If you’re doing all the right things but the scales aren’t shifting, you’re not alone. One of the most frustrating parts of a weight loss journey is the delay that some people experience between changing their habits and seeing results. And while it might feel like something’s gone wrong, this lag is completely normal for many. This can happen at the start, and at other points during your diet as well.
As a weight loss coach, I see this happen, particularly in people in their late 30s to 50s. You are eating better, tracking your calories, and exercising consistently. But the number on the scales? It barely budges. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, weight starts to drop.
Most of my clients do see the scales drop most weeks, but not everyone does, and that’s completely normal too. So, what’s going on?
How Fat Loss Actually Works
When we talk about “losing weight,” what most people mean is losing body fat. But fat loss isn’t linear, and your body doesn’t just burn off a few grams each day in a neat, trackable way.
Fat loss happens when you consistently eat fewer calories than your body uses (a calorie deficit). However, the process is influenced by hormones, water retention, stress, inflammation, sleep, and even digestion. All of these factors can mask fat loss on the scales.
How Quickly Should You Lose Weight?
The science tells us that fat loss happens when you consistently eat fewer calories than your body uses. In theory, if you’re in a calorie deficit today, you should lose a very small amount of body fat today.
But will you see that on the scales tomorrow? Possibly not.
That’s because real fat loss and visible weight loss aren’t always in sync. While fat cells may be shrinking, the number on the scales is influenced by many other factors, like water retention, food volume, hormones, and how much waste is in your digestive system. So even if your body is technically burning fat, it might not show up for days (or even weeks).
In fact, your weight could go up tomorrow due to something as simple as a salty meal, a tough workout, or disrupted sleep, even if you’re still in a calorie deficit.
As for how quickly fat loss shows up overall, a common science-backed guideline is 0.5–1% of your bodyweight per week. For someone who weighs 14 stone (around 89kg), that’s roughly 0.5–1kg per week. But real life doesn’t work in neat weekly chunks. Weight loss for some shows up in bursts, stalls, or even temporary gains.
Some people lose weight quickly in the first week or two, usually due to water loss from eating fewer carbs or reducing bloating. Others might see no real change on the scales for a while, despite doing everything right.
So while the science says yes, eating less today can lead to fat loss today, it also reminds us that the scales won’t always reflect that straight away. Everyone’s body responds differently, which is why it’s so important to track trends, not just daily weigh-ins.
Why You Might Not See Results Straight Away
Here are a few common reasons fat loss doesn’t show up immediately:
- Water retention – When you start training or dieting, your body can hold onto water due to inflammation, higher carb intake, or hormonal shifts. This can offset any fat you’re losing.
- Glycogen stores – Your body stores carbs as glycogen in your muscles and liver, and this binds with water. If you’re eating fewer carbs or training more, these stores deplete – but if they fluctuate, your weight might too.
- Digestive changes – Changes in fibre, food volume, and meal timing can affect how much waste is in your digestive system, adding or subtracting pounds on the scale that have nothing to do with fat.
- Hormonal fluctuations – Particularly in women, menstrual cycle phases can cause noticeable shifts in body weight, making it harder to track real fat loss.
The Three-Week-Ish Delay I Often See
In my coaching experience, it can be common at times to see a 1–3 week delay before new results show up, especially in people who are being consistent but have been overweight or under active for a while.
You might feel better, your clothes might fit differently, and your appetite might shift, but your weight? Still stuck. Then, something clicks. The body seems to catch up, and the scales start moving. Sometimes you’ll drop a few pounds all at once.
This delay is often the point where people give up, convinced it’s not working. But if they’d stayed the course just a little longer, they’d have seen progress.
And it’s not just my clients, I notice this in myself too. I often find that the number on the scales today is more reflective of what I was doing two or even three weeks ago, rather than what I’ve done in the last few days. There’s definitely a lag for some people, and it’s a good reminder that short-term ups and downs don’t always tell the full story. it is also important to remember that everyone is different so, just because I am sometimes like this, it doesn’t mean you will be.
Other Reasons Why You May Not Be Losing Weight
1. Underestimating Calorie Intake:
One of the most significant factors hindering weight loss is underestimating calorie intake. It’s easy to overlook the calories in certain foods or misjudge portion sizes. Keeping a food diary or using a calorie-tracking app can provide a more accurate picture of your daily intake.
