What is a realistic weight loss goal per week?

About 1 to 2 pounds, or 0.5 to 1 kg. The CDC says people who lose weight at that gradual, steady pace are more likely to keep it off than people who lose it faster.

How much weight can I lose in a month?

At the pace the CDC describes, 4 to 8 pounds, which is about 2 to 4 kg. Faster targets are harder to keep. A doctor can tell you what is right for your own health.

What are examples of weight loss goals that are not about the scale?

Walk 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Cook dinner at home 5 nights a week. Have no sugary drinks on weekdays. Sleep 7 hours on 5 nights a week. You can finish each of these today, which a number on the scale never lets you do.

Should I weigh myself every day?

Once a week is enough to see the direction. Use the same day and the same time, and write it down. Tick off your action goals on the other six days.

25 realistic weight loss goals, per week, per month and beyond the scale

Updated October 1, 2026

Jar filling slowly as weekly weight loss progress is logged toward a target

A realistic weight loss goal is slow. The CDC says people who lose weight gradually, about 1 to 2 pounds a week, are more likely to keep it off. The scale is the result, so set most of your goals on what you do: meals, walks, sleep. Here are 25 examples. Talk to a doctor before a big change.

Weight loss goals per week

Weekly goals are small on purpose, because a week is short enough to plan and long enough to count.

Lose 0.5 to 1 kg this week, which is 1 to 2 pounds.
Weigh in once a week, on the same day at the same time.
Walk 150 minutes this week.
Cook dinner at home 5 nights this week.
Drink water in place of sugary drinks every day this week.

Weight loss goals per month and longer

Longer goals are totals that go down a little at a time. That is the same shape as debt payoff goals, and the same patience applies.

Lose 2 kg in a month.
Lose 5 percent of your body weight.
Take 2 cm off your waist in 8 weeks.
Reach a first target of 5 kg, then set the next one.
Hold your weight steady for 4 weeks after you reach a target.

Eating habit goals

Eating goals are things you do at the table, and you can tick them off the same day. There are more in the full list of nutrition goals.

Eat vegetables with 2 meals a day for 30 days.
Have no sugary drinks on weekdays for a month.
Plan the week's dinners every Sunday for 8 weeks.
Write down what you eat for 14 days.
Eat one meal a day at a table with no screen for 3 weeks.

Movement goals for weight loss

Movement goals count minutes and days, not kilos. For strength and cardio targets, see the wider list of fitness goals.

Walk 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, for 8 weeks.
Walk 7,500 steps a day for 30 days.
Do strength training 2 days a week for 12 weeks.
Take the stairs every day for a month.
Be active on 20 days out of 30.

Weight loss goals that are not the scale

Some of the best goals never mention a number of kilos at all.

Fit comfortably into one piece of clothing you have kept.
Climb 3 flights of stairs without stopping.
Sleep 7 hours on 5 nights a week for a month.
See a doctor and agree on a target that suits you.
Do your weekly weigh in 12 weeks running, whatever it says.

What is a realistic weight loss goal?

A realistic weight loss goal is gradual. The CDC says people who lose weight at a steady pace, about 1 to 2 pounds a week, are more likely to keep it off than people who lose it faster. That is roughly 0.5 to 1 kg a week, or 2 to 4 kg in a month.

The total does not have to be large to matter. The CDC gives the example of a 5 percent loss: 10 pounds for a person who weighs 200. It says a change of that size could lower the risk for some chronic diseases.

You do not control the scale from one day to the next. You control what you cook and how much you walk. So make the number specific, and put action goals under it. A review of 35 years of goal research found that specific, hard goals work better than vague ones.

Why weight loss goals get dropped

One bad week can feel like the end of a weight loss goal. It is not. That all or nothing rule is one of the reasons why people quit goals that were going fine.

A goal built from totals survives a bad week. "Walk 600 minutes this month" still stands after three days off. "Never miss a day" does not.

How to track weight loss goals

Write the number down once a week, and tick off your action goals each day. A review of 138 studies found that people who monitored their progress reached their goals more often. Weight loss was one of the goals those studies covered.

Kilos lost are an amount that adds up toward a target. Walks, home cooked dinners and nights of sleep are a day count. Many walking challenge ideas make an easy first action goal.

Progress on the scale is slow and uneven. A picture that fills a little each week shows the direction when a single weigh in does not.

Frequently asked questions

What is a realistic weight loss goal per week?: About 1 to 2 pounds, or 0.5 to 1 kg. The CDC says people who lose weight at that gradual, steady pace are more likely to keep it off than people who lose it faster.
How much weight can I lose in a month?: At the pace the CDC describes, 4 to 8 pounds, which is about 2 to 4 kg. Faster targets are harder to keep. A doctor can tell you what is right for your own health.
What are examples of weight loss goals that are not about the scale?: Walk 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Cook dinner at home 5 nights a week. Have no sugary drinks on weekdays. Sleep 7 hours on 5 nights a week. You can finish each of these today, which a number on the scale never lets you do.
Should I weigh myself every day?: Once a week is enough to see the direction. Use the same day and the same time, and write it down. Tick off your action goals on the other six days.