How Much Fat Loss Is Too Much?

If you are losing more than 1-2 pounds per week while following a weight loss program, your fat loss can be considered excessive. Losing weight too quickly can lead to health problems like muscle loss, gallstones, and nutritional deficiencies.

However, there are other factors you must also consider. Many healthcare providers prescribe medical evaluation if an average individual, especially an older adult who is not trying to lose weight, sheds more than 5 percent of body weight in six to 12 months. For instance, if a 180-pound individual experiences an unexplained weight loss of 9 pounds in six months, they should see a doctor.

Fat Loss — Introduction

Fat loss refers to weight loss from fat (fat mass).

Losing body fat is among the most common objectives of people aiming to get ‘fit.’ Besides improved physique aesthetics, cutting body fat can offer several benefits, including improvements in knee osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, fertility-related endpoints, and overall health. (1)

Tell someone trying to cut weight that they shouldn’t lose too much fat quickly, and they’ll look at you like you’ve lost your mind.

As obnoxious as it might sound, losing excessive body fat in a short time could become detrimental to your health.

While watching the needle on the weight scale crash to the left might feel exciting, you must step back and constantly analyze your overall health and well-being. Just like you could injure yourself under a heavy barbell, you can cause yourself harm by following an overly restrictive weight loss program.

As a personal trainer with over seven years in the trenches, I closely monitor my clients’ weight during a fat loss program to ensure they are not dropping into the unhealthy category.

What is a Healthy Rate of Fat Loss?

The fitness world witnesses the introduction of new fad diets every few months.

Most people want a quick fix for their weight problem. Fad diets often involve extreme calorie restriction to deliver rapid weight loss. This can lead to nutritional deficiencies and harm your overall health.

A sustainable approach is crucial to lose weight and keep it off.

Fat loss ultimately boils down to calories in versus calories out. You must be in a calorie deficit, meaning you must burn more calories in a day than you consume to shed the muffin top.

Anything over this limit puts you in the unhealthy category. Plus, if you lose more than 2 pounds weekly, the chances of regaining the lost weight are significantly higher.

A study published in the International Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism found that slow and gradual weight loss resulted in greater long-term fat loss and improvements in metabolic markers compared to very rapid weight loss. (3)

Factors Affecting Fat Loss — How Much Fat Loss Is Too Much?

No two people can have the same results, even if they are following the same weight loss diet and workout program. Here are the factors that might affect your weight loss results:

• Age: Older individuals usually find losing weight more challenging.
• Gender: Because of the male sex hormone testosterone, men shed weight faster than women.
• Metabolism: People with a high metabolic rate tend to torch more calories than their counterparts.
• Activity Levels: Folks with an active lifestyle generally lose weight faster than sedentary people.
• Body Composition: Individuals who carry more muscle mass can expect a faster rate of fat loss as muscle mass is more metabolically active than fat mass.

Beginners should consult a registered nutritionist before starting a weight loss diet. This ensures their diet is designed around their lifestyle and preferences, increasing the odds that they will stick to it for the long term.

On the other hand, working with a personal trainer can help streamline your workouts and accelerate your weight loss progress.

Side Effects of Rapid Weight Loss

Here are the pitfalls of losing weight too quickly:

Water Weight vs. Fat Loss

When you switch to an overly restrictive diet, you shed some weight almost instantly. However, the initial pounds that you drop are mostly water weight.

But what’s the difference, you ask?

Well, you tend to regain the water weight as soon as you return to your normal carbohydrate and sodium intake. Not just that, even an extra glass or two of water will make you look like all your progress has gone down the drain.

Fat loss, on the other hand, takes more time to materialize but is usually more sustainable.

Furthermore, most crash diets put your body in starvation mode, which plummets your metabolic rate. Many people lose weight on a restrictive diet, but their body holds onto belly fat, clinging to every calorie possible.

Nutritional Deficiencies

To lose significant weight quickly, you must adopt a severe calorie restriction. This often leads to macro and micronutrient deficiencies, which can impair normal body function and lead to chronic health conditions.

Hormonal Imbalances

On a rapid weight loss program, you put your body under massive strain, resulting in increased stress and cortisol levels. This is one of the main causes of the ‘skinny fat’ phenomenon. The hormonal fluctuation caused by extreme diets can also lead to sleep problems, mood swings, irregular periods in women, or lowered testosterone in men.

Muscle Loss

When you are on an extreme diet, you aren’t just losing body fat. After your body is out of its glycogen stores, it starts breaking down muscle tissue to burn as fuel. Not only does this hamper your physique aesthetics, but it also slows down your metabolism, which hinders further weight loss and increases the risk of regaining the lost weight.

Weakened Immune System

When you are starving, your body doesn’t have the nutrients it needs to fend off diseases. You must immediately end your crash diet and consult your doctor if you are constantly falling sick or feeling fatigued or exhausted.

Mental & Emotional Impact of Losing Too Much Fat

Losing too much weight in a short period can take its toll on your mental health. This is how it can disrupt your psychological well-being:

Obsessive Behavior

As a personal trainer, I frequently encounter individuals obsessed with weighing themselves every day.

It doesn’t end here. The weighing scale dictates their mood. If they have lost weight, they are thrilled. However, they are the grumpiest people to be around if they don’t see the desirable number on the scale.

Many of these people weigh themselves multiple times daily.

