A woman is measuring her waist.
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Many people begin diet and exercise programs with the desire of losing 10 pounds or some other amount of weight. Ten pounds is a considerable amount of weight to lose and will allow you to see considerable changes in the mirror. The perception of your own physique may be hard to quantify; however, a numerical analysis of what a 10 pound change means will help you see that your work has paid off.
Gross Body-Weight Change
Weight loss through diet and exercise will predominately cause fat loss and a small amount of muscle loss. You can calculate your percentage change in gross body weight by dividing the weight you lost by your previous weight. For instance, a 195-pound man weighing 185 pounds after losing 10 pounds would calculate the percentage by dividing 10 by 195 to find a 5 percent difference. A 166-pound woman who loses 10 pounds would find a 6 percent difference. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that changes of as low as 5 percent are associated with positive health and physical changes, which include a reduction in abdominal fat.
Fat Change Calculations
You can calculate your body fat change if you had your body fat calculated prior to the weight loss. For instance, a 195-pound man with 30 percent body fat would have previously had 58.5 pounds of fat. A 10 pound fat loss means the 195-pound man is now 185 pounds with 48.5 pounds of fat. Determine your overall change in fat weight by dividing your change in fat weight by your previous amount of fat -- in this case, 10 pounds divided by 58.5, or a 17 percent change in fat. Similarly, a 166-pound woman with 30 percent body fat would have 20 percent less fat after losing 10 pounds. A 17 to 20 percent change in overall body fat results in losing inches over your entire body.
What Happens
Losing weight by using a diet and exercise program will cause you to use more energy than you are putting into your body. Fat is the energy stored in your body and those fat stores must be utilized to cover the difference between input and output. Because 1 pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories of stored energy, you must reduce your calorie intake and increase your activity levels to form a calorie deficit of 500 to 1,000 calories per day to lose a sensible 1 to 2 pounds per week. As you create the calorie deficit, the fatty acids in your fat cells are released for energy use. You don't lose fat cells. Instead, as your fat cells lose fatty acids, they shrink and become smaller in size.
A Reasonable Rate of Weight Loss
Weight loss cannot be targeted to any specific region of the body. Your body fat shrinks in size over your entire body, with genetics playing a key role in determining which areas change the most. The American Council on Exercise recommends that no more than 1 to 2 pounds. of weight loss occur in a given week. A 10 pound weight loss should take five to 10 weeks. While fad diets tout quick weight loss, most of that loss is water, which returns when you begin eating a normal amount of calories again. In addition, trying to lose weight too quickly results in a loss of lean muscle tissue, which makes maintaining the lower weight more difficult. Instead, follow a regular routine of 30 to 60 minutes daily of moderate to vigorous physical activities to tone and build muscles, which reshapes your physique.
FAQs
Determine your overall change in fat weight by dividing your change in fat weight by your previous amount of fat -- in this case, 10 pounds divided by 58.5, or a 17 percent change in fat. Similarly, a 166-pound woman with 30 percent body fat would have 20 percent less fat after losing 10 pounds.
Does losing 10 pounds make a difference in appearance? ›
A good rule of thumb is that people tend to notice your weight loss when you've lost around 10% of your starting weight, so if you started at 250lbs, people will start to notice when you've lost 25lbs. Naturally, the same amount of weight loss can look different on different people.
How does your body change when you lose 10 pounds? ›
Blood Pressure Numbers Can Drop
That means a 10-pound weight loss is enough to drop blood pressure by around five points. Though five points may not sound like a lot, this small drop in pressure can reduce your risk of a heart attack by 10% percent and risk of stroke by 13%, finds research published in The Lancet.
Does 10 pounds make a big difference? ›
Losing just a few pounds makes a big difference. Five percent of your body weight -- 10 pounds for a 200-pound person -- can improve all kinds of health problems, and make you feel better, too.
Is losing 10lbs significant? ›
Losing those 10 pounds will improve your physical health scores across the board and may lead you down a track of habitually making health-conscious decisions and help you reach your goal weight.
Which body part loses fat first? ›
Mostly, losing weight is an internal process. You will first lose hard fat that surrounds your organs like liver, kidneys and then you will start to lose soft fat like waistline and thigh fat. The fat loss from around the organs makes you leaner and stronger.
What losing 10 pounds does to your face? ›
Rapid weight loss can also result in skin sagging on other parts of the body, including the neck and arms. Some people who have facial fullness like losing some of the volume in their face, Saedi points out, citing buccal fat removal.
Will anyone notice if I lose 10 pounds? ›
Guzman said weight loss was typically noticed in our faces first. According to a Canadian study on the social perception of weight loss, "women and men of average height need to lose or gain approximately 10 pounds for anyone to notice the difference in a face," he said.
What is a realistic timeline to lose 10 pounds? ›
Losing 10 pounds may take 5–10 weeks or more. This equates to a calorie deficit of around 500 calories per day. While diet is the most important factor in losing weight, people can make other lifestyle adjustments to help them reach their goals.
Do you feel different after losing 10 pounds? ›
You'll boost your energy
"Some of the energy boost is because of the food you've removed from your diet to lose weight: less sugar, less alcohol, and maybe less heavy, fatty food," Blum says. "If you're not eating as much sugar, you have more energy and are sleeping better. People tend to feel really good, happier.
To make your face look more attractive, you'd need to lower your BMI by about 2.5 points. That means a woman and man of average height would need to lose about 14 pounds and 18 pounds, respectively, the study found.
How many pounds of weight loss is noticeable? ›
CDC further recommends that you need to lose around 5-10% of your total body weight to notice changes. For instance, if you weigh 170 pounds, you need to lose roughly 8.3-17 pounds to notice a difference. The results should also be measured after at least three months, for certainty.
How many sizes do you go down when you lose 10 pounds? ›
How much weight do i need to lose to drop pants size? On average, every 10 lbs of weight a person loses will equate to 1 pant size smaller. So, for example, if someone lost 25 pounds, they would likely drop 2 and a half sizes in pants.
Will my body look different if I lose 10 pounds? ›
Ten pounds is a considerable amount of weight to lose and will allow you to see considerable changes in the mirror. The perception of your own physique may be hard to quantify; however, a numerical analysis of what a 10 pound change means will help you see that your work has paid off.
What happens if you don't see a difference after losing 10 pounds? ›
When you lose weight, it can come from different areas of your body and may not be noticeable right away. Additionally, factors like body composition, muscle mass, and bone density can impact how your body looks and feels even if you've lost weight.
Does your body shape change when you lose weight? ›
"That doesn't happen. When you start to lose fat, it's proportionate throughout your body, whether it's your neck, waist, ankle circumference. You'll come out smaller but have the same body shape."
