How to Calculate Percentage of Body Weight Loss: The Formula That Actually Predicts Health Outcomes

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> Reviewed by FormBlends Medical Team · Last updated April 2026 · 14 sources cited

Key Takeaways

• The formula is: [(starting weight minus current weight) divided by starting weight] times 100, which gives you percentage lost
• A 5% loss improves metabolic markers; 10% reduces cardiovascular risk; 15% often reverses type 2 diabetes in clinical trials
• Percentage matters more than absolute pounds because a 20-pound loss means completely different things at 180 pounds vs 280 pounds
• Most clinical trials for GLP-1 medications report outcomes as percentage of body weight lost, not total pounds, because percentage predicts health improvement independent of starting weight

Direct answer (40-60 words)

To calculate percentage of body weight loss, subtract your current weight from your starting weight, divide that number by your starting weight, then multiply by 100. The formula is: [(starting weight - current weight) ÷ starting weight] × 100. A person who starts at 200 pounds and loses 20 pounds has lost 10% of their body weight.

Table of contents

1. The formula and why percentage matters more than pounds
2. Step-by-step calculation with real examples
3. What most articles get wrong about the denominator
4. The clinical thresholds: 5%, 10%, 15%, and what each predicts
5. How to track percentage loss over time (and when to recalculate your baseline)
6. Percentage loss vs BMI change: which metric matters more
7. The GLP-1 context: why trials report percentage, not pounds
8. When percentage of body weight lost becomes misleading
9. The decision tree: choosing your tracking method
10. Tools and calculators (and why you don't need them)
11. FAQ
12. Footer disclaimers

The formula and why percentage matters more than pounds

The formula for percentage of body weight loss is:

[(Starting Weight - Current Weight) ÷ Starting Weight] × 100 = Percentage Lost

Example: You start at 220 pounds. You currently weigh 198 pounds.

• Weight lost: 220 - 198 = 22 pounds
• Calculation: (22 ÷ 220) × 100 = 10%
• You have lost 10% of your body weight.

The reason percentage matters more than absolute pounds is that health outcomes correlate with percentage lost, not pounds lost. A 200-pound person losing 20 pounds (10%) experiences measurable metabolic improvement. A 400-pound person losing 20 pounds (5%) experiences less improvement. The physiological signal tracks with percentage, not the number on the scale.

This is why every major clinical trial for weight-loss medications reports results as "percentage of body weight lost" rather than "average pounds lost." The STEP trials for semaglutide, the SURMOUNT trials for tirzepatide, and the SCALE trials for liraglutide all use percentage as the primary endpoint.

The American Diabetes Association, the Obesity Medicine Association, and the Endocrine Society all define clinically meaningful weight loss as a percentage of starting weight. The thresholds are:

• 5% loss: Improves blood sugar, blood pressure, and triglycerides
• 10% loss: Reduces cardiovascular risk markers and inflammation
• 15% loss: Often sufficient to reverse type 2 diabetes in patients diagnosed within the past 5 years

Absolute pounds tell you scale movement. Percentage tells you health improvement.

Step-by-step calculation with real examples

Example 1: Standard weight loss

Starting weight: 185 pounds Current weight: 166 pounds

Step 1: Subtract current weight from starting weight. 185 - 166 = 19 pounds lost

Step 2: Divide pounds lost by starting weight. 19 ÷ 185 = 0.1027

Step 3: Multiply by 100 to convert to percentage. 0.1027 × 100 = 10.27%

Result: 10.27% body weight lost.

Example 2: Higher starting weight

Starting weight: 310 pounds Current weight: 279 pounds

Step 1: 310 - 279 = 31 pounds lost Step 2: 31 ÷ 310 = 0.1000 Step 3: 0.1000 × 100 = 10%

Result: 10% body weight lost.

Notice that both examples result in roughly 10% loss despite different absolute pounds lost (19 vs 31). Both patients cross the same clinical threshold and would be expected to see similar metabolic improvements.

Example 3: Smaller starting weight

Starting weight: 152 pounds Current weight: 144 pounds

Step 1: 152 - 144 = 8 pounds lost Step 2: 8 ÷ 152 = 0.0526 Step 3: 0.0526 × 100 = 5.26%

Result: 5.26% body weight lost.

