How much body fat % can be lost per week?

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hestavi
hestavi Posts: 21 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, I just got a DEXA scan done and my body fat percentage is 47.6%. Yikes. I started working with a personal trainer last week and I have been lifting 2-3 times a week. What is a reasonable fat % to lose per week? I am targetting 2 pounds per week currently. For reference, I am 28, female, 5'6.5 and 200 lbs.

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  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    At your stats, your 2 lb/week rate of loss is probably reasonable for now. A faster pace would not be safe or healthy.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,671 Member
    apullum wrote: »
    At your stats, your 2 lb/week rate of loss is probably reasonable for now. A faster pace would not be safe or healthy.

    And a slower pace (e.g., 1lb/wk) is much easier in terms of hunger management.

    A way of thinking of weight loss is that losing a pound means omitting a total of ~3500kcals from your dietary needs (over whatever time frame you choose). Losing a pound a week means doing without ~500kcals per day. That is anywhere from 20-30% of your daily requirement (TDEE), depending on your stats. This is reasonably sustainable. (I personally stick to around a 25% deficit when I want to cut).

    Losing 2lbs a week requires then doing without 40-60% of your daily requirement every day. That can be really hard and can leave you feeling discouraged if it doesn't work out.

    So, why not set up MFP for the 1lb/week loss, then anything you can manage above that is extra credit?
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