How quickly can you get to where you want to go with your weight?
I’m often asked how long it will take a client to lose a particular amount of weight. I liken this question a bit to “How long is a piece of string?” It really depends…
What Are You Willing To Do?
How much are you willing to change your diet?
Where is your diet now?
How often are you going to work out?
How hard are you willing to work out?
Are you going to give up after a couple of weeks or are you going to follow the plan that you’re given?
In General
The guideline that’s tossed around for safe and healthy (that’s the only kind we want, ok folks?) weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week. It’s a fine number in theory, but that’s about all it is. There’s no real scientific basis for that 1-2 pound rule, although it seems to be reasonable for people who are close to their ideal weight.
Sometimes it’s Easy, and Sometimes it’s Not
If someone is sixty pounds overweight they’re going to have a easier time losing weight than someone who’s five pounds from where they want to be. The initial changes to trigger weight loss in someone who’s overweight or obese are a lot simpler than for someone who is close to ideal. When you’re close to a healthy weight you’re probably already doing most of the right things. It’s hard to figure out what to change. Someone who’s obese likely has a lot to change and even a minor change like walking 30mins a day and reducing carbs might drop five pounds in a week.
In general, men lose fat at a faster rate than women. It’s all about the hormones. Men have about 20x the testosterone and don’t have the hormonal balance that tends to store fat for reproduction which women do. Sorry ladies! Don’t shoot the messenger.
The Bottom Line
Although I can give you general guidelines, weight loss can be a bit of a mystery sometimes. It’s not easy to tell you how quickly you’ll lose weight without knowing your gender, current weight and body fat percentage, your health, your body type and genetics, and training experience.
The one thing I can tell you for sure: The more committed you are to the process, the faster you’ll see results.
Ivana Chapman