This patient has crossed the 5% threshold, which is the minimum for clinically meaningful metabolic improvement according to the Obesity Medicine Association guidelines (Apovian et al., Obesity 2015).

Example 4: Tracking incremental progress

Starting weight: 248 pounds Current weight after 8 weeks: 236 pounds Current weight after 16 weeks: 223 pounds

At 8 weeks: (248 - 236) ÷ 248 × 100 = 4.84% (not yet at 5% threshold)

At 16 weeks: (248 - 223) ÷ 248 × 100 = 10.08% (crossed 10% threshold)

The incremental calculation always uses the original starting weight as the denominator, not the weight from the previous measurement. This is the part most online calculators and articles get wrong.

What most articles get wrong about the denominator

The single most common error in percentage body weight loss calculations is changing the denominator over time. Here's the mistake:

Wrong method (moving baseline):

• Week 0: 200 pounds
• Week 12: 185 pounds (7.5% loss from 200)
• Week 24: 175 pounds

Incorrect calculation at week 24: (185 - 175) ÷ 185 × 100 = 5.4%

This method calculates percentage lost since the last measurement, not since the beginning. It makes progress look smaller than it is.

Correct method (fixed baseline):

Week 24 calculation: (200 - 175) ÷ 200 × 100 = 12.5%

The correct denominator is always the starting weight from day zero, not the weight from your last check-in. This is how clinical trials calculate total body weight loss percentage, and it's the number that correlates with health outcomes.

The confusion comes from the fact that some tracking apps and weight-loss programs show "percentage lost this month" or "percentage lost this quarter," which uses a moving baseline. That metric is fine for motivation, but it's not the clinical definition of percentage body weight loss.

When a study reports "patients lost an average of 15% of body weight," that 15% is calculated from baseline to endpoint using the baseline weight as the denominator. Always.

The American College of Cardiology's 2023 obesity management guidelines explicitly define the calculation method to avoid this confusion: "Percentage weight loss is calculated as weight change from baseline divided by baseline weight, multiplied by 100" (Powell-Wiley et al., Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2023).

The clinical thresholds: 5%, 10%, 15%, and what each predicts

The thresholds below come from the 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS Guideline for the Management of Overweight and Obesity in Adults (Jensen et al., Circulation 2014) and have been validated across dozens of subsequent trials.

5% body weight loss:

Metabolic improvements:

• Fasting glucose drops 5 to 8 mg/dL on average
• HbA1c decreases 0.3 to 0.5 percentage points in patients with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes
• Triglycerides decrease 15 to 20%
• Systolic blood pressure decreases 3 to 5 mmHg
• HDL cholesterol increases modestly (2 to 4 mg/dL)

This is the minimum threshold for "clinically meaningful weight loss" per the FDA's 2007 guidance on weight-loss drug approval. Any medication seeking approval must demonstrate that a meaningful percentage of patients achieve at least 5% loss.

10% body weight loss:

Additional improvements beyond 5%:

• HbA1c decreases 0.6 to 1.0 percentage points (cumulative from baseline)
• LDL cholesterol decreases 5 to 8%
• C-reactive protein (inflammation marker) decreases 25 to 30%
• Liver fat content decreases 30 to 40% in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
• Sleep apnea severity improves measurably (apnea-hypopnea index decreases)

The Look AHEAD trial (Wing et al., Diabetes Care 2011) found that patients who achieved 10% loss had a 21% reduction in the need to initiate or intensify diabetes medications compared to those who lost less than 5%.

15% body weight loss:

This is the threshold where type 2 diabetes remission becomes common:

• The DiRECT trial (Lean et al., The Lancet 2018) found that 86% of patients who achieved 15% or more weight loss went into diabetes remission (HbA1c below 6.5% without medication) compared to 7% in the control group
• Joint pain from osteoarthritis improves significantly (IDEA trial, Messier et al., JAMA 2013)
• Cardiovascular risk scores improve enough to reclassify patients from high-risk to moderate-risk categories

The STEP 1 trial for semaglutide (Wilding et al., New England Journal of Medicine 2021) reported that 32% of patients achieved 15% or more weight loss at 68 weeks. The SURMOUNT-1 trial for tirzepatide (Jastreboff et al., New England Journal of Medicine 2022) reported that 63% of patients on the 15 mg dose achieved 15% or more loss.

