How fat loss ACTUALLY happens...

I hear this kind of question and frustration a lot…. "

Jack, last week the scale went down by 2KG. This week it hasn’t gone down at all! What do I do? I’m frustrated."

You’ve probably experienced something similar too. So, what gives? Why does the scale drop sometimes but not consistently? Allow me to explain.

How you WANT fat loss to happen

Week 1 - 1KG down

Week 2 - 1KG down

Week 3 - 1KG down

Week 4 - 1KG down

How fat loss ACTUALLY happens

Week 1 - 1KG down

Week 2 - No change

Week 3 - 0.5KG gain

Week 4 - 2.5KG down

If you expect your fat loss progress to be linear you’re setting yourself up for a disappointing journey.

Which usually results in you being more likely to quit and give up. You need to shift the way you think about fat loss.

One of my client’s, Steve, experienced something like this recently.

Week 1 of working together he lost 3KG. After weeks 2 and 3 nothing had changed and he thought he was doing something wrong.

I explained a few things and reassured him that everything was moving along nicely.

Then, bam, after week 4 he’d lost another 2KG. That’s 5KG pounds down in 4 weeks.

BUT he genuinely wanted to make changes after 3 weeks because he was deflated it wasn't going down.

See, fat loss will never be consistent. It happens in stops and starts. So you’ll be dieting and dieting and doing everything right with nothing to show for it. (Which is what it’s been like for Steve), then boom, seemingly overnight, you drop some KGs and look leaner.

It's not 100% proven why fat loss works this way (most likely revolves around water retention and/or the breakdown of fat cells) but the point is you have to keep grinding through the times where results don't come easy and have a little faith in the process.

If you're in a calorie deficit you will lose fat, it might just happen in stalls and whooshes.

The lesson? Don’t give up on your diet when it feels like nothing is happening.

And make sure you are focusing on all the other progress markers too:

- Measurements

- Symptoms

- Energy levels

- Performance in the gym

- How clothes are fitting

The scale is just a single tool. Not the be all and end all.

If you're doing things right, often good fortune is right around the corner.

Stay the course.