So, 1 kilogram (kg) equals 2.2 pounds (lb), which means that if you lost 1 kg a week, you would lose 4 kg (8.8 pounds) per month. As we approach the midpoint of the year, it's only natural that we start to think about our health and fitness goals. There is no shortage of dramatic weight loss transformations on Instagram, which makes losing 2.5 kg a week look pretty easy. But losing that weight in just seven days can be unhealthy, and even impossible, for some people.
Every dieter wants to know how much weight they can lose in a week, but there is no safe limit according to Dr. Konstantinos Spaniolas, Associate Director, Center for Bariatric and Metabolic Weight Loss at Stony Brook University. This is because a variety of factors affect how quickly pounds are lost, including starting weight. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people lose weight gradually, about 1 to 2 pounds per week.
This equates to between 0.45 and 0.9 kilograms of weight loss per week. This can dramatically reduce the number that appears on the bathroom scale each morning, but it won't change how much weight is healthy to lose each week. However, losing 1 kg a week is not going to be suitable for everyone; you may simply not have that amount of excess fat to lose in the first instance and therefore you could end up with an underweight. If you want to lose 1 kg of weight a week (a healthy and sustainable amount for most, although shooting for more than this is not recommended), you would have to create a deficit of 7,700 calories (2.2 pounds of fat) over the course of a week.
It is best to eat early, if you are trying to lose fat, since the extra hours before sleep without eating will help your body digest and rest before sleep. Depending on what you're trying to achieve (losing, maintaining or gaining weight), the way you handle your macros can be a big benefit. So, if you're trying to lose weight, remember that just because the number on the scale goes up or down quickly doesn't mean you're achieving the results you expect. The more excess weight you have to lose, the higher the percentage of weight lost from fat, says Kevin Hall, Ph.
D. Let's say you start at 136 kg, a fat loss goal of one percent per week means you'll lose 1.3 kg in a week, Perry says. But if you're just looking to lose 4.5kg from a relatively thin frame, you'll probably find it harder to retain muscle mass. Protein provides essential amino acids that the body uses to produce muscle; skimp and lose more muscle.
Spaniolas recommends eating enough protein (about 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight) and getting enough sleep (at least seven hours). Not closing your eyes enough slows hunger and metabolism hormones like leptin and ghrelin, says Perry. In a small study published last year in the Annals of Internal Medicine, volunteers on a low-calorie diet slept 5.5 or 8.5 hours a night; in two weeks both lost just over 2.9kg but those who slept the most lost twice that to fat. The smaller you are, the fewer calories you burn; Freedhoff reminds us that there are even more complex hormonal and metabolic changes at work which makes it more difficult to burn fat the more time you lose.
Scientists are still working to understand the mechanisms but research has shown that people who have lost weight burn fewer calories than people who never dieted; Spaniolas says that correctly estimating how many calories your body needs is complicated but he recommends using a table or calculator from the National Institute of Health from there you can skip about 500 calories a day to lose weight but you shouldn't lose much to begin with and even then he says that it may not be easy to maintain this calorie reduction if you're already lean and need fewer calories to start with.
