Guides · Calories
How fast should you lose weight?
Picking a pace you can keep · Last checked November 2026
About 0.5–1% of your body weight a week. For an 80 kg (176 lb) person, that’s 0.4–0.8 kg (about 1–1.75 lb) a week. If you lift and want to keep your muscle, stay toward the slower end. Going faster doesn’t make the weight come back sooner, but it makes it harder to keep muscle and strength.
What the research says
- Slower kept more muscle. 24 elite athletes who strength trained 4 times a week were put on a slower or a faster weight-loss plan. Both groups lost about 5.5% of their body weight. The slower group lost at 0.7% a week and gained lean mass and strength. The faster group lost at 1.0% a week and saw no lean-mass gain. (Garthe et al., 2011)
- 0.5–1% a week to keep muscle. That’s the recommendation of an evidence review for natural bodybuilders, who are trying to get as lean as possible without losing muscle. (Helms et al., 2014)
- Fast loss isn’t regained faster. In a trial of 200 adults with obesity, a 12-week fast diet and a 36-week gradual one both led to most of the weight coming back within 3 years, at the same rate (about 71% regained). (Purcell et al., 2014)
What each pace means (80 kg person)
- 0.5% a week: 0.4 kg, about 440 kcal a day under maintenance
- 0.75% a week: 0.6 kg, about 660 kcal a day under
- 1% a week: 0.8 kg, about 880 kcal a day under
About 7,700 kcal is roughly 1 kg of body weight.
Signs you’re going too fast
- Your lifts are dropping week after week.
- You’re tired or hungry most days.
- You’re losing faster than you planned.
- You’d have to eat below about 1,200–1,500 kcal a day. Don’t, without a professional.
How BECOME does it
- Three paces: Slow (0.5% a week), Steady (0.75%) and Fast (1%). Each one shows how many weeks it takes and how many calories a day it means. You pick.
- Change it any time in the Fuel tab, and your calories update.
- Losing faster than planned? BECOME adds 100 kcal back to protect your muscle and energy. You see the reason, then approve or keep your numbers.
- A calorie floor: never below 1,200 kcal (women) or 1,500 (men).
- More protein on a cut: 2.2 g per kg of body weight.
Sources
- Garthe I., Raastad T., Refsnes P.E., Koivisto A., Sundgot-Borgen J. Effect of two different weight-loss rates on body composition and strength and power-related performance in elite athletes. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 2011. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.21.2.97
- Helms E.R., Aragon A.A., Fitschen P.J. Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2014. PMC4033492
- Purcell K. et al. The effect of rate of weight loss on long-term weight management: a randomised controlled trial. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 2014. doi:10.1016/S2213-8587(14)70200-1
General guidance, not medical advice.
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