Muscle helps keep up the rate at which you burn calories (metabolism). So as you lose weight, your metabolism declines, causing you to burn fewer calories than you did at your heavier weight. Your slower metabolism will slow your weight loss, even if you eat the same number of calories that helped you lose weight.
So how slow should you go? Ideally, depending on your size, weight, and how much body fat you have to lose, it's best to lose no more than one to two pounds per week, Upton says.
It can actually take longer for you to notice your own weight loss than for other people to spot it, because we typically underestimate our own body size and weight, according to Butsch. "Studies have shown that we are less accurately estimating our own body size and the changes in our body weight.
You will first lose hard fat that surrounds your organs like liver, kidneys and then you will start to lose soft fat like waistline and thigh fat. The fat loss from around the organs makes you leaner and stronger.
When you space out your meals too much, your metabolism slows down and isn't able to burn off all the calories you eat in your next meal. Those extra calories may wind up as extra weight. And you may overeat because you're too hungry. Try eating smaller portions, and eat more often.
One reason belly fat is so hard to lose is that it's considered an “active fat.” Unlike some fatty tissue that simply sits “dormant,” belly fat releases hormones that can have an impact on your health — and your ability to lose weight, especially in the waist and abdomen areas.
According Australian nutritionist Jessica Sepel, over-exercising actually prevents you from losing weight as it can stop your body burning fat. "From clinical and personal experience, I can tell you that over-exercising can do more harm to your weight than good," she wrote in her blog.
Your slower metabolism will slow your weight loss, even if you eat the same number of calories that helped you lose weight. When the calories you burn equal the calories you eat, you reach a plateau. To lose more weight, you need to either increase your physical activity or decrease the calories you eat.
This phenomenon is called “starvation mode,” and while your body isn't actually starving, it will naturally hold onto whatever calories it receives in an effort to help you maintain your energy balance.
One of the main reasons why burning calories through exercise may still not result in weight loss is due to overexertion, or inflammation of your body. If you exercise too hard on a daily basis, there is an excess of inflammation in your body. All the added up inflammation makes you gain more weight than lose.
Sustainable weight loss should be achieved at a rate of 0.5-1 kg per week through a combination of healthy eating habits and regular physical activity. While it may be tempting to try to reduce 5 kgs in a week, it is not a realistic or healthy goal for most people.
You can further lose up to five kgs in a week by following a calorie deficit diet, though experts suggest that it is best to target losing 1-2kgs per week. The key is to keep the body in fat-burning mode with the combination of restrictive eating and increased physical activity.
Losing around 1.5 to 2.5 kilos of body weight in a month is considered healthy. Losing more than this means you are putting pressure on your bodily functions and internal organs, kidneys especially.
Everyone's body, say experts, follows a fat-storing order. The order is not the same for each individual. Usually, when you lose the fat, it comes off in the opposite order that it was stored. If your body tends to store fat in your face or belly first, these will be the last places where it would shed from.
As your body metabolizes fat, fatty acid molecules are released into the bloodstream and travel to the heart, lungs, and muscles, which break them apart and use the energy stored in their chemical bonds. The pounds you shed are essentially the byproducts of that process.