How long does it take for a husky to lose weight

How Long Does It Take to Lose Weight?

Factors like age, gender, and your starting point can affect how long it takes you to lose weight. The timeframe can also depend on how many calories you take in relative to how many you spend.

Whether you want to lose weight for a special occasion or simply improve your health, weight loss is a common goal.

To set realistic expectations, you may want to know what a healthy weight loss rate is.

This article explains the factors that affect how long it may take you to lose weight.

Weight loss occurs when you consistently consume fewer calories than you burn each day.

Conversely, weight gain happens when you consistently eat more calories than you burn.

Any food or beverage you consume that has calories counts toward your overall calorie intake.

That said, the number of calories you burn each day, which is known as energy or calorie expenditure, is a bit more complicated.

Calorie expenditure is composed of the following three major components (1):

• Resting metabolic rate (RMR). This is the number of calories your body needs to maintain normal bodily functions, such as breathing and pumping blood.
• Thermic effect of food (TEF). This refers to the calories used to digest, absorb, and metabolize food.
• Thermic effect of activity (TEA). These are the calories you use during exercise. TEA can also include non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), which accounts for the calories used for activities like yard work and fidgeting.

If the number of calories you consume equals the number of calories you burn, you maintain your body weight.

If you want to lose weight, you must create a negative calorie balance by consuming fewer calories than you burn or burning more calories through increased activity.

SUMMARY:

Weight loss occurs when you consistently consume fewer calories than you burn each day.

Several factors affect the rate at which you lose weight. Many of them are out of your control.

Gender

Your fat-to-muscle ratio greatly affects your ability to lose weight.

Because women typically have a greater fat-to-muscle ratio than men, they have a 510% lower RMR than men of the same height (2).

This means that women generally burn 510% fewer calories than men at rest. Thus, men tend to lose weight quicker than women following a diet equal in calories.

For example, an 8-week study including over 2,000 participants on an 800-calorie diet found that men lost 16% more weight than women, with relative weight loss of 11.8% in men and 10.3% in women (3).

Yet, while men tended to lose weight quicker than women, the study didnt analyze gender-based differences in the ability to maintain weight loss.

Age

One of the many bodily changes that occur with aging is alterations in body composition fat mass increases and muscle mass decreases.

This change, along with other factors like the declining calorie needs of your major organs, contributes to a lower RMR (4, 5).

In fact, adults over age 70 can have RMRs that are 2025% lower than those of younger adults (2, 6).

This decrease in RMR can make weight loss increasingly difficult with age.

Starting point

Your initial body mass and composition may also affect how quickly you can expect to lose weight.

Its important to understand that different absolute weight losses (in pounds) can correspond to the same relative (%) weight loss in different individuals. Ultimately, weight loss is a complex process.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Body Weight Planner is a useful guide to how much you can lose based on your initial weight, age, sex, and how many calories you take in and expend (7).

Although a heavier person may lose double the amount of weight, a person with less weight may lose an equal percentage of their body weight (10/250 = 4% versus 5/125 = 4%).

For example, a person weighing 300 pounds (136 kg) may lose 10 pounds (4.5 kg) after reducing their daily intake by 1,000 calories and increasing physical activity for 2 weeks.

Calorie deficit

You must create a negative calorie balance to lose weight. The extent of this calorie deficit affects how quickly you lose weight.

For example, consuming 500 fewer calories per day for 8 weeks will likely result in greater weight loss than eating 200 fewer calories per day.

However, be sure not to make your calorie deficit too large.

Doing so would not only be unsustainable but also put you at risk for nutrient deficiencies. Whats more, it might make you more likely to lose weight in the form of muscle mass rather than fat mass.

Sleep

Sleep tends to be an overlooked yet crucial component of weight loss.

Chronic sleep loss can significantly hinder weight loss and the speed at which you shed pounds.

Just one night of sleep deprivation has been shown to increase your desire for high-calorie, nutrient-poor foods, such as cookies, cakes, sugary beverages, and chips (8, 9).

One 2-week study randomized participants on a calorie-restricted diet to sleep either 5.5 or 8.5 hours each night.

Those who slept 5.5 hours lost 55% less body fat and 60% more lean body mass than those who slept 8.5 hours per night (10).

