Weight loss is a long and complicated process. If anyone ever tells you different they are lying to you. So stop following those Instagram models and lets have a logical conversation about what to expect when you losing weight, why you look worse before you look better.
First, I’m gonna tell you why you look worse before you look better, then I will tell you why and last I will teach you how to mentally deal with it, so you don’t give up.
See what it’s like to lose weight quickly and safely
Why, oh why!
You lost 10 lbs horayyyyyyy! but you look worse, what the hell is going on. You body has a set amount of fat cells. When you lose weight you will lose the fat inside the cell but the cell does not go away immediately. I will tell you why this happens in the next part.
What you are left with is jiggly, not firm fat in your stomach, abs or where ever you are losing. Mine is always my stomach. I hate it so much. In fact what inspired me to write this article, is that I am in this exact spot of looking worse now, and tried on clothes, big mistake !
Skin needs time to tighten up and you are just going to have to be patient for the body to do its job. Believe me your body does not want to lose fat, so you are fighting it the whole time you are losing weight.
You should just automatically accept that this is part of the weight loss process.
Weight loss -> jiggle fat ->plateau -> weight loss -> jiggle fat-> plateau: until you hit your goal.
Don’t listen to those fake ass instagram fitness models that say its so easy, because its not, it never will be, let’s accept that and move on ok
Why your body does this?
If cells were personified, each fat cell would be an overbearing grandparent who hoards. They’re constantly trying to make you eat another serving of potatoes, and have cabinets stacked with vitamins they never take.
Like that grandparent, your fat cells are always trying to store stuff. Fats? Of course. Vitamins? Heck yeah. Hormones? You bet. Random pollutants and toxins? Sure. Fat tissue will soak all that up like an oily little sponge and keep it safe until you need it again. That’s the whole point of body fat—to store energy for you. When you lose weight, your fat cells start shrinking, releasing lipids and other fats into your bloodstream. These get broken down, and eventually the smaller molecules exit via your urine or breath.
But fat cells release all the other molecules they’ve hoarded, too. That includes key hormones like estrogen, along with fat-soluble vitamins and any organic pollutants that found their way into your bloodstream as you gained weight.
Fat circulating, not sitting around. Take hormones, for instance. Female body fat actually produces some of its own estrogen in addition to storing it, and the more adipose tissue a person has, the more estrogen they’re exposed to. This is why being overweight puts you at an increased risk of getting breast cancer. Many types of breast cancer are caused by malfunctions in estrogen receptors, which are more likely to go haywire when more estrogen is around to stimulate them.
Vitamins pose the opposite problem. Adipose sucks up available fat-soluble vitamins (those stashed in adipose tissue instead of being excreted in your outgoing urine)—A, D, E, and K—and often doesn’t leave enough for the rest of your body. Studies suggest that obese people tend to suffer from vitamin D deficiencies because it’s all lurking in their adipose tissue. These vitamins can come back out as you lose weight, and as you decrease your body fat, you also allow more of your new vitamin D to stay in your bloodstream. Water-soluble compounds can just be peed out if you take too much of them, but because the vitamins stored in your adipose tissue can continue to build up you can eventually overdose on them. It’s rare, but it does happen.
Fat is also a (temporarily) safe space to store pollutants and other organic chemicals that might otherwise pose a threat. Organochlorine pesticides build up in fat, as do the polychlorinated biphenyls in coolant fluids and other chemicals from the “dirty dozen” of environmental contaminants. These banned chemicals can get into your food supply in small quantities and are stored in your fat, possibly because your body wants to sequester them away from your organs. Bodies don’t seem to store enough of these to become toxic, but the constant build-up leaves you vulnerable to exposure. And they do start to re-emerge when you lose weight.
Since you’re not eliminating all of your body fat at once, this doesn’t seem to pose a problem for most people. You’re dumping toxins into your bloodstream, but you’re also eliminating them through your pee. There’s some evidence that certain pollutants—so-called “persistent organic pollutants”—can stick around in your body fat for years, but so far it seems that natural toxin-elimination methods (also known as peeing) work well enough to get rid of them.
Safe or not, it’s best not to give your body a spot to stash all the hormones and vitamins it can hoard. Our bodies aren’t designed to hold onto excess body fat and stay healthy—that’s why obesity is a risk factor for so many diseases. Getting rid of fat storage is just another reason to try and cut down on your own adiposity this year. Letting someone shame you into thinking you don’t look the way you should is not a wise reason to lose weight, but doing it to be healthier usually is.
Just think: every time you lose a pound of fat, you’ve also literally detoxed yourself without ever having to do one of those terrible juice cleanses (which, by the way, do not work). You’ve used the power of your own body’s filtration systems to get rid of them—and it will thank you for it.
THis is why the fat cell does not completely go away when you lose fat. Physiologically, it is hoping to get the fat back to complete its own processes.
How to deal with looking worse before you look better
First, off I want you to understand that you should mentally plan on your weight loss journey being a lifetime one. Otherwise, I am telling you right now you will either fail or gain weight back after losing weight.
If you want to lose weight and keep it off, you have to change your behavior not just until you reach your goal weight, but for the months and years to follow. That’s because as soon as you stop your “diet,” you’re likely to gain back the pounds you worked so hard to shed. To be successful at weight loss, you need to make sustainable lifestyle changes, like making healthy food choices at almost every meal, and getting plenty of exercise every week.
DO NOT GIVE UP
When i tried on those clothes, it really upset me. I am 4 months postpartum, dow about 12 inches and I got that jiggle fat. I knew better, than to go try on clothes but I did it anyways. So what did i do, went home and ate my feelings. I ate a bunch of trail mix while mentally trying to persuade myself to quit. The next day I woke up worked out like I normally do and ate better that day.
The point is, get back at it. It’s ok to get frustrated at some point, because I promise you, you will! Just keep going!
Don’t try on new clothes during the jiggle
Learn from my mistake, don’t try on clothes. You will lose a bit of confidence, because you have lost the weight but you are still in the jiggle stage. Wait a few weeks for the jiggle to tighten up again.
Stop looking at other peoples progress and focus on your own. Their story is their story, in between those before and after pictures you do not see the struggle they went through to get there.
You are more likely to keep the weight off forever if…
You can keep it off for 9 months. Think of the math here. Depending on where you are and how much you want to lose. It may take anywhere, from a few months to a few years to get the weight off in the first place. Now add 9 months, and you will be more likely to keep the weight off forever. Remember those fat cells never want to go way. You have to give your body a chance to dispose of those fat cells completely. And while you are impatient and want to look good now, your body has a process and it won’t be rushed.
I hope this helps you stay on track with your weight loss. If you need more information and encouragement join the community I made for you guys, click below. We do monthly challenges and daily tips
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Author: Monica Perry
I’m a metabolic magician, nutrition nerd, exercise expert, and motivation master. I help women get fit quickly with the most food and least exercise.
♥ Holistic Nutritionist
♥ Sports Nutrition Specialist
♥ Personal Trainer
♥ Health and Weight Loss Coach
♥ Behavior Modification Specialist
I’m always researching, looking for loopholes that make losing fat easy… because I believe life is hard enough and getting fit shouldn’t be, ya feel me?
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