Drastic weight loss, or rapid/unexplained weight loss, typically means losing more than 10 pounds or 5% of your body weight in 6-12 months without trying, or losing over 1-2 pounds per week intentionally, often associated with crash diets, and can signal underlying health issues like thyroid problems, diabetes, or mental health conditions, with potential risks including muscle loss and gallstones.
Contact your provider if: You or a family member loses more weight than is considered healthy for their age and height. You have lost more than 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) or 5% of your normal body weight over 6 to 12 months or less, and you do not know the reason.
Possible Health Concerns
Losing more than 1 or 2 lb (0.5 to 1 kg) a week is not safe for most people. It can cause you to lose muscle, water, and bone density. Rapid weight loss can also cause some side effects including: Gallstones.
mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) problems with digestion, such as coeliac disease or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) hormone conditions, such as an overactive thyroid or type 1 diabetes. heart conditions, such as heart failure.
I assume you want to lose the fat, but not waste away your muscle. This is why the 1 kg/week recommendation with high protein intake. I'd say it should take you about 5 months losing at a rapid but healthy rate to hit your goal. Eat 1800/day, if you're feeling strong on it, go down at 1600.
Losing 20kg (about 44 lbs) can cause loose skin, but it's not guaranteed and depends heavily on factors like weight loss speed, age, genetics, skin elasticity, sun exposure, and building muscle. Slow, steady weight loss with strength training and good skin care minimizes risk, but very rapid loss (especially from crash diets) gives skin less time to adapt, increasing sagging.
Her diet included meals like vegetable poha, fruit, roti, and grilled chicken. Alia trained with Yasmin Karachiwala, blending Pilates, cardio, and strength exercises. Her 7-day routine included running, push-ups, yoga, squats, and crunches to tone and lose weight.
Dr. Elizabeth Lowden, an endocrinologist at the Northwestern Medicine Weight Loss Surgery and Metabolic Health Center in the United States, states that a general guideline is to lose between 0.45 kg to 0.9 kg per week or 1.6 kg to 3.6 kg per month. In other words, this is about 5-10% of your body weight.
Increased inflammatory responses: Depression is often linked to increased inflammatory responses throughout your body, which can interfere with body functions, including appetite regulation, leading to loss of appetite and, in turn, weight loss.
Weight loss can be blocked by hitting a plateau (metabolism slows), eating hidden calories, not tracking intake, hormonal issues (like thyroid, cortisol), poor sleep/high stress, lack of protein/too many carbs, or medical conditions/medications, often requiring a holistic approach to adjust calories, activity, and lifestyle factors.
Females tend to gain the most weight during two key periods: emerging adulthood (late teens to mid-20s) when life changes often disrupt habits, and midlife (around ages 45-55) during menopause due to hormonal shifts that decrease muscle and increase abdominal fat, although the rate of gain slows in later decades. While the 20s see significant overall gain, menopause brings distinct body composition changes and fat redistribution, not just scale weight.
Here are the 14 best ways to lose fat quickly and boost calorie burning.
Unexplained weight loss is a red flag because it's a common symptom of many serious illnesses. These diseases often get worse (progress) in stages. Some diseases — like diabetes or Addison's disease — can progress quickly. Others — like cancer — may progress more slowly.
Ozempic is typically recommended for individuals who have a BMI of 30 or higher, which falls into the obese category, or for those with a BMI of 27 or higher who have additional health concerns such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol.
Adele's significant weight loss wasn't from a quick fix but a two-year journey combining intense, varied workouts (strength training, Pilates, boxing, hiking, cardio) and lifestyle changes, driven largely by addressing anxiety and improving her mental health, though she also worked with trainers and focused on eating more whole foods while denying specific restrictive diets like intermittent fasting. She described getting "addicted" to exercise, often training multiple times daily, emphasizing getting stronger, not just losing weight.
Most people lose fat from their face, neck, and upper body before their stomach, hips, and thighs. You cannot change this order, but you can speed up the overall process. Focus on creating a calorie deficit through diet and exercise.
Your most consistent and "true" weight is generally in the morning, after using the restroom and before eating or drinking anything, because your body has had time to digest overnight, leading to less fluctuation from food, liquids, and daily activities. Weighing at the same time, with minimal clothing, and under consistent conditions helps track trends more accurately than weighing at night when weight is higher due to meals and hydration.
When weight loss is too rapid, it's also less likely to be sustainable over the long term. Very rapid weight loss is mainly due to “water weight,” which is almost certain to be regained later. The maximum safe weight loss is about 1 kg per week, or about 4 to 5 kg per month.
Key Takeaways. The four stages of weight loss are rapid initial weight loss, steady but slower weight loss, a plateau, and maintenance. Learning about each stage can help you develop a sustainable weight loss plan and prepare for expected setbacks.
Causes of unexpected weight loss
Unintentional weight loss does not always have an underlying cause, such as a stressful event or eating disorder. But other common causes include: depression. hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid gland) or over-treating an underactive thyroid.
Your energy levels are higher
One of the surprising signs of gaining muscle and losing fat is improvements in other areas of your wellbeing [5]. This can include better sleep, a reduction in stress, better mental health, and even improved immunity.
In an interview with Mid Day, Kareena Kapoor Khan revealed that her weight loss was a combination of yoga and a healthy diet. "The size zero phase was a result of a combination of yoga and Rujuta's meal plan. I was 68 kilos, and she brought me down to 48, which is when I gave that bikini shot for Tashan.
Alia Bhatt was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and anxiety; she has been vocal about her mental health.
Some studies suggest that sleep plays a role in weight loss, and specifically fat loss, during calorie restriction. In a study of people undergoing 14 days of calorie restriction, the participants lost less fat when they spent 5.5 h a day in bed than when they spent 8.5 h a day in bed [40].