Disordered Eating

People who stick to an overly restrictive diet for an extended period end up forming an unhealthy relationship with food. Eating disorders can cause severe psychological and physiological issues and can take a very long time to overcome.

Depression and Low Mood

Shedding weight too quickly can throw your insulin and blood sugar levels into a frenzy. This can trigger several other hormonal changes, which can result in mood fluctuations and even depression.

Loss of Motivation

You are usually running on fumes on an ultra-low-calorie diet. It isn’t uncommon for people to feel demotivated and exhausted in this deprived stage. It usually leads to mental fog and loss of direction, which can jeopardize your weight loss journey.

Strategies for Sustainable Weight Management

While a quick transformation might sound tempting, it is not the right approach for most. Your weight loss journey must be balanced and sustainable. Here are the crucial points that you must keep in mind:

Set Realistic Expectations

In line with the CDC recommendations, set yourself a goal of losing 1-2 pounds each week. This will ensure your weight loss is sustainable and you’re not taking unnecessary risks. Establish weekly goals and celebrate small milestones to make the journey more enjoyable.

Make Long-Lasting Lifestyle Changes

To achieve their weight loss goal, many people end up making significant changes in their daily routine, which don’t suit their lifestyle. Considering this, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that most people give up before achieving their weight loss ambitions.

Eat a Balanced Diet

Your diet should consist of nutrient-dense whole foods. These ensure that you meet your daily recommended macro and micronutrient targets. Furthermore, whole foods keep you satiated for longer, reducing the risk of eating junk food.

Strength Training and Cardio

Contrary to what most people think, you don’t have to choose between strength training and cardio while on a weight loss program. Your training regimen should involve a balance of weight training and LISS and HIIT cardio.

Ask For Help

Your physical transformation doesn’t have to be a one-person show. Surround yourself with like-minded individuals who are working toward similar goals to keep yourself motivated and accountable. You can also solicit the help of a nutritionist and personal trainer to maximize your results.

Beyond the Weight Loss Phase 

The battle is only half won after you hit your weight loss goal. You must adjust your lifestyle to ensure you don’t regain the weight.

Employ the following techniques to maintain your ripped physique:

From Calorie Deficit To Maintenance Calories

Remember, there is no such thing as a life-long fat loss program.

You must begin with the end in mind. Set yourself a target before you embark on your weight loss journey. Once you hit the number, you must switch from a calorie-deficit diet to maintenance, consuming calories equal to your daily expenditure.

Adopt a balanced diet, training, and recovery program to ensure longevity.

Try tweaking your carbohydrate, protein, and fat intake until you have hit the ideal body composition. Also, after reaching your weight loss goal, incorporate a cheat meal into your routine to avoid cravings.

Intuitive Eating

You must learn to listen to your internal hunger and fullness cues.

When following a strict weight loss diet, you must ignore these cues and stick to the plan. However, eating according to a crash diet plan for an extended period can cause dissatisfaction and lead to an unhealthy relationship with food.

Aim for comfortable satiety, not overly stuffed. Also, practice mindful eating and shun all distractions while you sit down to eat.

Stay Active

Exercise and movement should become part of your daily routine. Don’t treat exercise as a way to punish yourself after you eat your favorite junk food.

Ensure you are moving throughout the day to keep your metabolism in top gear. You could ditch the gym if that’s not your thing. Instead, opt for hiking, dancing, swimming, or team sports.

Finally, learn to listen to your body. Feel free to take a day or two off if you don’t feel well-rested. However, don’t use this as an excuse to skip training sessions.

When to Seek Help — How Much Fat Loss Is Too Much?

Are you worried about a sudden weight drop and need help determining if you should seek medical advice? You must look for the following signs:

• Rapid, drastic weight drop: If you’re losing more than 2 pounds of body weight each week for an extended period without much effort, you should reach out to a doctor.
• Constant fatigue and weakness: Do you always feel like you’re dragging your feet throughout the day, and your body is not recovering? This is a sign that something might be wrong.
• Mood swings: Severe weight loss can impact your hormones and lead to serious and sudden mood swings.
• Worried about body image: Some people develop a poor self-image and suffer from low self-esteem after staying on a fat loss program for an extended period.

Conclusion

Although losing weight quickly can be very enticing, you must remember that there should be a method to the madness. Keep your weight loss under 2 pounds weekly to ensure safe and sustainable progress.

Furthermore, don’t be fixated on the number on the scales. You must also track other health metrics like body fat percentage and body circumference measurements and take progress photos to assess your progress.

If you have any questions about weight loss, drop them in the comments below, and I’ll be happy to help!

References

1. Tahrani, A. A., & Morton, J. (2022). Benefits of weight loss of 10% or more in patients with overweight or obesity: A review. Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.), 30(4), 802–840. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.23371
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2024, March 15). Losing Weight. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/losing_weight/
3. Ashtary-Larky, D., Ghanavati, M., Lamuchi-Deli, N., Payami, S. A., Alavi-Rad, S., Boustaninejad, M., Afrisham, R., Abbasnezhad, A., & Alipour, M. (2017). Rapid Weight Loss vs. Slow Weight Loss: Which is More Effective on Body Composition and Metabolic Risk Factors?. International journal of endocrinology and metabolism, 15(3), e13249. https://doi.org/10.5812/ijem.13249

---