Consequently, chronic sleep deprivation is strongly linked to type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and certain cancers (11, 12, 13).

Other factors

Several other factors can affect your weight loss rate, including:

• Medications. Many medications, such as antidepressants and other antipsychotics, can promote weight gain or hinder weight loss (14).
• Medical conditions. Illnesses, including depression and hypothyroidism, a condition in which your thyroid gland produces too few metabolism-regulating hormones, can slow weight loss and encourage weight gain (7, 15).
• Family history and genes. There is a well-established genetic component associated with people who have overweight or obesity, and it may affect weight loss (16. 17).
• Yo-yo dieting. This pattern of losing and regaining weight can make weight loss increasingly difficult with each attempt, due to a decrease in RMR (18).

SUMMARY:

Age, gender, and sleep are just a few of the many factors that affect weight loss. Others include some medical conditions, your genetics, and the use of certain medications.

With innumerable weight loss diets available all promising impressive and quick results it can be confusing to know which one is best.

Yet, though creators and proponents deem their programs superior to the rest, theres no single best weight loss diet (19, 20).

For example, low-carb diets like keto may help you lose more weight initially, but studies find no significant differences in weight loss in the long term (21, 22, 23).

What matters most is your ability to stick to a healthy, reduced-calorie eating pattern (24, 25).

However, following a very low calorie diet for long periods is difficult for many people and the reason why most diets fail (26).

To increase your chances of success, only moderately reduce your calorie intake, individualize your diet according to your preferences and health or work with a registered dietitian.

Combine diet with exercise, including both aerobic and resistance training, to maximize fat loss and prevent or minimize muscle loss (27).

By eliminating highly processed foods and incorporating more healthy, whole foods, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy fats, and proteins, you can further promote weight loss and your overall health.

SUMMARY:

Adhering to a weight loss diet is difficult for most people. Regardless of your goals, choose a dietary pattern based on your individual preferences and health status.

While most people hope for fast, rapid weight loss, its important that you dont lose too much weight too quickly.

Rapid weight loss can increase your risk of gallstones, dehydration, and malnutrition (28).

Other side effects of rapid weight loss include (29, 30):

• headaches
• irritability
• fatigue
• constipation
• hair loss
• menstrual irregularities
• muscle loss

Though weight loss may occur faster at the start of a program, experts recommend a weight loss of 13 pounds (0.451.36 kg) per week, or about 1% of your body weight (31).

Also, keep in mind that weight loss is not a linear process. Some weeks you may lose more, while other weeks you may lose less or none at all (32, 33).

So dont be discouraged if your weight loss slows or plateaus for a few days.

Using a food diary, as well as weighing yourself regularly, may help you stay on track.

Research shows that people who employ self-monitoring techniques, such as recording your dietary intake and weight, are more successful at losing weight and keeping it off than those who dont (34).

SUMMARY:

Losing weight too quickly can lead to problems like gallstones, muscle loss, and extreme fatigue. Experts recommend a moderate weight loss of 13 pounds (0.451.36 kg) per week, or about 1% of your body weight.

Weight loss occurs when you eat fewer calories than you burn.

Many factors affect your weight loss rate, including your gender, age, starting weight, sleep, and the extent of your calorie deficit.

Aiming to lose 13 pounds (0.451.36 kg) per week is a safe and sustainable way to reach your goals.

The Different Stages of Losing Weight: Fat Loss vs. Weight Loss

While weight loss can include reduced weight from stored carbs, protein, water, and fat, fat loss includes only weight loss from fat. Fat loss typically occurs at a slower rate.

If youre like most people, you may be eager to know when you can expect to see results after embarking on your weight loss journey.

At the same time, you may want to know whether the weight youre losing is coming from fat rather than muscle or water.

This article reviews the stages of weight loss, the difference between weight loss and fat loss, and tips for preventing weight regain.

Weight loss generally occurs in two stages an early, rapid weight loss stage followed by a slower, longer period of weight loss.

In some cases, weight loss may plateau. This is when it may become challenging to prevent weight regain.

Stage 1: Rapid weight loss

The first stage of weight loss is when you tend to lose the most weight and begin to notice changes in your appearance and how your clothes fit. It usually happens within the first few weeks.