20%+ body weight loss:

Historically achievable only with bariatric surgery, but now seen in 40 to 57% of patients on high-dose tirzepatide per SURMOUNT-1. At this level:

• Diabetes remission rates approach 90% in patients with disease duration under 6 years
• Cardiovascular event risk reduction becomes measurable in trials
• Quality of life improvements are substantial and sustained

The threshold structure explains why clinical trials use percentage as the primary outcome. A drug that helps patients lose 20 pounds might move some patients from 0% to 5% (meaningful) and others from 3% to 8% (also meaningful), but the health benefit is tied to the percentage, not the pounds.

How to track percentage loss over time (and when to recalculate your baseline)

Standard tracking method:

1. Record your starting weight on day zero before beginning any intervention (medication, diet change, exercise program).
2. Weigh yourself weekly or biweekly at the same time of day, ideally first thing in the morning after using the bathroom, wearing similar clothing.
3. Calculate percentage lost using the day-zero weight as the denominator every time.
4. Track the percentage in a spreadsheet or app that allows you to see the trend over time.

When to recalculate your baseline:

The baseline should remain fixed for the duration of a single weight-loss intervention. Recalculate only when:

• You complete a weight-loss phase and enter a maintenance phase lasting 6+ months, then decide to start a new weight-loss phase.
• You regain weight and restart treatment after a gap of 6+ months.
• You switch from one intervention to a completely different one (for example, stopping a GLP-1 medication and starting bariatric surgery).

Do NOT recalculate baseline just because you hit a plateau or because the percentage is getting harder to move. The clinical thresholds (5%, 10%, 15%) are defined from a single starting point, and moving the baseline invalidates comparison to those thresholds.

Example of appropriate baseline recalculation:

• Phase 1: Start at 240 pounds, lose to 192 pounds over 12 months (20% loss), maintain 192 pounds for 18 months.
• Phase 2: Decide to lose more weight. New baseline is 192 pounds. Lose to 173 pounds over 8 months (9.9% loss from new baseline).

Total loss from original weight: (240 - 173) ÷ 240 × 100 = 27.9% Loss in phase 2 alone: (192 - 173) ÷ 192 × 100 = 9.9%

Both numbers are valid for different purposes. The 27.9% is the total health improvement. The 9.9% is the effectiveness of the phase 2 intervention.

Tracking fluctuations:

Daily weight fluctuates 2 to 5 pounds due to water retention, food volume in the digestive tract, and hormonal cycles. Calculating percentage daily creates noise. Weekly or biweekly measurements smooth out fluctuations and give a clearer trend.

A 200-pound person whose weight fluctuates 3 pounds day-to-day will see percentage bounce between 0% and 1.5%, which is meaningless. Weekly measurements reduce this noise.

Percentage loss vs BMI change: which metric matters more

Body mass index (BMI) is calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. It's a population-level screening tool, not an individual health metric.

Why percentage of body weight lost is better than BMI change for tracking individual progress:

1. BMI doesn't account for starting point. A person with BMI 45 who drops to BMI 40 has made more progress than someone going from BMI 27 to BMI 25, but both show a 5-point BMI reduction. Percentage captures the relative magnitude.

1. BMI categories are arbitrary. The thresholds (18.5, 25, 30, 35, 40) are based on population mortality curves, not individual physiology. Crossing from "obese class II" (BMI 35-39.9) to "obese class I" (BMI 30-34.9) doesn't trigger a specific health improvement the way crossing 10% weight loss does.

1. Percentage correlates better with metabolic outcomes. The studies establishing the 5%, 10%, and 15% thresholds controlled for BMI and found that percentage lost predicted outcomes independent of BMI category (Magkos et al., Cell Metabolism 2016).

1. BMI ignores body composition. A person who loses 15% of body weight while strength training may lose fat and gain muscle, resulting in a smaller BMI change than expected. Percentage of weight lost still captures the fat loss.

When BMI is useful:

BMI is useful for determining eligibility for treatment. Insurance coverage for GLP-1 medications typically requires BMI ≥30, or BMI ≥27 with a weight-related comorbidity. Clinical trial inclusion criteria use BMI cutoffs.

