two pounds per week. During this stage, individuals may focus on incorporating healthier eating habits, regular physical activity, and behavior modifications to support long-term weight management. It can last for several months or years, depending on the individual. The pace of weight loss slows down compared to the initial rapid phase, but it is often more indicative of true fat loss rather than water weight. You may be losing weight less quickly, but this stage of weight loss is what creates your success for the long haul. It allows for better preservation of muscle mass, reduces the risk of negative health consequences, and promotes long-term weight maintenance. In the second stage (usually after the first few weeks), weight loss occurs at a much slower rate and will usually be due mostly to fat loss.

In the second stage of weight loss, you may find that it takes longer to lose the same amount of weight that you lost in the first stage. But this time, you may lose more fat mass. A study comparing rapid weight loss to slow weight loss found that the rapid weight loss group lost more lean body mass and water weight, whereas the slow weight loss group also lost body fat. One reason that weight loss can slow at this stage is that your basal metabolic rate (BMR), also called resting metabolic rate (RMR), may adapt. Your basal metabolic rate is the amount of energy your body needs to maintain its current weight. To compensate for a decrease in net calories, your body’s metabolic rate slows down. Taking a gradual rather than purposefully rapid approach may take longer to slow the rate at which it burns calories, supporting sustained weight loss over time. The good news is you may be able to modestly change your basal metabolic rate by increasing the amount of lean body mass (in the form of muscle) you have. Muscle can help you to lose weight because it is more metabolically active than fat, meaning that the more muscle you have, the more calories you’ll burn. Any kind of exercise can help you to lose weight, and adding strength training to your routine can help you gain muscle mass that’s needed to burn calories both while exercising and at rest.

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The second weight loss stage is likely to be harder because your weight loss will be slower. This is also the stage where many people hit a weight loss plateau.

Stage 3: Weight Maintenance

Once you’ve reached your goal weight range, your attention shifts to sticking at that weight for the months and years to come. This stage may come unintentionally-what was once your calorie deficit becomes your maintenance calories. Weight maintenance refers to the phase following successful weight loss where individuals actively work to sustain their achieved weight through continued adherence to healthy habits and lifestyle changes. This phase is key for preventing the regaining of weight by anchoring those long term habits. It involves finding a sustainable balance between calorie intake and expenditure without excessive restriction, maintaining regular physical activity, and monitoring progress. Maintenance requires ongoing adherence to the healthy eating habits you participated in while you were losing weight and participating in regular physical activity, and whatever other lifestyle modifications you used-like limiting alcohol and avoiding cigarettes and other drugs. It's a lifelong commitment to health and well-being and is often considered the hardest part about one’s weight loss journey, emphasizing sustainable habits rather than short-term fixes.

Weight loss isn't always linear. If you’re noticing that you don’t go directly from rapid weight loss to gradual weight loss, you’re not alone. Between the rapid and gradual weight loss stages, it’s common to experience intermediate phases of weight fluctuations and plateaus. While weight fluctuations are normal, plateaus may often require adjustments to dietary and exercise strategies. These stages might make your weight loss journey more challenging, but they do show the value of long term lifestyle changes as opposed to rash, short term extreme diets. Fluctuation between stages happen when individuals encounter obstacles like plateaus, cravings, and social pressures. Successfully navigating this stage involves adapting strategies, building resilience, and seeking support to overcome setbacks and continue progressing towards long-term weight loss goals.

Dealing with Plateaus

It’s not uncommon to hit a weight loss plateau. For many people, this happens around six months into a weight loss plan. A weight loss plateau may be caused by many things. Hitting a plateau can be frustrating, especially if it feels like you’re doing all of the right things to lose weight. The most important thing is to not give up.

Weight Regain

A 2018 review cited an older review of 29 studies, which found that participants who lost weight through dieting regained more than half the weight they lost within 2 years, and by 5 years, they had regained more than 80% of the weight they lost. However, these statistics shouldn’t prevent you from focusing on your diet and losing weight to improve your health or self-image. Besides, diets are only effective if they allow you to develop sustainable, healthy behaviors.

