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Everyone wants to lose those extra pounds fast – like, yesterday-fast. But one thing is, the weight did not come on overnight, and it is not going to leave overnight, either.
So, then, how fast can you lose weight? As a general guideline, many experts say that losing 0.5 to 2 pounds each week is doable.
“A pound each week is great for most people,” said Dr. Angela Fitch. “But a lot of people believe it should be much easier than it is. They lose about 5 pounds in a month and think that is not enough. No, that is an amazing job!”
And, what’s more, it is healthy. After all, when you are losing weight too quickly, you risk losing weight not just in fat, but also from the lean tissue such as muscle. That is part of the reason why, when bariatric patients go through programs that are designed for quicker weight loss, they do so while under the supervision of a doctor and medical staff who make sure patients get the necessary nutrients to help prevent muscle-wasting and other serious health problems, said Dr. Craig Primack.
3 Factors That impact Weight Loss
If you are attempting to lose weight all on your own, and around a pound each week is your goal, what determines if you are successful? Here, experts will explain three surprising factors that will impact how quickly (or slowly) you will lose weight:
Your Current Weight
Contrary to popular belief, your current weight is the No. 1 determinant of what your metabolic rate is, or how many calories you will burn each day; the bigger you are, the higher your metabolism will be, Primack says. To lose weight, you will need to eat fewer calories each day than you burn.
So, an individual who weighs in at 300 pounds and burns about 2,800 calories each day can cut more calories each day to lose weight quicker than someone who weighs only 150 pounds and burns 1,800 calories each day, he said. (Note: most experts suggest not cutting daily calories under 1,200 per day.)
Your Weight-Loss History
Have you ever lost weight before? Unfortunately, you are already at a disadvantage, says Dr. Michael W. Schwartz. That is because when you lose weight your metabolic rate falls lower than it should, based purely on body size.
For instance, if two females both weigh 180 pounds, but one of them weighed 250LBS in the past, all else being equal, she will burn about 25% to 30% less calories each day than the other woman, he said. That will make her efforts to continue losing weight much more difficult.
Your Lifestyle
“The more bandwidth that people have to make those changes, the quicker they lose weight,” Fitch said. “The amount of changes you make will determine how much outcome you will be able to get from them.”
Translation: If you are already living a really healthy lifestyle, the needle will likely move much more slowly. However, if you are starting out from zero, you have much more room for improvement in your activity levels, daily nutrition habits and other lifestyle factors like sleep and stress that will impact how much success you have in your weight-loss journey, she said.