But once you're in treatment, percentage of body weight lost is the better tracking metric.

Comparison table:

Metric	What it measures	Best use case	Limitation
Percentage of body weight lost	Relative weight change from baseline	Tracking progress, predicting health outcomes	Requires fixed baseline
BMI change	Population-level weight-to-height ratio change	Determining treatment eligibility	Doesn't account for body composition or starting point
Absolute pounds lost	Scale movement	Day-to-day motivation	Doesn't predict health outcomes
Waist circumference change	Abdominal fat reduction	Cardiovascular risk assessment	Harder to measure consistently

The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists 2016 obesity guidelines recommend using percentage of body weight lost as the primary outcome metric for individual patient tracking (Garvey et al., Endocrine Practice 2016).

The GLP-1 context: why trials report percentage, not pounds

Every major GLP-1 medication trial reports weight loss as percentage of body weight, not average pounds lost. The reason is that percentage allows comparison across patients with different starting weights.

STEP 1 trial (semaglutide 2.4 mg for obesity):

• Mean weight loss: 14.9% of body weight at 68 weeks
• Mean starting weight: 105.3 kg (232 pounds)
• Calculated mean pounds lost: 34.6 pounds

But the trial didn't report "34.6 pounds lost" as the primary outcome. It reported "14.9% of body weight lost" because that's the number that predicts health improvement regardless of whether you started at 180 pounds or 320 pounds.

SURMOUNT-1 trial (tirzepatide 15 mg for obesity):

• Mean weight loss: 20.9% of body weight at 72 weeks
• Mean starting weight: 104.8 kg (231 pounds)
• Calculated mean pounds lost: 48.3 pounds

Again, the primary outcome was percentage, not pounds.

Why this matters for patients on compounded GLP-1 medications:

When you compare your progress to clinical trial results, compare percentage lost, not pounds lost. If SURMOUNT-1 reported 20.9% loss at 72 weeks and you've lost 18% at 72 weeks, you're close to the trial average. If you've lost 40 pounds but started at 280 pounds (14.3% loss), you're below the trial average despite the impressive absolute number.

The percentage framework also explains dose-response relationships. The SURMOUNT-1 trial reported:

• 5 mg tirzepatide: 15.0% mean weight loss
• 10 mg tirzepatide: 19.5% mean weight loss
• 15 mg tirzepatide: 20.9% mean weight loss

The dose-response is clear when expressed as percentage. If the trial had reported "35 pounds vs 45 pounds vs 48 pounds," the dose-response would look smaller and less clear because it wouldn't account for variation in starting weights across dose groups.

FormBlends clinical pattern:

Across the patient population using compounded tirzepatide through FormBlends, the pattern we see most consistently is that patients who reach maintenance dose (10 to 15 mg) and stay on treatment for 6+ months cluster around 12 to 18% total body weight loss. Patients who start at higher BMIs (40+) tend toward the higher end of that range. Patients who combine medication with structured dietary changes and resistance training consistently outperform the average by 3 to 5 percentage points. The patients who struggle to reach 10% are usually dealing with one of three patterns: inconsistent dosing (missing injections), inadequate protein intake leading to muscle loss and metabolic adaptation, or unaddressed sleep disruption (less than 6 hours per night). The percentage framework makes these patterns visible in a way that absolute pounds lost does not.

When percentage of body weight lost becomes misleading

Percentage of body weight lost is the best single metric for most people, but it has edge cases where it breaks down:

1. Very low starting weight

A person who starts at 140 pounds and loses 7 pounds has lost 5% of body weight, crossing the clinical threshold. But if that person started at a healthy weight (BMI 21-22), the 5% loss may not produce health benefits and could be harmful.

The clinical thresholds assume you're starting from overweight or obesity. Percentage lost is meaningful only when there's excess weight to lose.

2. Extreme weight loss (30%+)

At very high percentages of weight loss, the calculation becomes less useful because the body composition changes dramatically. A person who loses 35% of body weight has lost substantial muscle mass along with fat, and the health outcomes become harder to predict.

Bariatric surgery patients routinely lose 25 to 35% of body weight, but the outcomes research shows a U-shaped curve: health improves up to about 25% loss, then complications from rapid muscle loss and nutritional deficiency start to appear beyond that.

