Average Weight Loss Per Week: How To Lose Weight Safely

If you’ve made weight loss a goal, the next natural question is, how much weight can I lose? The answer: it depends.

So many factors come into play with weight loss that there’s no way to predict exactly how much you will or can lose. However, if weight loss is a health priority for you, there is an amount that’s healthy, sustainable, and more likely to support long-term changes.

In this article, you’ll learn what defines healthy weight loss, how much weight you can reasonably expect to lose, and finally, how to set a realistic weight loss goal that sets you up for success.

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How Does Weight Loss Occur?

Weight loss occurs when you eat or drink fewer calories than you burn.

Although many people primarily associate calorie expenditure with physical activity, the body also uses calories throughout the day, even when it is at rest.

For example, when you’re asleep, you still burn calories for the energy needed for brain activity, digestion, cellular repair, and many other functions. All of this takes energy in the form of calories. Metabolism that occurs at rest is known as your resting metabolic rate (RMR)

In other words, weight loss occurs when the combination of calorie expenditure from your RMR and movement is greater than calorie intake from your food.

How Much Weight Is Safe To Lose in A Week?

To start, let’s differentiate between weight loss and healthy weight loss. A healthy weight loss program is good for your body, optimizes your metabolism instead of harming it, and is much more likely to be maintained.

Generally, healthy average weight loss per week translates to losing no more than two pounds a week.

On the other hand, unhealthy weight loss is associated with over-restriction, as you’ll see with fad diets. Very low-calorie diets lead to rapid weight loss but come with risks like muscle loss (as you will learn about below) and don't always give you the tools to make behavior changes that lead to long-lasting results.

4 Consequences of Unhealthy Weight Loss

Gradual weight loss may not be as popular because most people want instant gratification. We want to lose weight fast. But as the fable with the tortoise tells us, slow and steady wins the race.

Here are some of the reasons why:

• Fast weight loss means you are more likely to lose muscle mass in addition to fat or water weight, which is precisely what you don’t want. Muscle supports your resting metabolic rate, so it can increase the calories you burn at rest. Plus, water weight isn’t the same as fat loss, so even if the scale says you’ve lost five pounds in two days, it’s just as likely to come right back on.¹
• Unhealthy weight loss stemming from diets based on deprivation can lead to nutrient deficiencies. Cutting calories too low increases the health risk of not getting enough of the necessary vitamins and minerals you need simply because you aren’t eating enough.²
• The recommendations for healthy weight loss are based on successful weight loss maintenance science. Most people can lose body weight, but the trick is keeping it off. Research suggests that only one to three percent of people who lose weight actually maintain that weight loss.³
• Losing weight too quickly can lead to physiological hormone adjustments that make it much harder to lose weight. Weight loss can induce significant hormone changes that promote or inhibit appetite.

Some research suggests that as you lose weight, especially with reduced-calorie diets, the body adjusts by increasing hormones that make you feel more hungry while suppressing those that support satiety.⁴

<div class="pro-tip"><strong>Also Read: </strong><a href=meal-tracking>Meal Tracking: A Key Tool for Weight Loss</a></a>.</div>

What Factors Affect Weight Loss?

As hinted in the intro, one of the reasons it’s nearly impossible to predict the exact amount of weight a person will lose is because it’s reliant on so many factors. We are all made differently, but here are some of the most significant common factors that affect weight loss:

Diet

Starting with the most obvious predictor of weight loss—what you eat. You’ve likely heard the saying that 80 percent of weight loss is based on eating habits. While this is an oversimplification, diet is indeed fundamental for weight loss. Simply cutting calories doesn’t always work for weight loss, but if you consistently eat large portion sizes or a high-calorie diet, it will make it challenging to lose weight.⁵

The balance of the types of nutrients you eat is equally important. A 2,000-calorie diet rich in whole grain fiber, protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates will have a very different impact on your hormones, blood sugar, and metabolism than 2,000 calories from pastries, candy, pizza, and fast food. Quantity and quality in a healthy eating pattern matter when it comes to weight loss.

Stress

Chronic stress can make it harder to lose weight and even lead to weight gain. Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, can impact blood sugar and metabolism and increase appetite and sugar cravings.⁶

Sleep

Sleeping may be as important as exercise for weight loss. Sleep deprivation can interfere with hunger and satiety hormones and increase cortisol production. It can also increase your cravings for processed carbs and sugar.⁷

Hormones

The complexity of hormones can have a significant impact on weight. For example, insulin, a hormone secreted in response to elevated blood sugar, is associated with weight gain when found in higher-than-normal amounts. Any medical conditions that impact hormones may affect weight loss, too.⁸

Exercise and Activity level

Sedentary lifestyles are linked to higher body weight. Plus, increased muscle mass from cardio and strength training helps support metabolism to keep you burning calories all day long.⁹

Genetics

Genetics aren’t your fate, but they do come into play. Research has found that certain genetic traits can influence hunger and how you metabolize the nutrients in your food.¹⁰

Gut health

The bugs in your gut, collectively called your microbiome, can influence how you process your food and even how many calories you take in. Certain species of bacteria are also associated with an increased risk of weight gain and other health conditions.¹¹

What Is the Best Diet for Weight Loss?

With all of the above in mind, these differences can help explain why there is no single correct answer for the best diet for weight loss. There will always be studies pointing toward the success of one diet or another. But there is no denying that the best diet is the one that you can maintain and continue as a regular part of your lifestyle.

A group of researchers compared multiple diet plans and found that all diets—from vegan to low-carb to low-fat—led to some degree of weight loss. The study concluded that the best diet recommendation is the one that “a patient will adhere to.”¹²

How to Set a Healthy Weight Loss Goal

Knowing that weight loss is individualized, setting a healthy weight loss goal can help you narrow down the steps to make a change. Here are three steps to get started:

1. The first step is to find your reason why. Are you motivated by prevention? By a health scare like heart disease or high blood pressure? By simply wanting to feel good? Whatever it is, keep that reason front and center in your mind.
2. Once you’ve found your motivation, think about breaking up your goal into smaller segments, especially if you feel you have a significant amount of weight to lose. For example, if you say, “I need to lose 50 pounds,” that can sound like a long, daunting task.

Instead, tell yourself, “My goal is to lose 10 pounds of body fat over the next three months.” Smaller goals feel much more doable, and remember that 0.5 to 2 pounds a week is recommended. Science tells us that even losing five percent of your starting weight can lead to significant health benefits and improve body composition.¹³

3. Think forever, not until next week or next month. Diets fail because they are considered short-term changes, not long-term habits. Plan to make lifestyle changes you plan to continue to practice slowly over time so they will last.

Set Yourself Up for Weight Loss Success

Weight loss is a complex subject, and there’s no one right way to do it for each of us. If you are working on a weight loss journey, chances are you’ve been tempted after reading a click-bait internet ad promising quick results. That ad won’t tell you that a restrictive diet may help you lose a few pounds fast, but it won’t last and could even adversely affect your metabolism.

Instead, shift your thinking to slow, sustainable weight loss. Aim for an average weight loss of no more than two pounds per week. You can also work with a registered dietitian or nutritionist to help you start a weight loss plan. Find a balanced diet that feels sustainable for your lifestyle and stick with it by setting realistic goals that will add up over time.

<div class="pro-tip"><strong>Learn More: </strong><a href=maintaining-weight-loss>Maintaining Weight Loss: Why It’s Important and How to Do It</a>.</div>