How Long Does it Take to Start to Notice Weight Loss?

After starting a weight-loss diet and workout routine, expecting quick progress is totally normal — after all, everyone wants to see their hard work pay off.

Tip

You can expect to see weight-loss results within the first few weeks of a new routine if you're starting at a higher BMI and are creating a larger calorie deficit.

1.Your Starting Point Makes a Difference

At the surface level, the weight-loss process generally works the same for everyone: If you burn more calories than you consume (aka create a calorie deficit), you can expect to lose weight. But visually, 5 pounds of weight loss on one person can look pretty different on another body, depending on your starting point, Taub-Dix says.

2. Your Calories Affect Your Dieting Results

As mentioned above, you lose weight by eating in a caloric deficit. And your deficit affects how quickly you start to shed pounds, according to the Mayo Clinic. Generally, a deficit of 500 to 1,000 calories per day (which leads to about 1 to 2 pounds of weight loss per week) is considered safe.

3. Your Measurement Methods

Everyone has their own reason for starting a weight-loss regimen — some want to improve their health, while others may want to feel more comfortable in their own skin. But the measurement methods you use can affect how you see your progress.

During the first week or two of your weight-loss program, you'll likely see some changes on the scale. Mostly, though, that's water weight loss rather than actual fat loss, Taub-Dix says. So, if you're using a scale to measure your progress, don't feel too disheartened when your rate of loss slows down.

"The scale is only one tool that gives information — it's not alive, it doesn't know how you feel or take your emotions into account," she says. "It doesn't mean your [results] were 'bad' or 'good' — it's just a machine that measures body weight, not your worth."

Similarly, if you incorporate strength training as a part of your weight-loss program, you may start to see the scale go in the opposite direction, despite that you're actually losing fat, according to California-based certified personal trainer and strength coach Carolina Araujo, CPT. Muscle has more density than fat, so even though you may be losing fat mass, gaining muscle can cause your weight to stay in the same place or go up.

Weight Loss Timeline

Unfortunately, there's no one timeline for weight loss, Taub-Dix says. But generally, most people start experiencing some positive results within even just a few weeks of dieting.

Weeks 1 to 3

Within the first few weeks, you can likely expect to feel a little more energy and less bloating, Taub-Dix says. Depending on your calorie deficit, you can expect to see some change on the scale and your clothing may start feeling a little bit looser.

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"It's important to remember, however, that everyone is different. So if your friend tells you that after losing 5 pounds, they felt like their pants were going to fall off, you might feel completely different after the same amount of weight loss," she says. And that's totally normal.

Weeks 4 and Beyond

Again, there's no hard-and-fast rule but Taub-Dix says most of her clients begin to experience more noticeable physical changes beyond four weeks of weight loss. Generally, women can expect to drop a size in clothing after about 10 pounds of weight loss and men can expect to drop a size after losing 15 pounds.

Read more on: livestrong