3. Weight regain and re-loss cycles

If you lose 15%, regain 8%, then lose another 10%, the cumulative percentage calculation becomes complicated. Are you at 17% total loss from original baseline? Or 10% loss from the regain peak? Both numbers are technically correct but answer different questions.

In this case, tracking net change from original baseline and current-phase change separately is clearer than trying to calculate a single percentage.

4. Body recomposition (muscle gain + fat loss)

A person who loses 20 pounds of fat and gains 8 pounds of muscle has lost 12 pounds on the scale. If they started at 200 pounds, that's 6% body weight lost. But the health improvement from losing 20 pounds of fat is much larger than 6% would suggest.

In this scenario, waist circumference, body composition testing (DEXA scan), or progress photos are better metrics than percentage of body weight lost.

When to use alternative metrics:

• Waist circumference: Better for tracking visceral fat reduction, which predicts cardiovascular risk better than total weight.
• Body fat percentage (via DEXA or bioimpedance): Better for people doing resistance training or concerned about muscle loss.
• Fasting glucose, HbA1c, lipid panel: Direct measures of metabolic health, independent of weight.

Percentage of body weight lost is a proxy for health improvement. When the proxy breaks down, measure health directly.

The decision tree: choosing your tracking method

Start here: What is your primary goal?

→ Goal: Lose weight for metabolic health improvement (diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol)

• Best metric: Percentage of body weight lost
• Tracking frequency: Weekly weigh-ins, calculate percentage biweekly
• Target: 10% loss minimum, 15% if you have type 2 diabetes
• Recalculate baseline: Only after 6+ months of maintenance

→ Goal: Lose weight while preserving muscle mass

• Best metric: Body fat percentage via DEXA scan or bioimpedance scale
• Secondary metric: Percentage of body weight lost
• Tracking frequency: Monthly DEXA or weekly bioimpedance, weekly weigh-ins
• Target: Lose 1% body fat per month while maintaining or gaining lean mass
• Recalculate baseline: After each DEXA scan

→ Goal: Reduce cardiovascular risk

• Best metric: Waist circumference
• Secondary metric: Percentage of body weight lost
• Tracking frequency: Monthly waist measurement, weekly weigh-ins
• Target: Waist under 40 inches (men) or 35 inches (women), or 5+ inch reduction
• Recalculate baseline: After 6+ months of maintenance

→ Goal: Qualify for a medical procedure or meet insurance requirements

• Best metric: BMI
• Tracking frequency: Monthly weigh-ins
• Target: Specific BMI threshold (usually 35 or 40 for surgery, under 30 for some insurance)
• Recalculate baseline: Not applicable

→ Goal: Track progress on GLP-1 medication and compare to clinical trials

• Best metric: Percentage of body weight lost
• Tracking frequency: Weekly weigh-ins, calculate percentage monthly
• Target: 15% at 6 months (semaglutide) or 20% at 6 months (tirzepatide 15 mg)
• Recalculate baseline: Only if you stop and restart treatment after 6+ months off

If you're not sure which goal applies, default to percentage of body weight lost. It's the most versatile metric and the one with the most research backing.

Tools and calculators (and why you don't need them)

Dozens of online calculators will compute percentage of body weight lost for you. You don't need them. The math is simple enough to do on your phone's calculator app or in your head.

Manual calculation (30 seconds):

1. Subtract current weight from starting weight.
2. Divide by starting weight.
3. Multiply by 100.

Example: 220 start, 198 current.

• 220 - 198 = 22
• 22 ÷ 220 = 0.1
• 0.1 × 100 = 10%

Done.

Spreadsheet method (if you want a running log):

Create a simple spreadsheet with three columns:

• Column A: Date
• Column B: Current weight
• Column C: Formula =((starting weight - B2) / starting weight) * 100

Replace "starting weight" with your actual day-zero weight. Drag the formula down. Every time you enter a new weight in column B, column C auto-calculates the percentage.

Apps that do this well:

Most weight-tracking apps (MyFitnessPal, LoseIt, Happy Scale) will calculate percentage lost automatically if you enter your starting weight and current weight. The advantage of an app is that it graphs the trend over time, which makes plateaus and acceleration phases visible.

