How Long Does It Take to Lose Weight? A Helpful Guide

Anyone who set weight loss as their New Year resolution may be asking themselves now, “How long does it take to lose weight?”

It’s not just a question about patience. For weight loss to be sustainable, it should be slow and steady. Those who fall into diet fads will likely not achieve long-term weight loss.

To find out how long it really takes to lose weight, take a look at the guide below.

Identifying Weight Loss

Weight loss is achieved through calorie deficit — when the body expends more calories than it consumes.

The body burns calories in a few different ways. Namely, through maintaining normal functions, through processing food, and through bodily activity. The difficult part is identifying exactly how many calories your body needs every day, so you can then calculate how many calories to eat.

Not all deficits are made equal. The smaller the caloric deficit, the slower the weight loss. The higher the deficit, the faster the weight loss. Keep in mind that rapid weight loss is typically unsustainable and regained in the future.

How Long Does It Take to Lose Weight?

Of course, weight loss is not as simple as calculating a caloric deficit. There are many mitigating factors that also affect it. These include:

• Age
• Gender
• Genetics
• Medication intake
• Medical conditions
• Sleeping patterns
• Initial body mass

Unfortunately, most of the factors affecting weight loss are out of an individual’s control. All of these factors will determine how long it takes for an individual to lose weight.

Diet and Exercise for Weight Loss

One of the biggest determiners of losing weight is diet.

Considering that around 90% of people who lose a significant amount of weight regain it, it’s not a bad idea to ask for professional help. That’s why medical weight loss programs exist. Set aside some time to check it out.

Shockingly, exercise represents only a small portion of how the body burns calories. Still, regular exercise is essential to any healthy lifestyle. Although nutrition reigns, exercise is

A General Timeline

The first week of weight loss is always the hardest. You may not notice any changes, but the scale should reflect the loss. Ideally, it should not be more than 1% of total bodyweight per week.

After the second week, clothing should feel more loose and new routines will start to get easier. By week three, the routines should start to feel set in place. The body should really start to respond to the changes.

This process is not linear and varies from person to person. There may be successive days where no weight loss is achieved, but the key is persistence and consistency.

Starting a New Lifestyle

How long does it take to lose weight? That’s not an easy question to answer. It would be more fruitful to focus on something like, “What realistic lifestyle changes can I make to achieve permanent weight loss?”

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