2. Overestimating Calorie Burn:
Conversely, overestimating the number of calories burned during exercise is another common pitfall. Fitness trackers and gym machines often give inflated figures, leading to a false sense of caloric deficit. Understanding the actual impact of your workouts is crucial. You are best to not rely solely on exercise or lifting weights for weight loss, with nutrition being the main driver for weight loss.
3. Poor Sleep Quality:
The quality of your sleep plays a pivotal role in weight management. Poor sleep can disrupt hormones like ghrelin and leptin, which regulate hunger and satiety, leading to increased appetite and cravings for high-calorie foods.
4. Stress and Emotional Eating:
Stress, whether from work, personal life, or other sources, can lead to emotional eating. This coping mechanism often involves consuming high-calorie, comfort foods that can hinder weight loss efforts.
5. Medical Conditions, Medications, and Menopause:
Certain medical conditions, such as hypothyroidism or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), medications like antidepressants and steroids, and life stages like menopause can significantly impact weight. Menopause, in particular, brings hormonal changes that can lead to weight gain, especially around the abdomen. Consulting with a healthcare professional or a qualified coach can help. You can still lose weight though with some adjustments to your lifestyle and diet.
6. Plateau Effect:
After an initial period of weight loss, you might hit a plateau where your body adapts to the reduced calorie intake and increased activity level. Mixing up your diet, reducing your calories further and / or changing your exercise routine can help overcome this.
7. Inadequate Protein and Fibre:
A diet lacking in protein and fibre can hamper weight loss. Protein boosts metabolism and creates a sense of fullness, while fibre aids digestion and also contributes to satiety.
8. Unrealistic Expectations:
Setting unrealistic weight loss goals can lead to disappointment and demotivation. It’s essential to set achievable targets and understand that weight loss is a gradual process.
9. Lack of Consistency:
Consistency is key in weight loss. Fluctuating between strict dieting and overeating, or irregular exercise patterns, can negatively impact your progress.
What to Do While You Wait
- Track behaviours, not just weight – Focus on daily actions: calories, steps, workouts, sleep. These are within your control.
- Use other markers – Measurements, photos, clothing fit, energy levels, and mood can all improve before the scales do.
- Stick to the plan – Don’t chop and change too quickly. Your body needs time to adapt.
- Log your data – Seeing trends over time helps you understand what’s really happening and makes it easier to stay consistent.
- Trust the process – It might sound cliché, but consistency really is king. Fat loss is often invisible before it’s obvious.
It’s Likely Working Even If You Can’t See It Yet
If you’re eating in a small calorie deficit, staying consistent, and supporting your body with movement, sleep, and enough protein, fat loss is happening – even if the scales haven’t caught up.
Fat loss isn’t about finding the fastest route, it’s about long-term sustainable weight management, so it’s about staying on the road. Results don’t always show up in real time, but that doesn’t mean they’re not on the way.
Breaking the Stall: When It Might Be Time to Get Some Personalised Help
You can do a lot on your own, understanding common reasons for weight loss plateaus, trying out new strategies, adjusting habits, but sometimes, even with your best efforts, things just don’t shift. That’s often the case when hormones are playing a role, old habits are deeply ingrained, or life throws in extra complications.
So when is it worth getting a coach involved?
If you’ve been sticking to the basics for a while with no real progress, or you’re stuck in a cycle of emotional eating that feels hard to break, or maybe you’re dealing with a health issue that makes everything more complicated, that’s when a second pair of eyes can really help.
What I do as a coach is bring objectivity.
When you’re in the thick of it, it’s hard to see what’s actually going on. I can look at your tracking, your routines, and your progress without judgement and often pick up on small things you’ve missed, patterns, gaps, or habits that have crept in without you realising.
Then we build a plan that works for you.
No generic advice, just something that fits your lifestyle, your energy levels, your goals, and the way your body responds. Whether it’s a tweak in food choices, a shift in training, or how you’re managing stress and sleep, it’s all tailored.
It’s also about mindset and consistency.
Having regular check-ins gives you that extra accountability. It’s not about perfection, it’s about staying on track when motivation dips, learning from setbacks, and having someone in your corner to keep things moving forward.
And it’s not just about the scales.
A coach helps you focus on what’s really changing, your energy, mood, strength, sleep, body composition. Often, those things improve well before the number on the scale shifts. Noticing those wins can be the thing that keeps you going.
