The 4 Phases of Weight Loss

This was last night’s meeting topic…

Honeymoon
The beginning phase when excitement and commitment levels are high. Journaling is a delicate science and measuring food becomes a slight obsession. 3+ lbs drop weekly for most folks. The Good Times…

The Thrill is Gone
At this point, losses are harder to come by and willpower is being tested. You’ve finally realized that weight loss isn’t a fun new club to join…it’s HARD WORK. The scale isn’t your friend every week and frankly, you’re sick of it’s shit. A common thought is “If I keep losing *only* 1/2 lb per week, it’s going to take me forever to reach goal!”

Renewed Resolve
Ok, you spent a few weeks spinning your wheels and haven’t made much progress. You receive a much needed attitude adjustment and decide to kick the weight loss demon in the ass. Your plan of attack includes going back to Basics: Journal/Plan/Exercise/H2O. The scale starts to reflect your hard work and all is right in the world again!

Permanent Lifestyle Change
You finally realize that success requires more than a temporary fix. While you still celebrate losses, you’ve also learned to appreciate the NSVs (nonscale victories). The overwhelmed feeling has been replaced with a hope and determination…and you know that living this way forever is possible.

My journey has included a mix of all 4 phases. I pretty much had the honeymoon phase up to 100 lbs lost. I was averaging 10+ lbs per month and loving it. Right after hitting the milestone, my losses were cut in half. I expected things to slow down at some point…but not immediately after losing 100 lbs. My weight began to bounce up and down the scale and frustrated doesn’t begin to describe my attitude. I was burned out and sick of the weight loss game.

My attitude adjustment came from Mommy Dearest and several WW buddies. A mix of encouragement and tough love was all I needed to get back on track. I accepted the fact that my smaller body needed more exercise and kicked it up a notch.

These days my losses stay on the small side but I’m ok with it. The scale is still moving and my fitness/health seem to improve on a daily basis. What more can I ask for? Oh yeah…the strength to finish the Danskin. 🙂