How Much Weight Should I Be Losing Weekly?

We have all been there, we want to lose the weight and we want it gone yesterday. If you have been trying to lose weight you may have ventured towards weight loss gimmicks that promise 30lbs in 30 days or maybe you are simply just struggling to lose your first 5lbs. Either way we want to promote healthy sustainable weight loss that is going to put your health as a top priority.

what weekly weight loss looks like

Weight Loss is a marathon not a sprint. A safe weight loss goal is aiming for .5lbs – 2lbs of weight loss a week. On average you will see a larger weight loss in the beginning of your weight loss journey and although we would love to claim the initial drop as fat loss alone, we have to be honest that the majority of the weight loss seen in the first two weeks is water weight which could give you up to a 10lb weight loss in the first 2-3 weeks of your fitness journey depending on how much water your body naturally retains.

Once we start getting out of the beginning weeks of starting a weight loss journey this is where we really begin tracking for the .5-1lb of weight loss a week consistently.

weight loss factors

There are a few factors that we need to take into account rather than chasing a scale alone. Like sleep habits, energy levels, hunger cues, strength, daily activity levels, mood, and even tracking measurements can be helpful. As our body composition changes, like adding more lean muscle mass, sometimes the scale won’t reflect the progress that is being made depending on where you are in your weight loss journey. Comparing progress pictures side by side can be a great visual tool to help showcase your progress that the scale won’t always provide.

When it comes to weight loss we have to be in a safe caloric deficit for your body. Eating less than 1200 calories a day is not the answer and will cause your body more harm than good in the long haul and will even leave you hitting plateaus faster and making it more difficult for you to lose weight overall. Working with a team of professionals to help you establish a healthy caloric deficit with proper adjustments throughout your weight loss journey is important to your health and safety. You can learn more about our nutrition coaching here https://rfrmfit.com/nutrition/.

Slow and progressive weight loss is important for a few reasons. If you are coming from a larger weight loss goal it can help with protecting the elasticity of your skin keeping it firm and tight throughout your journey. It can help aid in better metabolic function so your body is utilizing the nutrients it needs appropriately while burning calories at rest instead of just training alone. It can help your body keep the weight off long term preventing rebounds in weight gain.