Significant weight loss and muscle gains can take up to eight weeks to become visible, but the benefits to your body and mind are considerable even if you don't see results right away. According to NASM certified personal trainer Guychard Codio, co-founder of New York City Personal Training, it's not enough to just exercise and eat excess calories if you want to lose weight. You need to burn more calories than you consume (learn more about eating with a calorie deficit here). Eating healthy should be an integral part of your training routine.
In terms of losing weight through exercise, people can start seeing results in two to three weeks. However, if you want to keep the weight off, you'll need a routine that progresses slowly and steadily rather than one where you're going for your best performance. If you're not sure where to start, use a basic weekly training plan to make sure that the time you spend exercising is the time that actually helps you lose weight. When you increase the weight on the scale, it could be due to fat, muscle mass, or water weight.
Therefore, when talking about fat loss, it's a relatively small proportion of your total body weight. For example, eating 500 fewer calories a day for 8 weeks will likely result in greater weight loss than eating 200 fewer calories a day. Whether it's for a special occasion or just for health reasons, losing weight is a common goal. This stage, which lasts from months to years, is characterized by a slower rate of weight loss but a higher rate of fat loss.
But if someone makes a comment like You seem to have gained weight, it can cause the person to return to their risky habits. If you want to lose weight, maintain weight loss, or meet specific fitness goals, you may need to exercise more. If you're hoping to lose weight, aiming for 1-2 pounds per week is a healthy goal. In addition, some may lose weight on the face, which for others may be more noticeable than the weight lost from the hips or waist.
To determine how much exercise is necessary for your own weight loss efforts, calculate your basal metabolic rate (BMR), suggests NASM certified trainer Ashleigh Kast. This is a scientific review of Hydroxycut, one of the world's most popular weight loss supplements. Kast gives POPSUGAR an example of someone who focuses on exercising only to lose weight instead of exercising and changing their eating habits (and by losing weight, it means losing fat). Everyone's fitness or weight loss journey is different and everyone's body is different.
But keep in mind that trying to lose 1 pound of fat with exercise alone can be difficult and time-consuming for some people.