How much weight can I lose per week? Nutrition expert explains

How Much Weight Loss Per Week Is Healthy and Safe?

Nutritional science is (exceptionally) unanimous on this question: about 500 grams of weight loss per week is considered healthy and harmless – if it occurs as part of a long-term and, above all, individually adapted diet and lifestyle change, which ideally is maintained for life.

A moderate daily saving of about 500 kilocalories (Kcal) is required for this weight loss. That means you should eat 500 calories less than you use every day. We are talking about a “moderate negative energy balance”.

And another tip: Since 500 grams per week cannot always be clearly seen on the scales, both due to biologically normal weight fluctuations and individual weight loss rates, you can only check your weight loss success on the scales every two or four weeks. Because two kilos a month are more visible than 500 grams at the end of the week.

Can the pace of weight loss be affected by factors such as age, gender and physical condition?

In any case. Every human being is a “biologically unique specimen”, which means that we are all absolutely unique in our metabolism and lifestyle as well as in our chronobiology (day-night rhythm) and nutrient utilization as well as in our fat and muscle distribution. In addition to genes, of course, age, gender and physical condition also play a role. Young women in top form lose weight differently than old men with the first “bouts of weakness”. However, a “norm” cannot be defined, because the same applies here as with losing weight itself: These factors have a different effect on each person in their individual combination. A scientifically proven, generally valid statement is therefore not possible.

How to Boost Metabolism for Faster Weight Loss?

The metabolism can be stimulated in principle, for example by going to the sauna or intensive exercise – but there is no acceleration of weight loss through “metabolic activation”. The kilos will only tumble off faster if the calorie intake is reduced even more strictly than 500 kcal per day. This in turn harbors the risk that the body switches to the “starvation metabolism emergency state”, saves significantly more energy and then “fights back” with the yo-yo effect: You get fatter again and often unfortunately also fatter, which means more body fat is stored .

Hence the recommendation: It is better not to target a “diet accelerator” or the like, but to take it easy and stick to the 500 grams of weight loss per week.

What is the role of diet and physical activity in weight loss and how should you balance them?

Diet is a must, exercise is a must. That is, weight loss should be balanced with an emphasis on individually tailored dietary changes to lose a moderate 500 grams per week. Movement, physical activity and sports are then added “on top” – the more muscles are in the “move & groove”, the better. But only do what you enjoy, otherwise you won’t stick with it. In the beginning, the focus can simply be more exercise in everyday life: climbing stairs, going for a walk, cycling, a little weight training – wonderful.

What are the most common diet mistakes and how to avoid them to lose weight permanently?

Most people want to lose too much weight too quickly and too quickly. This also works, but only for a short time. Because then the yo-yo effect occurs and you gain a lot of weight again very quickly. Other mistakes are: Relying on a change in diet that does not suit your own personality, i.e. eating foods that you actually do not like at all. Or, for example, rely on “diet hypes” such as low-carb or intermittent fasting because you think they are the best diets (but they aren’t), but you can’t cope with them at all and are actually happy when it’s “over” is – simply because neither low carbohydrates nor fixed meal breaks suit you.

All of this can be easily avoided: Choose a path of individually tailored diet and lifestyle changes that suit you and your metabolism perfectly and that you therefore want to maintain for a lifetime – which essentially consists of moderate weight loss and only food and dishes that taste really good to you, that you like to eat when you want – and above all: that you tolerate really well, i.e. that you can digest without any problems.