Week 1 Run and Won

The thing about weight loss is that the first week always presents the very motivating prospect of somewhere between a good and great change on the scales.  Digging deeper into it and the change can quite often be associated with several contributing factors.  The major one as I understand it is usually fluid loss.  This is meant in a good way as often when our diet is poor, we are dehydrated and our bodies retain water.  At least that is how I understand it.  There are other things that will affect the expected initial dip on the scales that can be quite uplifting after struggling through that oh so difficult first week.  But, I am no expert and will not pretend to explain many of the different theories I have heard in gyms and a variety training sessions over the years.  Suffice to say week 1 can be a good one with regards to losing weight.

With that in mind, I hopped on the scales wearing just a smile as is the routine on Thursday morning weigh ins.  I was pleased to register a 3.7kg weight loss for the week.  A nice moment of satisfaction ensued with a brief mental recap of the efforts of the past week involved in gaining the result.  As this moment passed, my mind turned to reflect on the impending weigh in for next week.

As good as week 1 can be, week 2 can be tough.  If you have done things right with regards to diet and are a little on the lucky side of things, you could be passed the detox symptoms that can be associated with the early stages of seriously improving your diet.  Your body still craves things like sugar and caffeine that you have most likely been used to over indulging in.  On the other hand, you may have been lucky enough not to get them at all.  If so, I despise you....well not really.  Headaches and irritability are a couple that my beautiful wife can attest to me displaying.  So now that those things are potentially behind us, what is so hard about week 2 then?  The impending weigh in at the end of it!

So you've smashed it on the scales this week.  The challenge from here is to mentally prepare yourself for a small loss, if any, in week 2.  Worse still, the prospect of actually having a small gain.  Your body should be nicely hydrated and not retaining any water by now, so that opportunity for a somewhat false positive that had you grinning broadly this week, has now come and gone.  What remains is the prospect of a really hard effort, put towards consolidating what you have done, both in terms of maintaining your healthy eating and building on the exercise regime you have undertaken all in the hope that at the end of the week, you have managed to hold onto the weight loss from the week before.  The ultimate prize will be a further, if smaller, drop in weight.

To be fair, this week's drop is probably more than I had expected.  I have worked hard exercise wise and been pretty fastidious about my nutrition.  All the more reason to be wary of next week.  The key for me will be to get my mental state right.  Being prepared for the emotions, including disappointment if the result is not stellar.  I firmly believe that it will be a key to keeping on the right path.  For now, what's wrong with being at least a little proud of the week that was the first.

*Another disclaimer - Just for the sake of consistency, whilst the image in this post is a dude (like me), it is also not me.  But, you probably knew that already.  Although I do think his moustache is quite fetching.