Weight loss is a frequent aim, whether you want to lose weight for a specific occasion or simply better your health. You may wonder what a healthy weight loss ratio is to set reasonable expectations. This article will answer the question, how long does it take to lose weight?
How Weight Loss Happens
When you consume fewer calories than you burn, you lose weight. Weight gain, on the other hand, occurs when you continually consume more calories than you burn.
Any calorie-containing meal or beverage counts toward your total calorie consumption. However, the quantity of calories you burn each day, also known as energy or calorie expenditure, is a little more complicated. There are three major components to calorie expenditure:
- Metabolic rate at rest (RMR) is the number of calories your body needs to function normally, such as breathing and pumping blood.
- The thermogenic effect (TEF) of food refers to the calories expended during digestion, absorption, and metabolism.
- Activity has a thermodynamic effect (TEA). These are the calories you burn while exercising. Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), which accounts for calories needed for activities such as yard maintenance and fidgeting, is also included in TEA.
You maintain your body weight if the number of calories you consume = the number of calories you burn. To lose weight, you must consume fewer calories than you burn or increase your activity level.
How Long Does it Take to Lose weight? – Influencing Factors
Several factors influence how quickly you lose weight. Many of them are beyond your ability to control.
How Long Does it Take to Lose weight? – Gender? Your fat-to-muscle ratio has a significant impact on your capacity to reduce weight. Women have a lower RMR than men of the same height because they have a higher fat-to-muscle percentage than men.
It indicates that at rest, women burn 5-10% fewer calories than men. As a result, males tend to lose weight faster than women following a calorie-balanced diet. For example, an 8-week study with nearly 2,000 individuals on an 800-calorie diet discovered that men lost 16% more weight than women, with a relative weight reduction of 11.8% and 10.3% in women.
However, while males lost weight faster than women, the study did not look at gender variations in the capacity to maintain weight loss.
1. How Long Does it Take to Lose weight? – Age
Changes in body composition are one of the many physical changes that occur with age – fat mass increases and muscle mass decreases. This alteration and other variables, such as your primary organs’ decreased calorie consumption add to a reduction.
Adults over 70 can have RMRs that are 20-25% lower than younger adults. Weight loss may become more complex when RMR declines with age.
2. Starting Point
Your baseline body mass and composition may also affect your weight loss rate. It is critical to recognize that differing AWL (in pounds) can correspond to the same (%) weight loss in different people. Finally, losing weight is a complex procedure. The (NIH) Body Weight Planner is an excellent resource for determining how much you can lose based on your starting weight, age, gender, and the number of calories you consume and burn.
Although a heavier person can lose twice as much weight, a lighter person can lose an equivalent percentage of their body weight (10/250 = 4% versus 5/125 = 4%).
For example, a 300-pound (136-kg) person may drop 10 pounds (4.5 kg) after cutting 1,000 calories from their daily diet and increasing physical activity for two weeks.
3. Calorie Deficiency
How long will it take for you to lose weight with a calorie deficit diet? To reduce weight, you must produce a negative calorie balance. The magnitude of your calorie deficit influences how quickly you lose weight. Consuming 500 calories or less per day for eight weeks is likely to result in higher weight loss than consuming 200 fewer calories per day.
However, avoid creating an excessive calorie deficit. It is not only unsustainable, but it also puts you at risk of nutrient shortages. Furthermore, it may increase your chances of losing weight as muscle mass rather than fat mass.
4. Sleep
The question of, how long does it take to lose weight? It has many answers, and yes, sleep is one of them. Sleep is an often-overlooked yet critical component of weight loss. Chronic sleep deprivation might stymie weight reduction and the rate at which you shed pounds.
Researchers have shown that one night of sleep deprivation can make you crave high-calorie, low-nutrient meals such as cookies, cakes, sugary drinks, and chips. A 2-week trial randomly assigned participants on a calorie-restricted diet to sleep 5.5 or 8.5 hours per night.
Those who slept for 5.5 hours per night shed 55% less body fat and 60% more lean body mass than those who slept for 8.5 hours. We can associate it with type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and cancer.
