Basic Understanding of the 3 Stages of Weight Loss

What are the phases of weight loss? Are there really phases of weight loss? Is weight loss just one continuous process or do we experience different phases along the way? There is a difference between losing weight cycling. You lose weight in one way or another, but when you cycle off of that way you gain back some of what you lost.

When we go through the four phases of weight loss we usually lose about a pound every week. That is the magic number on how much weight you should lose in a week. After that you will typically maintain a losing rate until you are well into your fitness life. You will typically experience a plateau where you will be losing more calories than you are putting back in. In this stage you can expect to experience some weight regain after you eat as well as a milder hunger.

In this next stage you will start to build momentum. You are not losing as much weight as you were at the beginning of your weight loss program. Instead you are gaining back a bit of what you lost while putting it on again. This is the time where you want to maintain body weight per week if not more. This momentum will continue until you are well into your fitness life.

The important milestone is seeing some weight loss. It's hard to do this if you are struggling with a plateau or if you just haven't lost much at all. In order to reach this point you must have determined that you have reached your fitness goal. To do this you must keep up with all of the other requirements of your diet and training plan. It's also important to remember that this is not the only stage of the weight loss journey.

The maintenance phase continues on and builds upon itself. In this phase you must focus on maintaining your gains. This means you may want to increase the amount of protein that you eat. This will help to keep your muscles active. As your muscles grow you will notice that your body weight increases. This can be especially true in this stage.

In this final phase of the weight loss process we are looking to lose the most weight possible. At this point you will begin to use a calorie-based diet. This will be different than the ones used during the first two steps above. In the first two steps above you calculate how many calories are needed to lose a pound of fat. With the calorie based diet you are calculating how many calories are needed to maintain your current weight.

How many calories you eat during this stage will be based on your weight gain and how long you are trying to lose the weight. It's important to keep track of your calories and what you are consuming. If you are gaining weight at an alarming rate you may want to increase the amount of calories you are taking in. You want to be sure that when you are ready to enter the weight loss phase you are taking in enough calories to maintain your weight gain. If you are still gaining weight after this part of the program then you should lower your caloric intake.

Once you reach the point that you are making a significant weight gain then you are ready for the last stage of your weight loss program. During this final stage you will find yourself eating more often and smaller meals. You will also find that your workouts are more intense and that you feel like you are burning off more fat each day. By taking this last step you will reach your goal weight much sooner than if you had continued with the other stages listed above.