Recommendations

Instead of just focusing on the amount of weight lost, turn your ambitions toward leading a healthy lifestyle in general. Exercise regularly and eat a healthy, well-balanced diet. Keep a weight loss journal and record your weight loss percentage weekly or monthly and write down daily what you ate for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks in between. This will help you keep track of how many calories per day you are consuming, and also make you more aware of the kind of foods you are eating. According to the Centers for Disease Control, just a five to ten percent reduction in weight can lower cholesterol, blood pressure and blood glucose levels.

Calculate Weight Loss Percentage

The percentage of weight lost can be easily calculated by dividing the number of pounds you have lost by subtracting number of pounds lost from your start weight. Then multiply that number times 100 and multiply that number times 0.1 to convert the number to a percentage. For example, if your start weight was 200 and your current weight is 180 pounds, subtract 180 from 200 to get the number of pounds lost, which in this case is 20 pounds. Now divide 20 by 200 to get 0.1.Then multiply 0.1 by 100 to convert to a percentage, which in this case is 10% weight loss. Television shows such as "The Biggest Loser" use the weight loss percentage to determine the greatest amount of weight lost instead of pounds. By using the percentage of weight loss, it creates an equal platform among all individuals to compare weight loss.

Weight loss should always be done in a healthy fashion whether you are looking to lose 10 pounds or 100 pounds. Many people desire to lose weight as fast as possible but this is actually unhealthy for your body. The American Heart Association recommends that no more than 1 to 2 pounds of weight be lost per week. Losing weight too fast not only increases your risk of regaining the weight back later, but also promotes unhealthy eating habits, increases your risk of metabolic conditions, and leaves you feeling fatigued due to a lack of calories.