What is the norm for body fat loss in a month?

Most women will lose about 2 lb of true fat per month. If very obese, they can lose a bit more. However, the absolute max per day - which likely will not be attainable - is 31 calories x lbs of body fat.

I'm 10% body fat at 163 lbs. Thus, I have 16.3 lbs of body fat. For me, that's 503 calories of true fat loss per day as my cap.

So for me, at most, I can lose 1 lb of true fat per week if I set a weekly deficit of 3500 calories, or 500 per day. Any deficit greater than 500 is likely not beneficial.

^ If that is true then I only can lose 0.5 pounds of fat a week, so why bother trying to lose any faster? I have 50 total pounds of fat....

Using the equation, your potential fat utilization per day in calories is 1550, or .43 of a pound. Considering you may realistically be capped at .5 a lb per week, that demonstrates how little true fat is being utilized towards that 1550 estimate (.43 x 7 = 3.0 lbs per week vs 0.5 lbs per week). Based on this data, then 1550/6=258 calories of actual fat loss per day, or 1806 calories per week: 0.5 lb per week.

That's precisely the point why for most people, maintaining large deficits necessarily isn't beneficial. If I know someone has been eating at a deficit for quite some time, I usually suggest that they: Calculate how much potential fat they can burn and get an accurate estimate of their Resting Metabolic Rate or Active Metabolic Rate from a metabolic testing center.

^ If that is true then I only can lose 0.5 pounds of fat a week, so why bother trying to lose any faster? I have 50 total pounds of fat....

Using the equation, your potential fat utilization per day in calories is 1550, or .43 of a pound. Considering you may realistically be capped at .5 a lb per week, that demonstrates how little true fat is being utilized towards that 1550 estimate (.43 x 7 = 3.0 lbs per week vs 0.5 lbs per week). Based on this data, then 1550/6=258 calories of actual fat loss per day, or 1806 calories per week: 0.5 lb per week.

That's precisely the point why for most people, maintaining large deficits necessarily isn't beneficial. If I know someone has been eating at a deficit for quite some time, I usually suggest that they: Calculate how much potential fat they can burn and get an accurate estimate of their Resting Metabolic Rate or Active Metabolic Rate from a metabolic testing center.

Thanks for that really thorough explanation. That's actually just what I've been looking for. So I really should be looking at around a 2 pound a month loss. So I should cap my loss at around 25 pounds for the year. I'm at 162 and hope to eventually reach 135.

This is a great thread. I have been wondering myself why I can't seem to lose weight but have been losing inches. I think it's back to the drawing board for me to recalculate my body fat %.

I posted a some pictures of myself that I took today on my profile. I'm not ready to post the swim suit type of pictures yet, but now you can see I do look similar to you with the same height and body fat % despite weighing almost 50 lbs more. It is just proof that body fat % really is the important thing. The number on the scale is secondary. My goal weight is 150 lbs...BUT more importantly I think I want a body fat % of 20-22. Where ever that may put me on the scale.

I agree with you in that peoples' focus ought to be on body composition rather than weight. Even if one is greatly obese, it's about lowering body fat as the journey of weight loss isn't linear and fat loss is a very small variable in that equation.

The problem with setting body weight goals is that you really need to know your lean body mass. If you do not, then you are likely giving yourself an unrealistic goal to attain because the scale weight you choose may be too close to your lean body mass.