How Long Does It Take To Lose Weight
How long does it take to lose weight?
Many people all around the world choose to begin a diet and lifestyle change in order to lose weight and get their bodies fit and healthy. When taking on a new diet and exercise routine, pounds will begin to come off. Many people who are newcomers at losing weight may ask, “How long does it take to lose weight?” While there is no clear cut answer, there are several factors that can help a person estimate how long it will take them to reach their desired weight.
In order to lose weight, there must be a calorie deficit that occurs within the body. This means that a person must watch their caloric intake with the foods that they eat, as well as burn additional calories through exercise, sports and other activities. The caloric needs of each person varies depending upon their starting weight, height, age and sex. A person wishing to lose unwanted pounds can consult with their doctor to find out their own caloric needs so that they may begin their change.
Doctors recommend that a person safely lose one to two pounds per week. This ensures that the weight is lost in a healthy way, not through fad diets, so that the weight is more likely to stay off. In order to lose 1 to 2 pounds, a calorie deficit of 3,500 to 7,000 calories per week is needed. This can be easily tracked by keeping a weight loss journal or using an online program. Sometimes, however, losing 1 to 2 pounds each week may not always occur.
Plateaus during dieting are common and result in little to no weight loss, however if you have a lot to lose (20lbs plus usually) you have some time before this becomes a real issue. Anyone who has experienced several weeks without weight loss will need to reevaluate their diet and exercise plan to find out what is going wrong. Often, a plateau may be hit if a person is taking in too few calories. If this occurs, a caloric increase is needed to restart the process or more rigorous exercise such as interval training may be needed.
It is also not unusual for a person who has more weight to lose to lose more than 1 to 2 pounds in the first few weeks of their lifestyle change. For those who have 100 pounds to lose, losing 5 to 10 pounds within a few weeks is not unheard of at the start of the diet. Most of this weight is contributed to water retention, which will level out after just a few weeks. If a person of any weight is following their diet as it should be, they will have no problem losing 1 to 2 pounds each week in a safe and effective way. As a person loses more weight, they may need to re-adjust how many calories they are taking in, as well as how many are being burned daily to continue to lose weight.
Although many factors may affect weight loss each week, a person can easily get an estimate of how much weight they can lose. When wondering how long does it take to lose weight, a person that needs to lose 100 pounds should expect to work hard for about one year to remove all of this weight. A person who only needs to lose 10 pounds should hit their goal in one to two months if they are doing everything correctly. Even when weight loss does not occur each week, it is important for a person to keep up with their measurements, as they may continue to lose inches and gain more muscle mass as they exercise and watch what they eat.
Before starting a weight loss journey, an individual needs to figure out how much weight they need to lose and how they are going to begin losing it. Once they have a plan in mind, they can then begin to estimate how long it will take them to lose their unwanted weight and be on their way to the slimmer, healthier body that they have always wanted.
