When you're trying to lose weight, the scale doesn't always show progress towards a healthier you.
A weight-loss journey can be a little demotivating for Weight Watchers when they hit a weight-loss plateau—the period when they stop losing weight despite exercising regularly and keeping calories in check. As long as the number on the scale is going down, you can be sure that your weight loss diet and exercise plan are working, but what if the numbers aren't decreasing?
What are the other signs that can let you know you're on the right track? The loss of inches, the way your clothes fit, the improvement you experience in your sleep, lower blood pressure and feeling more energised are some other signs that show you are making progress in your weight loss program.
In this blog, we will look at all the signs of weight loss that indicate you're headed in the right direction.
Table Of Contents
- How Do You Know If You Really Lost Weight, or What Are The Signs Of Weight Loss Progress?
- How Long Does It Take To Lose Weight?
- What Is The Range Of A Healthy Weight Loss Per Month?
- Expert Recommendation
- The Final Say
- FAQs
- References
How Do You Know If You Really Lost Weight, or What Are The Signs Of Weight Loss Progress?
Following are the signs of a healthy weight loss:
1. You Are Not Always Hungry
This is one of the first signs of weight loss. If you're losing weight because you've changed your diet to reduce calories and are including more protein and less carbs and fat, you may notice that you feel full more quickly. That's because the amino acids in a protein diet send a satiety signal to your brain—and that signal isn't sent by eating the same amount of calories in fat or carbohydrates.
Also Read: Implement 7 Health And Fitness Tips For Weight Loss Results!
2. Your Sense Of Well-being Improves
Apart from physical changes, weight loss can lead to an improvement in your mental well-being. In a study in 2013, people who lost weight reported having more vitality, more self-control, less depression, and less anxiety than before.
Also Read: 5 Mental Health Exercises To Boost Concentration Levels And Brain Functioning
3. Your Clothes Fit Differently
This is one of the visible signs of weight loss. Losing weight means reducing your body's size, and you may notice that you don't have to jump to get into your jeans. This may happen even if the numbers on the scale don't change.
4. You Will Notice Some Muscle Definition
Building strength and showing muscle definition can take time – usually weeks or months. How quickly you notice changes will depend on your body and the type of exercise you incorporate into your schedule. If you want to continue building muscle while losing weight, experts recommend getting enough (but not too much) protein and resistance-type exercise.
5. Your Body Measurements Are Changing
A shrinking waistline is good news for your overall health and a physical sign of weight loss, especially if you have excess fat around your abdomen. Having a healthy waist-to-height ratio is important for your overall health. Apart from the waist, you may also see measurement changes in your legs, arms, chest and back!
6. Your Chronic Pain Is Getting Better
Losing weight can help reduce pain, especially in weight-bearing areas of the body, such as the legs and lower back. In a 2017 study, people who lost at least 10% of their body weight experienced the greatest improvement in weight-related chronic pain in weight-bearing zones.
7. Your Blood Pressure Drops
Being overweight can negatively affect your blood pressure, making you prone to strokes and heart attacks. When you lose weight, you may also reduce your blood pressure.
8. Your Mood Improves
Healthy changes in eating habits and losing excess weight lead to a better mood and more energy. In a study in 2016, researchers found that a high-glycemic diet consisting of cookies, potatoes, brownies, cakes, and bagels caused blood sugar swings, leading to 38% more depressive symptoms and 26% more fatigue than diets with low glycemic load.
How Long Does It Take To Lose Weight?
Weight loss is a long, consistent journey that requires dedication, patience and an understanding of how the body works. You can achieve a healthy and sustainable weight loss by following a weight and fat loss plan. While many desire quick results, the process is often gradual and influenced by various factors. Weight loss, more than anything, is about creating and being in a caloric deficit, where the number of calories consumed is less than the calories burned. So, you need to understand and calculate your calorie intake for weight loss.
To lose 0.45 kilograms per week, a person would have to create a caloric deficit of about 450-550 calories per day.
If you follow a calorie deficit of more than 400 calories, you can generally expect initial weight loss within a few weeks. Some may notice changes in as little as two weeks. When we start a new diet or exercise program, our body gets rid of water before it loses fat, so initial weight loss may be faster due to water loss. This early loss can be encouraging but should be considered a temporary phase.
What Is The Range Of A Healthy Weight Loss Per Month?
In general, a healthy monthly weight loss is typically between 2 and 4 kilograms. This gradual pace allows for sustainable fat loss while minimising muscle loss, malnutrition diseases, and nutrient deficiencies.
The amount of weight a person can lose in a month—and still be healthy—really depends on factors like age, gender, starting weight, caloric intake, caloric deficit, and exercise.
Losing weight in a healthy way that people can maintain requires motivation, patience, and time. Many people who find these things difficult opt for fad diets to lose weight quickly. But weight that is lost quickly is not sustainable and will come back once the person stops the diet.
Expert Recommendation
All in all, it can take anywhere from a week to several months before you see noticeable weight loss results. However, if you don't see any changes on the weighing scale, there can be other signs of weight loss that you need to keep in mind. A combination of good exercise, a smart diet, and calorie-burning activities like cryotherapy can greatly improve and accelerate your weight loss journey to a great body.
Dt. Lavina Chauhan
The Final Say
Achieving a healthy body weight improves your overall health and well-being in many ways. If you've changed your eating and exercise habits to lose weight, it's possible to measure your progress in more ways than just the number on the scale.
Some of these indicators are external, such as the fit of your clothes and the curve of your new muscles. Other measures may be internal, such as less pain, lower blood pressure, improved sleep, a deeper sense of well-being and more. If you notice these positive changes, then you're on the right track.
FAQs
1. What happens if you lose more than the recommended kilos in a month?
Losing more than the recommended 2 to 4 kilograms per month can lead to muscle loss, nutrient deficiencies, and a slower metabolism. Rapid weight loss may also increase the risk of developing gallstones and dehydration.
2. Is it possible to speed up weight loss and metabolism?
Accelerating weight loss is certainly possible, but it's not necessarily healthy. Losing weight too quickly can lead to loss of muscle mass, a slower metabolism, a lack of nutrients in the body and many other problems.
References
- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/weight-loss/weight-loss-how-much-weight-can-you-lose-safely-in-a-month/amp_etphotostory/86911717.cms
- https://www.health.com/weight-loss/how-long-does-it-take-to-lose-weight
- https://www.prevention.com/weight-loss/a44398539/how-long-does-it-take-to-lose-weight/
- https://www.onlymyhealth.com/bodily-signs-that-indicate-weight-loss-1671187037#google_vignette
- https://www.ndtv.com/health/weight-loss-diet-7-signs-that-tell-you-are-making-progress-other-than-the-weighing-scale-2279342
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