With exercise and nutrition changes, a person can expect to lose weight. Exactly how much weight a person can lose, though, depends on many factors. Reaching and maintaining a moderate weight can help to prevent various diseases, including coronary heart disease and stroke. Eating a healthy diet, exercising and maintaining a healthy weight will help reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and high blood pressure. Keeping a normal weight can also help reduce the risk of certain cancers.
Sure, you might want to drop as much weight as possible one week, but a better question is, but what kind of changes to my lifestyle can I make that will improve my health over the long-term, says Dr. Creel. Our experts weigh in on how much weight is actually healthy to try to lose in a week. This may be an obvious one, but that doesn’t make it any less important. Your diet before, during, and after your weight loss impacts how easily or quickly you’ll be able to lose or keep weight off. Eventually, your weight loss will slow down to be closer to the 1 percent mark. That generally happens around the second month of your journey, but everybody is different, Dr. Sowa explains.
Factors other than diet, including your age, sex, starting weight, and physical activity level, can also influence your rate of weight loss. It’s not enough to eat healthy foods and exercise for only a few weeks or even months if you want long-term, successful weight management. Lifestyle changes start with taking an honest look at your eating patterns and daily routine. “Just like when a bodybuilder lifts weights at the gym, an overweight person lifts their body weight as they move through their day,” says Becky Gillaspy of Dr. Becky Fitness.com.
Losing weight can be a challenging journey for many individuals. One common question that arises is whether it is safe to lose a kilogram a week. While the answer may vary depending on various factors, most health experts agree that losing around 0.5 to 1 kg per week is generally considered a safe and sustainable rate of weight loss.
Theoretically, you could eat your daily calorie allotment in a couple of donuts and a scoop of ice cream. But you wouldn’t get the necessary nutrients to stay healthy and fuel exercise. You’d also find yourself very hungry very soon, and you’d have trouble not giving into the urge to eat more. The most important factor in weight loss is adopting sustainable and healthy dietary and exercise habits that you can maintain in the long term.
The importance of a gradual approach
Rapid weight loss can often lead to muscle loss, nutrient deficiencies, and other health issues. By aiming to lose around 1 kg per week, you are more likely to maintain lean muscle mass and sustain your weight loss in the long run. Additionally, losing weight gradually allows your body to adjust to the changes and helps prevent the dreaded yo-yo effect.
Factors to consider
It is important to note that the rate of weight loss can vary from person to person depending on factors such as age, gender, metabolism, and overall health. Consulting with a healthcare professional or a registered dietitian can help you determine a safe and realistic goal for your weight loss journey.
Working with a registered dietitian and other healthcare professionals like a therapist may help you reach your health and wellness goals more easily. They can also advise you on safe, evidence-based ways to support your physical and mental health. Most crash diets and fast weight loss programs severely restrict calories. While this can certainly make the number on the scale go down quickly, it can also cause metabolic adaptations like increased hunger, loss of lean body mass, and decreased RMR (14). This could cause them to use unhealthy and unsustainable diets and cleanses, such as eating just a few hundred calories a day, taking unsafe dietary supplements, or engaging in extreme exercise coupled with a liquid diet.
At the same time, you may want to know whether the weight you’re losing is coming from fat rather than muscle or water. When you’re setting goals, think about both process and outcome goals. It isn’t essential that you have an outcome goal, but you should set process goals because changing your habits is a key to weight loss. To preserve muscle, you’ll also want to make sure you’re eating enough protein, which provides essential amino acids that your body uses to make muscle. Dr. Spaniolas recommends eating about .8 to 1 gram of protein for every pound you weigh in order to retain muscle. There are plenty of ways to get that protein, including from these hearty vegan meals with more protein than a burger.
Overall, aiming to lose a kilogram a week can be a reasonable and healthy goal for many individuals. Remember to focus on making sustainable lifestyle changes, such as incorporating regular exercise and eating a balanced diet, to support your weight loss efforts.
