5 Things That Can Affect How Quickly You Lose Weight.

Setting a big weight-loss goal is great. But it’s important to be realistic, because it’s not like you’re going to shed 20 pounds in one week—or even five.

“I always remind my patients that they most likely didn’t gain all of their weight overnight, therefore it's unrealistic to expect that they’ll lose it overnight,” says Maya Feller, RD.

Making a lifestyle change—which is what lasting weight loss requires—takes time and effort, so setting small, realistic goals will help you avoid disappointment. “Instead of focusing on the end result—for example, losing 20 pounds—focus on losing a single pound. Next, focus on losing a another pound,” says Keri Gans, RDN, author of The Small Change Diet. “Success feeds success. The more successful you are with your goals, the more likely you will stay motivated.”

So what's that mean for your goals of fast weight loss? And how soon can you expect weight-loss success? Well, no two people lose weight at the same rate.

That’s why it’s important to be aware of all the things that can affect your fast weight loss—things you might not even initially think about in your excitement to start exercising and eating healthy. 

So before you get yourself psyched up to see a certain number on the scale, know that these factors could play a role in how quickly—or not—you can shed pounds.

1. How much you have to lose

There’s a big difference between setting out to lose 10 pounds versus 100 pounds. “Often at the beginning of a diet, someone might lose more weight,” says Bonnie Taub-Dix, RDN, creator of BetterThanDieting.com and author of Read It Before You Eat It! “As you go on and you stick with your plan for a longer period of time, the changes from day to day are not as dramatic.”

That’s because a few healthy tweaks can really add up in the beginning. “But once you’ve started losing weight and have made many healthy changes, you need to keep looking for more ways to up the ante," says Gans.

Plus, the more weight you have to lose, the quicker you lose it. “The heavier you are, the more energy it to takes for your body to function, hence you burn more calories naturally,” says Gans. “If you have 100 pounds to lose, you’re certainly going to have a lot more healthy changes to make than someone who has 10 pounds to lose. 

Related: 5 Weight Loss Dinner Strategies To Keep You On Track


Sometimes it’s the 100-pound weight loss that comes easier since losing 10 pounds might mean having to change more things than you’re really willing to.”

2. How much you cut calories

Drastically cutting calories earlier in your weight-loss journey isn’t necessarily a shortcut. “There is a misconception that if we restrict the calories we eat, we can lose more weight more quickly,” explains Amy Lee, MD, chief medical officer at Lindora Medical Weight Management Corporation and head of nutrition for Nucific. “The natural process of calorie restrictions often will help you lose weight, but prolonged restrictions of the right type of calories can make you lose the wrong weight, such as lean muscle weight. Focus on cutting out calories from simple and refined sugars, which is the best first step in losing fat weight.”

Restricting calories more slowly is more realistic. “A slower process helps you adjust more readily to the changes that are taking place in your body, and then go on to adopt these habits for a lifetime,” says Taub-Dix. You should aim to restrict only enough to lose one to one and a half pounds a week, she says. “They add up quickly!”

Related: How Many Calories Should You Eat In A Day

3. What amount of exercise is realistic for you

You need to burn more calories than you consume to actually lose weight, which means exercise and weight loss go hand in hand. So if you’re eating less but barely hitting the gym, you may not see results because your body will think you’re in trouble and go into “conservation mode,” holding on to those calories and storing them as fat, says Taub-Dix. And if you’re exercising regularly but not watching your diet, you might get stronger and feel more fit, but your weight won’t necessarily drop.

There’s no need to kill yourself at the gym, though—people who exercise moderately burn the same amount of energy as those who go HAM, because our bodies adapt to different levels of exercise, according to a study published in the journal Current Biology. Aim to hit the current U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ recommendation of at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, plus strength-training twice per week.

4. If you’re holding onto water weight

What you’re eating could affect how much water your body retains. “Salt acts like a magnet to water, holding onto it and causing swelling in fingers and ankles,” says Taub-Dix. “Carbs can cause bloating for some people, too.” When you cut those things from your diet, you could see a quick drop in weight so if you’re retaining fluids, that could affect the number on the scale, says Gans.

“However, that might not tell the whole story of whether you have actually dropped any weight. That’s why I explain to my patients to focus less on the scale and more about how they feel," she says.

5. What your sleep schedule looks like

If you’re doing everything right all day long but you’re still seeing too little results, what’s happening at night could be to blame. “People who don't sleep enough have higher levels of stress hormones that can contribute to overall inflammation of the body,” says Lee. “That inflammation can contribute to worsening of chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and more.”

Plus, researchers have found that people who slept just five and a half hours a night held on to body fat and lost lean body mass—that’s not good—versus people who slept 8.5 hours. Not to mention, a lack of sleep can screw with your healthy decision making. “Research has shown that insufficient sleep can increase your desire for higher calorie foods as a result of hormone shifts that regulate hunger and satiety,” says Feller.

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