How much weight loss would be Healthy?

it depends on his weight currently... you shouldn't lose more than 2 lbs per week, but a lot of people who are very overweight lose more than that during the first month. you're not giving us much to go off of...

I agree! More than 1-2 pounds a week is unhealthy.

A starting point would be to aim for the top end of the recommended "normal" BMI category. Your bf can calculate it for himself here: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

Important note: BMI is not a strictly reliable indicator of health or healthy body composition, for example, an athlete with lots of lean muscle could have an overweight BMI. But it's a decent enough startng point for thinking about goal weights.

I'm guessing if he's so big his job is at risk, he's not just a few kgs overweight. It's entirely possible for him to function on a vlcd for a few weeks. He'd lose a fair amount of weight that way. I wouldn't recommend it, but depending on where you live, jobs might be a bit hard to come by. Is his boss asking he lose the weight? What if there can be an agreement like he loses x amount of kgs in the first two months, then sticks to a sensible diet monitored by a doc, results shared with the company, until the rest of the weight comes off?

Tbh, I think this is highly intrusive and wouldn't want a bar of it, but do understand that sometimes we're put in very difficult situations. If at all possible, I'd be talking to HR and trying to work out a better solution before embarking on rapid weight loss.

I agree! More than 1-2 pounds a week is unhealthy.

That's not true in every situation.

I think they meant long term and generally. 1-2 lbs is sustainable for long-term goals.

Hello everyone. My boyfriend needs to lose weight because of his job. It's kind of in a dire situation right now. I was wondering what would be a good healthy goal weight for after a month of working out and eating right? What number should be aim for?


And yes, any weight loss is wonderful but he really needs a number to focus on and work towards. Thanks!

What kind of job does he have? And how much weight is he required to lose and why?

Without knowing more, I've heard that up to 1-2% loss per week (based on each week's current body weight) can be healthy, but depending how much weight he has to lose, he should probably check with his Dr. first for advice too.

I'm guessing if he's so big his job is at risk, he's not just a few kgs overweight. It's entirely possible for him to function on a vlcd for a few weeks. He'd lose a fair amount of weight that way. I wouldn't recommend it, but depending on where you live, jobs might be a bit hard to come by. Is his boss asking he lose the weight? What if there can be an agreement like he loses x amount of kgs in the first two months, then sticks to a sensible diet monitored by a doc, results shared with the company, until the rest of the weight comes off?

Tbh, I think this is highly intrusive and wouldn't want a bar of it, but do understand that sometimes we're put in very difficult situations. If at all possible, I'd be talking to HR and trying to work out a better solution before embarking on rapid weight loss.

This! HR may even recommend a dietician, personal trainer, or nutritionist for him. A side-benefit, he may get some money towards these kinds of professionals if his employer is asking him to get into shape.

I agree! More than 1-2 pounds a week is unhealthy.

That's not true in every situation.

Clarification: for an overweight individual, it is.
For an obese individual, it may be ok.
For a morbidly obese individual, it is most likely ok.

Even in an overweight person it is unlikely to be unhealthy in the short term. The OP is only asking about one month. Losing more than 2 lbs per week in one month, while not easy if you are not obese, is unlikely to negatively impact health.

Sorry I really have no idea what kind of information is needed. We're just starting out. I think he's about 400 lbs now and is about 6' tall. Eating right I guess would be portion control. He was big all his life and lost ALOT of weight just before we met but he ended up gaining even more back over the years.

how much does he need to lose to keep the job? and how long does he have to do it?

even just making a dietary change, weight drops fast at the beginning - i lost 13 pounds the first month. a lot of it is water-weight at the beginning. it slowed down after that, though. now i average a 5-8 lb. loss. that's sustainable and if he makes the lifestyle changes that go along with it (more conscious eating habits, sticking to plan, exercising) it will continue to happen...if he just drops a bunch of weight fast and doesn't stick with it, it's going to come back.

If you speak with a nutritionist or your doctor, they would generally say that 2 lbs a week is a healthy and realistic amount of weight to lose. My husband (42 yr old, 5'11") was weighing 330 lbs in October of 2011 and is now down to 208 lbs; his goal is 200, but he's reached a plateau and hasn't dropped those last few pounds. He hasn't done anything other than eat something small every 2-3 hours and drink 2-3 gallons of water a day; I've told him it's time he start exercising. These results are not typical; but I believe that fact that he's a man and was so over weight somehow made it easier for him once he set his mind to it. Best of luck to you!

At that weight he could probably lose 20 lbs relatively easy in the first month.

What's his job?

A starting point would be to aim for the top end of the recommended "normal" BMI category. Your bf can calculate it for himself here: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

Important note: BMI is not a strictly reliable indicator of health or healthy body composition, for example, an athlete with lots of lean muscle could have an overweight BMI. But it's a decent enough startng point for thinking about goal weights.

Not in one month necessarily.

Incidentally, why isn't he on here asking this for himself?