Weight loss goals
Setting a realistic weight-loss goal
Most people who start a weight-loss program set weight-loss goals that may be unrealistic. An unrealistic weight goal is one that will be very hard to reach. Or it may be a goal that's too difficult to maintain even if you do reach it.
A weight-loss goal that is hard to reach may lead you to spend a lot of time and money on fad diets. Many of these promise quick and unrealistic weight-loss results. Even if you lose some weight on these diets, you may feel like a failure if you don't lose the amount you expected to. Many people quit fad diets because of this.
Benefits of small weight losses
Health care providers used to advise people to lose enough weight to reach what was called an "ideal body weight." To lose this large amount of weight, people were often put on very strict low-calorie diets. Even when people were able to lose the weight, they regained it as soon as they started eating foods they were not allowed to eat while losing weight.
Today, providers know that people can improve their health by losing just 5% to 10% of their total body weight. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds (90 kilograms), losing 10 to 20 pounds (4.5 to 9 kilograms) can improve your health. Because of this, many providers advise smaller weight losses that include exercise and other healthy lifestyle habits.
A weight loss of 5% to 10%:
- Lowers cholesterol and blood pressure
- Improves blood sugar control for people with type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes (higher than normal blood glucose but not yet type 2 diabetes)
- Lowers risk for some cancers, sleep apnea (stopping breathing while asleep), arthritis, and other diseases
Losing a small amount of weight and keeping it off is better for you than losing a large amount of weight and regaining it. Once you lose a small amount of weight and learn what it will take to keep it off, you can set a new realistic goal to lose more if you desire.
Resolve to lose your weight slowly
Most weight-loss programs recommend taking up to 6 months to lose 10% of your body weight. That's because, even if you can lose weight quickly, you are more likely to gain it back once you go off your weight-loss program.
When a person loses and gains weight often (called yoyo dieting), it will take longer to lose the same amount of weight with each new try. That weight will be more quickly regained.
A realistic and healthy goal is losing 1 to 1.5 pounds (.45 to .7 kilograms) a week. The best way to do this is by reducing calories and increasing physical activity.
- Eating 500 fewer calories every day can lead to losing 1 pound (.45 kilograms) a week.
- Eating 500 fewer calories every day and burning an extra 250 to 300 calories a day by being more active can increase weight loss to 1.5 pounds (.7 kilograms) a week.
These are some weight-loss guidelines:
- To lose 20 to 25 pounds (9 to 11 kilograms), plan to spend at least 3 months on a weight-loss program.
- To lose 40 to 50 pounds (18 to 22 kilograms), plan to spend at least 6 months on a weight-loss program.
Set mini goals you know you can reach. Your mini goal might be losing 5 pounds (2.2 kilograms) or getting through the day without eating too much. Both of these goals are valid and easier to focus on than a single longer term goal.
Losing weight slowly also means you are taking the time to form new habits. Some of these habits are eating less, exercising more, and learning how to choose healthy foods.
Track your progress
Record your successes in a way that works for you. Use an online program, write down your results in a notebook, or keep a journal -- whatever keeps you on track.
Measuring body weight changes
The scale you weigh yourself on only weighs only pounds or kilograms. It does not tell you how much body fat you have lost. Changes on the scale, up or down, may be from more than fat loss.
At the start of a weight-loss diet, the changes on the scale may include both fat and fluid loss. This is why the scale tends to go down faster at the start of any diet and then slows down after a few weeks.
A good way to know if you are losing body fat is if your clothes size is changing. As we lose fat, we also lose inches -- even if the scale is not showing the weight loss you expect.
In the end, the best approach is to set goals for changing your lifestyle. When you focus on the process of changing your habits -- not just on losing weight -- your new, healthier habits will be a big boost in helping you reach your weight-loss goals.
Reviewed By: John E. Meilahn, MD, Bariatric Surgery, Chestnut Hill Surgical Associates, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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