Do you get fatter before losing weight?

Author: Liliane McKenzie I  |  Last update: Thursday, April 10, 2025

“For someone initiating exercise, glycogen stores will increase, leading to an increase in water weight. This can be discouraging as your initial efforts will seemingly lead to weight gain, rather than weight loss.”

Is it normal to get bigger before losing weight?

Yes, it's not uncommon to experience weight gain before starting to lose weight. This can be due to various factors such as increased water retention, muscle gain, or changes in dietary habits. It's essential to focus on long-term progress rather than short-term fluctuations.

Do you lose weight first or fat?

Mostly, losing weight is an internal process. 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.

Does fat get jiggly before weight loss?

The awkward stage of fat loss occurs when your body fat becomes more "droopy", "jiggly", "flabby", or "watery" than it looked before. Please do not freak out, this is the natural process of fatloss. When you are in a caloric deficit your body takes the fatty acids that are in your fat cells, and replaces it with water.

Where do you notice fat loss first?

Body-weight loss is usually noticed around the belly, waistline, and thighs first. This is because your body stores fat in different locations.

Should You Cut Fat BEFORE Trying to Build Muscle?

What are the 4 stages of weight loss?

There are 4 phases of weight loss, rapid weight loss, slow weight loss, plateau and maintenance. Each phase has its own characteristics and physiological reasons.

How to flush out water weight?

  1. Exercise Regularly. Daily exercise provides several health benefits, including preventing water retention. ...
  2. Drink More Water. Drinking water to reduce water weight sounds counterintuitive, but it helps. ...
  3. Manage Salt Intake. ...
  4. Cut Carbs. ...
  5. Focus on Certain Foods and Herbs. ...
  6. Try Supplements. ...
  7. Up Your Caffeine Intake.

How long does it take to lose 20 pounds?

To lose weight effectively and safely, aiming to lose 1 to 2 pounds (lbs) per week may be best. This means that losing 20 lbs may take 10 to 20 weeks. To lose weight, people will likely need to follow a healthy diet and get regular exercise. Some popular diets are effective initially but challenging to maintain.

Why does my weight go up before I lose it?

Muscle is denser (meaning a lot less fluffy) than fat, says Dr. Calabrese. Put another way, 10 pounds of muscle takes up a lot less space than 10 pounds of fat. So, as you start working out regularly and building strength, the new muscle you build may eventually weigh more than the fat you've burnt off.

How much before weight loss is noticeable?

You can typically notice weight loss in 4 to 6 weeks. Initial changes may include looser clothing and slight differences in your appearance, signalling progress in your weight loss journey.

Why is my stomach getting bigger with exercise?

During exercise, your body tends to retain more water to repair muscles and replenish glycogen stores. This retention can cause temporary bloating and a feeling of increased size in the stomach area. It's a normal part of the recovery process and essential for muscle repair.

Which body part loses fat first, a woman?

Men's bodies generally respond to dieting by the loss of more weight at their trunk and women typically shed the excess weight from the hips area. The causes of it are related both to hormonal influence and the application of whole-body composition.

Why am I gaining weight when I'm eating less and working out?

Key takeaways: Working out can cause short-term weight gain as your muscle mass increases. Post-workout inflammation may cause temporary weight fluctuations. Workout plateaus, supplement use, and dietary changes can also stall your weight-loss efforts.

Is losing 7 pounds noticeable?

A good rule of thumb is that people tend to notice your weight loss when you've lost around 10% of your starting weight, so if you started at 250lbs, people will start to notice when you've lost 25lbs. Naturally, the same amount of weight loss can look different on different people.

What kills water weight?

Water weight is not usually a cause for concern, but it can be uncomfortable and recurring. Reducing salt and carbohydrate intake, keeping hydrated, and frequently exercising are all good ways to lose water weight and prevent it from returning.

How to lose belly fat fast?

8 Ways to Lose Belly Fat and Live a Healthier Life
  1. Try curbing carbs instead of fats. ...
  2. Think eating plan, not diet. ...
  3. Keep moving. ...
  4. Lift weights. ...
  5. Become a label reader. ...
  6. Move away from processed foods. ...
  7. Focus on the way your clothes fit more than reading a scale. ...
  8. Hang out with health-focused friends.

What is the 3 3 3 rule for weight loss?

3-By-3 Rule For Weight Loss, Per A Registered Dietitian

She reveals that this method consists of “eating 3 meals a day, drinking at least 3 bottles of water by 3 o'clock, and having at least 3 hours of exercise spread out throughout the week.”

In what order does your body lose weight?

THE ANSWER IS different for everybody. "Different people lose body fat from different places at different times. Some people may lose from their abdomen, while others may lose from their thighs," says Fatima Cody Stanford, M.D., M.P.H., an obesity medicine physician at Harvard Medical School and a Men's Health advisor.

What are the first signs of fat loss?

How to know when your body is burning fat
  • An improved sense of well-being.
  • A decreased appetite.
  • An improvement in the way your clothes fit.
  • Better-quality sleep and less snoring.
  • An improvement in your mood.
  • Better health parameters such as a lowering of blood pressure, decrease in chronic pain, or smoother bowel movements.

Where do females gain weight first?

Before the menopause, women store fat mainly in the subcutaneous fat stores (buttocks and thighs), while men are more prone to develop visceral (abdominal) fat. After the menopause, women also become more prone to storing fat in the abdomen.

Which body part of fat is hard to lose?

The most common stubborn fat areas include the belly, thighs, hips, lower back, upper arms, and neck. These regions tend to store fat more easily and resist weight loss, making them challenging for many people. Fat in these areas is often influenced by factors like hormones, genetics, and lifestyle choices.

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