Week 5: Crushing Cravings

Your first four weeks are done! Time flies when you are on a program, for some. Hopefully, you have felt, like some others have, that this is, at least, not "as bad” as it sounded when someone told you about it! But, no matter what, making change is hard, so it is time for your first pep talk! At this point, your weight may be down about 5% from your starting weight. For example, if your starting weight was 250 lbs, it may be down 12 pounds. Celebrate this milestone! For comparison, research articles in leading journals show 6% weight loss in one year with intensive lifestyle modification including meeting with dieticians and trainers, and weight loss medications have a benchmark of achieving a 5% weight loss in 12 weeks for FDA approval. So, losing 5% in one month is at least three times as fast! Also, reducing excess weight by 5% statistically improves the risk of important adverse health outcomes. So, if you ever feel that your weight loss is slow, remember that by objective comparisons, it is fast! And, bodies do not read the calendar. Weight loss is not linear for everyone. Some people lose the same amount of weight every week, while others lose it in a step-wise fashion. As long as you remain consistent and you keep up your nutrition, habits, activity, and any medical treatment, we expect the end result to be the same: 15 to 25% weight loss in 3 to 6 months. Some people may feel the weight loss at this point, and some may not. Some people may be getting comments from others about weight loss, and others may wonder why others have not said anything. There are many things that factor into this. Some people lose 50 pounds before anyone says anything. Some people are uncomfortable with any attention related to their body. Some people don’t feel their weight loss until a certain “symptom threshold” and some people feel it right away. These are all things to be aware of and talk about at your follow up appointments if you feel them affecting your mindset. But, in general, remain positive about the health journey you are on, nurture an incredibly positive body image, and reaffirm your intrinsic motivation to do this for yourself and your health.

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