Strategies for Success

Here are some strategies to help you reach a healthy weight loss goal:

1. Fill Your Kitchen with Healthy Food: Generally, we can think of healthy food as containing a variety of nutrient-dense whole foods with minimal processing. However, individual tolerance to different foods may vary, and some customization is necessary when finding the best diet for you. Working one-on-one with a dietitian or licensed nutritionist can be helpful. Many factors can affect your weight loss success, including blood sugar balance, which is related to hormone balance. A balanced diet helps to regulate your glucose levels. Dramatic swings in your glucose as well as chronically dysregulated glucose levels can negatively impact appetite, hormone balance, and how your body regulates body composition. can increase your level of insulin, which tells your body to store, rather than burn, fat. Conversely, maintaining healthy glucose levels may help support a number of metabolic functions impacting weight.
2. Meet Your Protein Needs: Getting enough protein is important when you’re trying to lose weight. Not only does protein help you to feel full, but protein provides building blocks for hormones, neurotransmitters, and other molecules that help regulate many metabolic functions directly and indirectly impacting weight. Adequate protein intake is essential for building muscle, which can boost your metabolic rate. If you’re active, aim for one to two grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Some studies suggest that aiming for no less than 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight may be particularly important for building muscle, though more may be needed for some people.
3. Reduce Ultra-Processed Foods: Following a diet of whole, unprocessed foods is generally considered healthy advice, but it’s particularly helpful when you’re trying to lose weight. A study comparing an unprocessed to an ultra-processed diet showed that a diet of processed foods increased the hunger hormone ghrelin, while an unprocessed diet increased the appetite-suppressing hormone PYY and resulted in increased insulin sensitivity. Ultra-processed foods may also be more likely to contribute higher amounts of added sugar and “empty” calories, which are linked to weight gain.
4. Drink Plenty of Water: If you need a reason to drink more water, here’s one: drinking enough water may support lipolysis, the metabolic process by which cells burn fat. Increased hydration is hypothesized to support the processes by which mitochondria, the energy powerhouses of cells, convert fatty acids into energy.
5. Get Enough Sleep: Studies show that when you’re sleep-deprived, you’re more likely to overeat, undermining your dieting efforts. Sleep deprivation also reduces insulin sensitivity, which may negatively impact weight. Prioritize quality sleep by getting seven to nine hours per night, and practice good sleep hygiene by establishing a consistent sleep schedule, creating a quiet and cool environment conducive to sleep. If you struggle with sleep, consider taking a deeper look at your diet. What and how you eat can have a big impact on your sleep as well.
6. Reduce Your Sugar Intake: Unsurprisingly, a diet high in sugar can lead to elevated blood sugar levels. High levels of blood glucose are negatively correlated with weight loss. High intake of added sugar is also an independent risk factor for weight gain and obesity.
7. Get Adequate Exercise: Exercise in the amounts appropriate for your body can also play a significant role in weight loss and can positively affect your body composition. While weight loss can include reduced weight from stored carbs, protein, water, and fat, fat loss includes only weight loss from fat. Fat loss typically occurs at a slower rate.

Other helpful tips include:

• Engage in self-monitoring behaviors such as tracking your diet and exercise: Tracking your calorie intake and exercise increases your awareness of your behaviors and how they affect your weight loss goals.
• Find physical activities you enjoy: Exercise can come in many forms, such as biking, walking, swimming, taking the stairs, and playing outdoors with your kids. Find an activity you enjoy and do it often.
• Try to keep healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, available at home: If you have more nutritious foods at home instead of highly processed snacks like chips and soda, the decision to eat healthily is already made for you.
• Prioritize sleep and try to reduce stress however possible: A lack of sleep and many of life’s stressors can sabotage your weight loss goals. Work on establishing healthy sleep habits and try to learn ways to ease your worry about things you can’t control.
• Fill your plate with whole foods: Choose whole, minimally processed foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats whenever possible. These foods can help keep you feeling full and provide your body with the necessary nutrients to support weight loss and your health.

The Physiology of Burning Fat

When you’re exercising, your body breaks down stored fat, known as triacylglycerol, via a process called lipolysis. This causes the release of free fatty acids (FFAs) into your bloodstream, which are transported to your tissues for energy. As your muscles use more energy and need increased blood flow, the FFAs enter the mitochondria of your muscle cells and are burned off.

How Does Fat Leave Your Body?

Fat leaves your body in several different ways:

• As water, through your skin (when you sweat) and through your kidneys (when you pee)
• As carbon dioxide (CO2) and water, through your lungs (when you breathe out)

When we “burn fat,” what we’re actually doing is using the oxygen we breathe in - and some of the many hormones our body naturally produces - to kick off a series of complicated chemical processes. We metabolize fat by breaking the bonds between the hydrogen, carbon and oxygen that make up a fat cell, setting the stored-up energy free. Breaking down fat liberates energy for all sorts of biological functions and physical activity. It also generates heat, which keeps your body temperature normal. When the fat-burning process is complete, you’re left with cellular waste in the form of water (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2). These byproducts of fat metabolism then leave your body as carbon dioxide and water.

