The first 10 pounds is easy, after that, not so much. This is why.
I have to admit, losing weight for me has never been a piece of cake (pun intended). But then again, is it easy for anyone? I look at it this way: How long did it take to gain that weight? Enough said, right?
Okay, so losing weight is tough; we all know that. But over the years, I feel I’ve learned a thing or two about how my body reacts to dieting and exercise. No doubt you’re here because you’re asking yourself why the weight isn’t coming off. Sure, it did in the beginning; the first ten pounds seemed to melt off, and that made you feel incredible. Your clothes even started feeling looser; validation that your efforts weren’t in vain. But after that, things started slowing down. You were still watching what you ate and you kept exercising, but the gains you experienced slowed to a trickle.
I’ve experienced this exact thing many times over the years, and I’ve learned a few things about how my body reacts to diet and exercise. Mainly that the first 10 pounds is not really fat, and, secondly, that my body reacts defensively to a reduction in food. More on this in a minute.
But I want to quickly mention one thing: My body doesn’t like change. I don’t know how I know that – I just do. It just feels resistant to a change in routine. Like it’s already got everything it needs; lots of fuel and plenty of fat reserves for those lean times. The problem is that we aren’t living like cavemen anymore. Our society is structured so that there are no lean times. Evolutionary programming hasn’t caught up to our modern world.
The first 10 pounds
The first 10 pounds you lose can come off pretty fast; however, you should ignore it. Even though it can certainly provide some quick motivation, don’t pay attention to it because it’s pretty much all water. Well, it’s glycogen and water. Your body will always use your glycogen stores before your fat stores.
While it does feel great to drop a quick 10 pounds, losing it quickly makes it worse because after that, real life kicks in and the real struggle begins. You didn’t think your body was going to give in that easily, did you?
When starting any diet, I want to lose as much as I can, as quickly as I can. I think it’s human nature. But, it never works out the way I expect. Eating 50 percent of my usual calories is tricky, but in the beginning, I’m also in the right frame of mind. I’m fresh and my resolve is strong, so it’s nothing to weather the storm for a few weeks. Bang – off comes 10 pounds and I’m feeling great! But after that, when progress slows to a crawl, I realize that losing weight is going to be much, much harder than that.
This is where the real gains are made. If there’s any advice I can give you, it’s that you need to have patience and work through it. Remember: Your body is trying to keep what it has for your long term survival – even if you’re obese. Personally, I have found that drastic reductions in food never work. Even if you eventually get past the first 10 pounds and you start losing actual fat, there’s a good chance you’ll gain all that back in the near future. Losing weight and keeping it off is a long game; a lifestyle change if you will.
