Weight loss is critical for those individuals suffering from severe obesity. Obesity is a chronic condition that occurs when the body accumulates too much fat, which can lead to other serious complications such as heart and kidney disease, high blood pressure, damaged blood vessels, vision loss, nerve damage, or even death. Although there is no cure for obesity, losing weight can help manage its symptoms and significantly reduce the risk of these life-threatening complications.
Many individuals struggling with weight often ask, “When will I start losing weight?” or “How long until I see real progress?” These are valid questions. The truth is, weight loss is not an instant or linear process. It takes time, consistency, and a clear understanding of how the body reacts at each stage. Factors such as metabolism, diet, activity level, age, hormones, and medical history all play a role in how quickly or slowly someone loses weight.
What many people don’t realize is that weight loss typically happens in well-defined phases—each with its own biological and psychological impact. From the initial drop in water weight to long-term fat loss and the infamous plateau stage, every step comes with its own set of expectations and challenges.
In this article, we’ll walk you through the different stages of your weight loss journey, so you’ll know what to expect and how to stay motivated even when the scale isn’t moving. Understanding these stages can help you set realistic goals, stay committed, and celebrate non-scale victories along the way.
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Stages of weight loss
There are 2 stages of weight loss include:
Rapid/initial weight loss:
During this stage, you lose weight very rapidly in the first 4 to 6 weeks (about 1 and a half months). However, the weight you lose in this stage doesn’t come from fat loss instead it comes from carbs, protein, and water, which is easy to lose. People who follow a low-carb or keto diet lose weight faster than people who follow a low-fat diet because your body stores carbs faster along with water and depletes it faster when you work out. Other factors besides diet such as age, sex, starting weight, and physical activity level, can influence your rate of weight loss. You can lose weight faster if your starting weight is higher and you exercise more frequently.
Slow weight loss/Weight loss plateau:
In this stage of weight loss, you lose weight at a much slower rate, however, but the weight you lose is the actual fat. It generally starts after 6 weeks (about 1 and a half months) and beyond. At times, you feel you are not even losing any weight.
You hit a weight loss plateau which means your metabolic adaptations are decreasing your metabolism, but this only happens when people start restrictive diets that are too hard to follow, making people quit that diet plans. That’s why you should follow a proper dietary pattern that fits, and lifestyle and you can stick to it in the long term. Either way, some adjustments need to be made in your diet and lifestyle over time to reach your goal.
Like weight gain, losing weight is a complex process that depends on many factors. Some of them are changeable while some are not. But it does not mean that you cannot lose weight. Just following a proper weight loss plan, daily workouts, and enough sleep can help to lose weight and with minor adjustments over time to reach the goal weight.
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