How much weight should a normal person be losing each week? Is there an unhealthy amount or should the range be between 1-5 pounds? A friend I know wants to lose about 10 pounds in one week and I think that is very unhealthy because to me one pound a day would be ideal to lose but 10 is just overboard in my opinion. The body would have to work out and cut at least 50% of food to achieve this goal which again isn't the most healthiest option. What are your thoughts on this?
I don't think 1 pound per day is ideal, 2-3 days is a better time frame for losing a pound. Body weight naturally fluctuates due to glycogen, water retention etc so it's hard to say what is 'safe' and what isn't.
1% of your total body weight per week, MAX. Any more and you're putting yourself at risk for health problems. The only time you should lose more is if you're morbidly obese or two if its with in the first 2 weeks of a new diet. I went on the slow carb diet and lost 13 lbs in 10 days, that no sustainable or healthy and it wasn't just body fat.
I wouldn't say it is unhealthy, you wouldn't have caused your body any harm. It might not have been desirable for your muscle mass but losing weight is good in most cases. Most of the weight you lost would have been glycogen and water weight.
I think it is pretty standard to lose more weight when you first begin a new program or diet. I once lost 7lbs after one week of p90x and watching my diet and caloric intake. But that was also after Christmas and I had really indulged in a lot of food and little exercise. But after the first week, I think 2-3lbs is a more attainable and healthy standard. However, if you are really obese then it might naturally be more than that. But unless your friend is very heavy, I think 10lbs is way too over the top.
You lose a lot of water weight in the first week of cutting carbohydrates. Glycogen holds a lot of water, 1 gram of glycogen holds 2.7 grams of water. Depleting your glycogen stores can be misleading when you step on the scales.
Losing weight in the first few weeks of a routine is common, but once you're into it, you don't want to be losing too much. Over the course of a day you weight less and more because of water. Unless you're obese, a couple of pounds per week should be your goal, if you are losing an alarming amount, you should be cautious because it may become unhealthy.
