Imagine how nice it would be to know how long it might take to be "swimsuit" ready. You'd know when to start getting cut for the summer and roughly how long it might take.

How many people ask...

How long will it take me to lose weight?

By using some information in your body composition, it's easy to tell how long does it take to lose weight.

Just a few steps can take you from a body fat percentage to the number of weeks it's going to take you to reach your goals.

You might know how to burn the fat, but do you know how long will it take me to lose weight? Let's find out right now.

Keep in mind that your body is made up of lean body mass and fat. If you know you are 40% body fat, the conclusion would be the other 60% is lean body mass (muscle and bone).

If you know the correct description of weight loss then you'll know it's the reduction of body fat while maintaining or gaining muscle mass.

Let's use a short term and realistic goal of a 5% reduction in body fat for these examples. A few simple calculations and we can translate this goal into pounds and how long it's going to take to achieve your goal.

Calculate How Much Does Your Fat Weigh:

(Example Client is male, 220 pounds, 40% body fat)

Step 1: Determine the Fat Weight

Body Weight x Body Fat Percentage (220 x 40% = 88)

In our example, this person is carrying 88 pounds of fat.

Step 2: Determine the Lean Body Mass

Body Weight - Fat Weight (220 - 88 = 132)

132 pounds are from lean body mass in our example.

Now here comes the fun part finding your ideal weight with that 5% reduction in overall body fat.

Calculate Your Goal Weight:

Step 1: Your Goal Weight

Lean Body Mass / (1.00 minus Body Fat Percentage Goal)

In our example, the person carries 132 pounds of lean body mass. The body fat percentage goal is 35% (5% body fat reduction).

132 / (1.00 - .35) = 132 / .65 = 203 pounds

Do you see it? 203 pounds is the goal weight for a person who's 220 pounds at 40% body fat that wants to reduce their body fat by 5%.

Calculate How Long It Will Take to Burn the Fat:

Step 1: Current Weight - Goal Weight

That means 220 pounds - 203 pounds = 17 pounds body fat reduction.

Based on the accepted standard of one pound per week, this person is looking at about 17 weeks to go from 220 pounds at 40% body fat to 203 pounds at 35% body fat while maintaining their 132 pounds of lean body mass.

Remember, you want to burn the fat, but keep the muscle.

And now you know, it's going to take 17 weeks to see the expected results. 5% is a short term, safe goal and at one pound a week, you'll have a very high rate of muscle retention.

Not only do you know how to burn the fat thru nutrition and exercise, but unlike most people, you can find out how long it will take to see the results you want.