How Fast Should You Be Losing Weight? What Might You Be Doing Wrong?

Aug 29, 2018

 by Stephen Conca

Today I will be talking about something I get asked about a lot, how fast should we be losing weight?

There are two things wrong with this question, one is that you should not worry about how fast you can lose weight. We obviously want to see results sooner than later but we need to make sure we are making quality progress and not moving so fast that our energy and strength take huge hits.

Another thing wrong with this question is that the person wants to lose weight. But what is weight, really? It could mean anything (including muscle).

If I were to rephrase this question (directed towards me) I would say something like "Hey Frank, how can I maximize my ability to lose body fat?"

And my answer would be to include something along the lines of well you need to be consistently strength training, getting plenty of sleep, drinking tons of water and paying close attention to what and how much you are eating (especially protein intake).

Of course all of these factors will be different for everyone, but those are the main ingredients in a fat loss salad???..haha! (I'm hilarious..I know).

When it comes to how fast we should lose weight, a good rule of thumb would be no more than a pound and a half a week. This may be higher if you have a considerable amount of fat to lose but for most people, .5-1.5lbs per week is a good average.

Depending on where you are starting, the first few weeks of a new workout regimen and diet can result in considerably more fat loss than 1 or 2 lbs a week. However, after this initial "shock" to the body, we want to get to a more consistent rate of fat loss.

This amount may seem small to some but when you are consistent, you will be surprised by how much progress you make in 3,6,12 months time. 6 months is 24 WEEKS – if we were to lose 1.5lbs a week that would 36lbs! It really does add up.

Also remember that if we take it slow and smart we can decrease our chances of losing large amounts of muscle, losing energy or just being in an overall bad mood from being to aggressive with your fat loss.

Bottom Line: Take it slooooooowwwwww, make sure you are doing everything that needs to be done (with proper guidance of course!) and the results will come, just be patient.

Need help with your nutrition? Don/t know what to eat or how much to eat to reach your goals!?

Schedule a nutritional consultation with me and I'd be happy to help you find that right amount of balance in your life to maintain the physique you've always wanted