The truth about weight loss: losing one of the three stages is useless! Most people fall in the second level

Losing weight is like playing a game and passing levels. Do you think that crazy output can clear the level? The reality is that 90% of people get stuck in the second level and repeatedly lose blood, and some even declare victory as soon as they pass the beginner's village. Those flags of losing 20 pounds each year may not be due to lack of effort, but rather a failure to understand the operating rules of the "intelligent system" of the body.

1. Startup period: The body is secretly restarting

1. Clearing the glycogen warehouse

When the intake of carbohydrates suddenly decreases, the body will first use the stored glycogen. At this stage, the weight scale numbers are falling rapidly, but don't rush to post them on your social media - every gram of glycogen carries 3 grams of water, and more water is lost than fat.

2. Metabolic mode switch button

After about 3 days, the body begins to activate backup energy. Just like switching an electric vehicle to energy-saving mode, dizziness and fatigue may occur at this time, but it is the signal that fat is ready to go to work.

2. Platform period: The body initiates defense programs

1. Metabolic rate automatically decreases

When weight drops by about 10%, the body will activate "famine protection". Just like when a phone automatically reduces brightness to save energy, the basal metabolism may decrease by 15% -30%, which is a high-risk period for most people to give up.

2. Hormone dark box operation

The level of leptin decreases with the decrease of fat, while the level of ghrelin increases. It's not weak willpower, it's the body frantically sending survival signals like 'it's time to eat'.

3. Muscle Loss

When dieting excessively, the body breaks down muscles to provide energy. Muscles are like old scalpers in the office, silently burning calories every day, and the more they lose, the more difficult it becomes to lose weight in the future.

III. Consolidation period: Rebuilding metabolic firewall

1. Heat ladder recovery

Increase intake of 50-100 calories per week, giving the metabolic system time to restart. Just like frozen hands that cannot be directly soaked in hot water, suddenly resuming eating can easily trigger a rebound.

2. Essential Course for Strength Training

For every 1 kilogram increase in muscle mass, an additional 30 calories are consumed per day. You don't need to become a fitness blogger, just do 2-3 weight training sessions per week to maintain your metabolic defense line.

3. Weight fluctuation buffer zone

allows weight to fluctuate within 2-3 kilograms, with a focus on observing changes in waist circumference. Adipose cells have memory function and it takes 3-6 months to truly 'lean and stabilize'. People who repeatedly fail to lose weight often press the pause button during the plateau period. You should know that the body is never an enemy, it is just using billions of years of survival wisdom to protect you. Instead of pursuing short-term numerical changes, it's better to treat weight loss as a system upgrade, giving the body enough time to adapt and adjust.