Body Fat and Diet

When you take in fewer calories than you “burn” in a day, your body turns to its fat reserves - in the form of triglycerides - for energy. The extra energy, the triglycerides, are stored in adipose tissue all around your body. If you have overweight or obesity, it means you’re taking in more energy, in the form of calories, than you’re burning. To change that, you have to adjust the amount you’re taking in by changing your eating habits.

Body Fat and Exercise

Exercise speeds up the fat-burning process because it pushes you to take more frequent, deeper breaths - and you need oxygen to burn fat. When your respiratory rate goes up, it also helps more carbon dioxide (one of the two byproducts of fat metabolism) to leave your body.

Dr. Rifai recommends:

• Trading sitting for light activities throughout the day. Think taking business calls while walking or alternating between sitting and standing with an adjustable desk.
• Spending 150-300 minutes a week exercising. A blend of cardiovascular exercise and resistance training is your best bet because, combined, they increase both your rate of oxygen use (muscle activity) and your capacity for oxygen use (muscle mass).
• Including resistance training. Weightlifting and other types of resistance training help you burn more calories and raise your basal metabolic rate.
• Using a pedometer to track your steps. “Taking 8,000 or more steps most days of the week is an excellent way to get physical activity throughout the day without consciously exercising.

When you exercise, your muscles start by mainly burning through stored glycogen for energy. After about 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise, your body starts burning mainly fat. (If you’re exercising moderately, this takes about an hour.)

Other Factors Affecting Weight Loss

1. Metabolic Compensation: The more you work out or manage your calorie intake to lose weight, the more your metabolism wants to compensate by slowing down to maintain your current weight, this is called metabolic compensation. It kicks in to preserve and store fat for future energy. Research shows that this happens because the human body has evolved to value storing fat and energy and to interpret a shortage of calories as sign of distress.
2. Hormonal Changes: Fat cells produce leptin, which tells your brain when you’re full. Fat cells shrink when you lose weight, producing less leptin, which means that you don’t feel as full. Your stomach produces ghrelin, which tells your brain when it’s time to refuel. When you lose weight, your ghrelin levels rise, making you want to eat more often. When you lose weight, the part of your brain that regulates food restraint becomes less active - meaning that while you’re eating more to feel full (courtesy of leptin), you’re also less aware of how much you’re eating.
3. Genetic Predisposition: More than 400 genes have been linked to obesity and weight gain, and they can affect appetite, metabolism, cravings and body-fat distribution. If you have a genetic predisposition for obesity, it is easier to take a proactive stance to weight management. A preventive approach is more effective because you are preventing obesity from occurring in the first place.
4. Set Point Weight: Some scientists think that your body has a set point weight and your metabolism, hormones and brain will adjust to maintain that weight. People may have naturally higher or lower set weights than others; their set points can be impacted by genetics, aging, history of weight loss and hormonal shifts. The theory suggests that your set point weight can rise but rarely lower. It is easier to maintain your set point weight because your body wants to remain at that point - not lose weight.
5. Emotional Health: People often tie happiness and emotional health to weight loss. When they have successfully lost weight but remain dissatisfied with other parts of their life, they can fall into a cycle of dissatisfaction. Guilt at not feeling happy after weight loss can be a factor, as well as the temptation to eat to cope with these feelings.

Realistic Expectations and Non-Scale Victories

When it comes to losing weight, it’s essential to have realistic expectations. Rapid weight loss is not always sustainable, and it’s not uncommon for individuals to experience weight loss plateaus. Aiming for a gradual weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week is a more realistic and sustainable goal. It’s also important to remember that not all weight loss is fat loss. Water weight, muscle mass, and other factors can influence the number on the scale, making it essential to focus on healthy habits rather than just the number on the scale.

While the number on the scale can be a motivating factor, it’s also essential to focus on non-scale victories (NSVs). NSVs are the positive changes during the weight loss journey, such as increased energy levels, improved mood, and better overall health. Celebrating NSVs can help individuals stay motivated and focused on their goals, even when the number on the scale doesn’t change. Some examples of NSVs include:

• Increased energy levels
• Improved mood
• Better sleep quality
• Increased strength and endurance
• Improved overall health

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Regarding weight loss, there are several common mistakes to avoid. These include:

• Crash dieting: Severely restricting calorie intake can lead to rapid weight loss, but it’s not sustainable and can result in muscle loss and other adverse health consequences.
• Overexercising: While regular exercise is essential for weight loss, overexercising can lead to burnout and injury.
• Not getting enough sleep: Poor sleep quality can disrupt hunger hormones, leading to overeating and weight gain.
• Not staying hydrated: Inadequate hydration can lead to fatigue, headaches, and other adverse health consequences.

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