Other Considerations
Other factors that can influence your weight loss rate include:
- Medications. Many pills, including antidepressants and various antipsychotics, can either stimulate or inhibit weight loss.
- Medical problems. Illnesses such as depression and hypothyroidism, in which your thyroid gland produces insufficient metabolism-regulating chemicals, can hinder and encourage weight loss.
- A well-established genetic component is associated with overweight or obese individuals and may play a role in weight loss.
- I was dieting on a whim. Due to a decline in RMR, this pattern of losing and regaining weight might make weight loss more difficult with each try.
How Long Does it Take to Lose weight with a Diet That Works?
With so many weight reduction programs on the market, all promising remarkable and quick results, it can be challenging to know which one is the best.
Even though designers and supporters believe their regimens are superior to others, there are only so many excellent weight reduction diets.
Low-carb diets, such as keto, may help you lose weight faster at first, but studies show no meaningful changes in long-term weight loss. Most important is your capacity to maintain a healthy, low-calorie eating plan.
However, many people find it challenging to stick to an extremely low-calorie diet for lengthy periods, which is why most diets fail.
To improve your chances of success, cut your calorie intake only moderately, personalize your diet based on your preferences and health, or work with a qualified dietitian.
To maximize fat reduction and avoid or minimize muscle loss, combine diet with exercise, including aerobic and resistance training. You may improve weight loss and overall health by avoiding highly processed foods and embracing healthier, whole foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy fats, and proteins.
Weight Loss at a Safe Rate
While most people desire rapid weight loss, you must maintain a manageable weight. Rapid weight loss increases your chances of developing gallstones, dehydration, and starvation. Other adverse consequences of rapid weight loss include:
- Headaches
- Irritability
- Fatigue
- Constipation
- Hair thinning
- Irregular menstruation
- Muscle wasting
Though weight loss may occur more quickly at the beginning of a program, doctors recommend a weekly weight loss of 1-3 pounds (0.45-1.36 kg) or roughly 1% of your body weight.
Also, keep in mind that losing weight is not a straight line. You will lose more in some weeks, while you will lose less or none in others. So, if your weight reduction slows or plateaus for a few days, don’t become disheartened. It may help you stay on track if you keep a food journal and weigh yourself regularly.
How Long Does it Take to Lose Weight on Keto?
How long does it take to lose weight on keto? Unfortunately, there is not a single because everyone’s body is unique. Recently, studies have proved positive and shown that the keto diet can aid in weight loss and burning abdominal fat. Obese patients in one study who followed a keto diet for around 24 weeks lost an average of 12% of their total weight and 25% of their belly fat. If you ask, “how long does it take to lose weight on keto?” Then the best way to honestly know is to try it. The keto diet may be a suitable alternative if you want to reduce weight and burn abdominal fat. Consult your doctor before embarking on any new diet or workout regimen. They will be able to provide you with all the answers to “how long does it take to lose weight on Keto?”.
How Long Does it Take to Lose Weight on Keto – Speeding Up the Process
It would help if you thought of a few things to take into consideration when you are looking to get faster results on keto:
- Limit your daily carbohydrate consumption to 20-50 grams.
- Consume more fat and protein.
- Drink plenty of water and sleep plenty.
- Regular exercise is essential.
If you try to speed up weight loss, how long does it take to lose Weight on Keto? Following these suggestions, you should lose weight faster on keto. Remember that everyone’s body is unique, so you cannot get the same results as someone else.
How Long Does it Take to Lose Weight on Keto with Protein Shakes?
If you follow the keto diet and exercise consistently, consider adding a protein supplement to your program. Protein promotes muscle growth, which might help you burn more calories and fat.
There are numerous protein supplements on the market, so selecting the one suitable for you is critical. Before beginning any new supplement, read the labels carefully and consult with your doctor.
Takeaway
If you ask, “How long does it take to lose weight?” It is frustrating, but you lose weight when you eat fewer calories than your body is burning. Your weight loss rate is influenced by your gender, age, starting weight, and sleep (the amount of sleep you get and how many calories you burn).
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