In the beginning, your weight loss will be mostly due to water loss. For example, if youre following a low carb diet, it will result in less water being stored in your body and a net loss of water. How youll lose weight after that depends on your specific diet plan.

Weight loss tends to happen more rapidly in people who follow a low carb diet than in those who follow a low fat diet, as those on a low carb diet deplete their bodys carb stores faster, along with water.

But in the long term, the research remains mixed on whether a low carb or keto diet offers an advantage for overall weight loss over a low fat diet.

Factors other than diet, including your age, sex, starting weight, and physical activity level, can also influence your rate of weight loss.

For example, men are likely to lose weight more quickly than women and older adults may lose weight more quickly than younger adults.

Additionally, youre likely to lose weight more quickly if you have a higher starting weight and exercise more often.

Stage 2: Slow weight loss

In the second stage (usually after the first few weeks), weight loss occurs at a much slower rate and will usually be due mostly to fat loss.

At times, you may experience a weight loss plateau during which you lose little to no weight.

Weight loss plateaus can occur due to metabolic adaptations that decrease your metabolism and the number of calories you burn while exercising.

However, weight loss plateaus more commonly happen because some diets may be overly restrictive and hard to follow, causing people to deviate from them.

Its important to follow a dietary pattern that fits your lifestyle and preferences so that you can stick with it long-term.

In either case, youll likely need to adjust your diet and lifestyle over time to reach your goal.

The evidence to support dieting for sustainable weight loss is far from convincing.

A 2018 review cited an older review of 29 studies, which found that participants who lost weight through dieting regained more than half the weight they lost within 2 years, and by 5 years, they had regained more than 80% of the weight they lost.

However, these statistics shouldnt prevent you from focusing on your diet and losing weight to improve your health or self-image.

Besides, diets are only effective if they allow you to develop sustainable, healthy behaviors.

Here are some dietary and lifestyle tips that may help prevent weight regain:

• Engage in self-monitoring behaviors such as tracking your diet and exercise: Tracking your calorie intake and exercise increases your awareness of your behaviors and how they affect your weight loss goals.
• Find physical activities you enjoy: Exercise can come in many forms, such as biking, walking, swimming, taking the stairs, and playing outdoors with your kids. Find an activity you enjoy and do it often.
• Try to keep healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, available at home: If you have more nutritious foods at home instead of highly processed snacks like chips and soda, the decision to eat healthily is already made for you.
• Prioritize sleep and try to reduce stress however possible: A lack of sleep and many of lifes stressors can sabotage your weight loss goals. Work on establishing healthy sleep habits and try to learn ways to ease your worry about things you cant control.
• Fill your plate with whole foods: Choose whole, minimally processed foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats whenever possible. These foods can help keep you feeling full and provide your body with the necessary nutrients to support weight loss and your health.

What is the hardest stage of weight loss?

The second weight loss stage is likely to be harder because your weight loss will be slower. This is also the stage where many people hit a weight loss plateau.

Which body part loses fat first?

Where you lose fat first depends on many factors, such as your genetics, sex, and age. While the research is conflicting, experts mostly agree that you cannot target a specific body part to lose weight through exercise.

However, some research suggests that men typically lose weight in their abdominal area, while women tend to see more weight loss in their hips.

Women in postmenopause and men in middle age, in particular, tend to gain weight around their abdomen, which suggests they may see weight loss in this area at first.

Learn more about where you lose weight first.

What is the physiology of burning fat?

When youre exercising, your body breaks down stored fat, known as triacylglycerol, via a process called lipolysis. This causes the release of free fatty acids (FFAs) into your bloodstream, which are transported to your tissues for energy.

As your muscles use more energy and need increased blood flow, the FFAs enter the mitochondria of your muscle cells and are burned off. The shrinking of fat cells occurs over time when their contents are released and used for energy by your muscle cells.

You tend to lose the most weight and notice the most significant physical changes during the first weight loss stage.

During the second stage of weight loss, you lose weight more slowly, but the weight you lose comes primarily from fat rather than stored carbs, protein, and water.

The most important factor in weight loss is adopting sustainable and healthy dietary and exercise habits that you can maintain in the long term.