Weight-Loss Percentage Calculator: Track Your Weight-Loss Success
Table of Contents
- Weight-Loss Percentage Calculator: How Does It Work?
- What Is a Healthy Weight-Loss Percentage?
- Are Percentages a Better Way to Track Weight Loss?
- When Your Weight-Loss Percentage Might Not Be Relevant
- Final Words
If you’ve landed on this article, you likely want to know how to calculate the percentage of your weight loss. Knowing your weight-loss percentage can help you track your progress and boost your motivation, which is why it’s important to have a simple tool that calculates it for you.
This article will introduce you to Welltech’s weight-loss percentage calculator and explain how it can support you throughout your weight-loss journey.
Weight-Loss Percentage Calculator: How Does It Work?
This calculator has been developed and verified by Welltech health experts to give you immediate and highly accurate insights into your journey to a slimmer you. This tool will, in fact, allow you to assess your weight-loss progress by using a simple calculation to gauge the percentage of weight lost from your baseline.
All you need to do is select your preferred units, input your starting and current weight, and hit the “calculate” button.
At this point, the calculator will ensure that the weights provided are valid numbers and greater than zero. If not, it will prompt you to enter valid weights.
Your weight-loss result will then be displayed on the calculator page in percent units, along with some comments that will help you better understand your results.
Calculation Method
This tool calculates your weight loss percentage by subtracting your current weight from the starting weight first. Then, it divides that number by the starting weight and finally multiplies it by 100 to turn the result into percentile units.
The end result is what provides you with a measure of progress relative to your initial weight.
What Is a Healthy Weight-Loss Percentage?
We have now established how to calculate a weight-loss percentage. But how can you figure out if your percentage of weight loss is healthy for your particular timeframe?
This highly depends on your starting weight and body mass index (BMI).
You should only be aiming to lose weight if your weight and BMI results show that you are overweight or obese. In fact, it might be counterproductive to lose weight if you are within a healthy weight range or underweight.
Generally, it is considered healthy to have a weight-loss percentage of at least 5% from your starting weight. That is because this is the range where you can start to experience health benefits. If you are considered overweight and continue to lose more than that, it may lead to even greater health gains. [1] [2]
On the other side, losing a large amount of weight within a short period of time may be an indicator that you might be eating too little for your requirements. Remember that it’s always important to properly nourish yourself, even when weight loss is your goal.
What Happens When You Lose 5% of Your Body Weight?
Research has shown that a mere 5% weight drop offers great health improvements in overweight and obese individuals.
Losing 5% of your body weight reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, sleep apnea, and chronic kidney disease. [1] Moreover, even such a modest weight loss can positively contribute to one’s confidence, self-esteem, and mental well-being.
Are Percentages a Better Way to Track Weight Loss?
Weight is a rather vague indicator of your health and body composition, and so are percentage changes in body weight. Simply assessing the rate of your weight loss won’t tell you if you are losing fat, muscle, or both.
That is why you should always pair weight tracking with other measures to assess your progress. They include body circumference, skinfolds, body composition analysis, visual assessments, and general well-being assessments. [3]
By incorporating additional measures alongside weight-loss percentages, you can gain a more comprehensive picture of your progress. Combining these measures also allows you to assess your weight-loss journey more holistically and track your progress with a more well-rounded approach.
When Your Weight-Loss Percentage Might Not Be Relevant
Eating a healthier diet and exercising regularly can lead to improved health, even if it does not result in changes in your weight.
In fact, the rate of weight loss may not be relevant when the focus is shifted to non-weight-related goals, such as increasing overall fitness and energy levels, improving body composition, or enhancing athletic performance.
In these cases, it’s more important to prioritize other progress indicators, such as improved endurance or muscular strength, changes in fat and lean mass levels, and overall well-being.
At some point in your journey, you may also hit a plateau, meaning you stop losing weight or making progress. That is usually because what used to be a calorie deficit at your baseline weight starts to become a calorie balance as you get lighter and require fewer calories.
This is why you need to readjust calories or activity levels every so often to reflect your current requirements and allow for continuous progress.
Final Words
Weight loss can be a difficult journey, especially when you don’t have the right tools to assess your progress. Below, you can find the key points on how to calculate your weight-loss percentage and the benefits of using the dedicated Welltech calculator:
- Calculating your weight-loss percentage with a dedicated calculator helps you track your progress, boost motivation, and evaluate the effectiveness of your plan.
- The calculator finds your weight loss percentage by subtracting your current weight from your starting weight. It then divides the result by the starting weight and multiplies it by 100.
- The criteria for a healthy weight-loss percentage is a minimum of a 5% weight drop from baseline for someone who is overweight.
- Losing 5% of your body weight reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, sleep apnea, and chronic kidney disease.
- For a more thorough progress assessment, utilize weight-loss percentage tracking alongside other measurement methods such as body circumferences, visual assessments, and body composition analysis.
- Eating well and exercising will result in improved health and fitness levels, even if this does not reflect changes in your body weight.
- If you hit a plateau, reassess your energy and physical activity requirements based on your current weight to enable further progress.
