How to Calculate a Rate of Loss

Record your weight over time to calculate loss rate.

Once you have started a diet a good way to measure your success is to calculate your rate of loss. That is how much weight you lose over a given amount of time, and the rate is commonly calculated by pounds per day or per week. It is normal for the rate of loss to decrease over the course of a diet because as the body loses weight it uses less energy to perform the same tasks. An easy mathematical formula can help you calculate your rate of weight loss.

Things You'll Need

• Scale
• Calculator

Instructions

1. Weigh yourself at the beginning of your diet and record the result. A good time is first thing in the morning before you have gained weight from food and liquid intake.

2. Weigh yourself after two weeks and record the results. Try to weigh yourself in the morning.

3. Subtract your weight after two weeks from your original weight. This is how much weight you have lost.

4. Divide your weight lost by 2 weeks to calculate your weekly rate of loss. For example, if you lost 7 pounds, 7 divided by 2 gives you a rate of loss of 3.5 pounds per week.

5. Divide your weight lost by 14 days to calculate your daily rate of loss. For example 7 pounds lost divided by 14 days gives you a rate of loss of 0.5 pounds per day.

References

• Vanderbilt University: Is There Any Magic?

Resources

• Johns Hopkins University: Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center Program FAQs
• Colorado State University Extension; Weight Loss ...; J. Anderson, L.Young et al.; December 2008