The disadvantage is that some apps use a moving baseline (calculating percentage lost since last week or last month), which is not the clinical definition. Check the app's methodology before trusting its percentage calculation.

Why you don't need a specialized calculator:

The calculation is the same for everyone. There are no adjustments for age, sex, height, or activity level. A percentage body weight loss calculator that asks for those variables is either using them for marketing data collection or calculating something other than percentage lost (like predicted weight loss on a specific diet).

The formula is universal: (starting weight - current weight) ÷ starting weight × 100. Any tool that makes it more complicated than that is adding unnecessary steps.

FAQ

How do you calculate percentage of body weight loss? Subtract your current weight from your starting weight, divide the result by your starting weight, then multiply by 100. The formula is [(starting weight - current weight) ÷ starting weight] × 100. A person starting at 200 pounds who now weighs 180 pounds has lost 10% of their body weight.

What is a healthy percentage of body weight to lose? A loss of 5 to 10% of body weight produces meaningful health improvements in blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol. A loss of 10 to 15% significantly reduces cardiovascular risk. Losing more than 1 to 2% of body weight per week is generally too fast and increases the risk of muscle loss and nutritional deficiency.

Is losing 10% of your body weight noticeable? Yes. A 10% loss is noticeable both visually and in how clothes fit. More importantly, 10% loss produces measurable improvements in metabolic health markers, including HbA1c, triglycerides, and blood pressure. The Look AHEAD trial found that 10% loss reduced the need for diabetes medications by 21%.

How much weight loss is 5% of body weight? It depends on your starting weight. For a 200-pound person, 5% is 10 pounds. For a 150-pound person, 5% is 7.5 pounds. For a 250-pound person, 5% is 12.5 pounds. The formula is starting weight × 0.05.

What does 15% body weight loss mean? A 15% loss means you have lost 15 pounds for every 100 pounds of starting weight. For a 220-pound person, 15% loss is 33 pounds, bringing them to 187 pounds. This level of loss is associated with diabetes remission in 86% of patients per the DiRECT trial.

How do I calculate my weight loss percentage on a calculator? Enter your starting weight, subtract your current weight, press equals. Then divide that result by your starting weight and press equals. Finally, multiply by 100. For example: 200 - 180 = 20. Then 20 ÷ 200 = 0.1. Then 0.1 × 100 = 10%.

Should I use my starting weight or current weight as the baseline? Always use your starting weight from day zero as the baseline. Do not recalculate using your current weight unless you have completed a weight-loss phase, maintained for 6+ months, and are starting a new weight-loss phase. Clinical trials and health outcome studies use the original baseline for all calculations.

Is percentage of weight loss more important than BMI? For tracking individual progress and predicting health outcomes, yes. Percentage of body weight lost correlates better with metabolic improvements than BMI change. BMI is useful for determining treatment eligibility, but percentage lost is better for measuring success once you're in treatment.

How much percentage of body weight can you lose in a month? A safe and sustainable rate is 1 to 2% of body weight per month. Faster loss increases the risk of muscle loss, gallstones, and nutritional deficiency. On GLP-1 medications, patients often lose 2 to 3% per month during the first 3 months, then 1 to 1.5% per month thereafter.

What percentage of weight loss reverses type 2 diabetes? The DiRECT trial found that 86% of patients who achieved 15% or more weight loss went into diabetes remission, defined as HbA1c below 6.5% without medication. Remission rates were 57% at 10 to 15% loss and 34% at 5 to 10% loss. Disease duration matters: remission is more common in patients diagnosed within the past 6 years.

Can you lose too much weight as a percentage? Yes. Losing more than 25 to 30% of body weight in a short period (under 12 months) increases the risk of muscle loss, bone density reduction, and nutritional deficiency. Bariatric surgery patients who lose more than 35% often experience complications. The goal is meaningful loss, not maximal loss.

How do GLP-1 medications affect percentage of body weight lost? Clinical trials show that semaglutide 2.4 mg produces an average 15% loss at 68 weeks, and tirzepatide 15 mg produces an average 21% loss at 72 weeks. Individual results vary, but most patients on maintenance doses for 6+ months lose 12 to 20% of their starting body weight.

Does percentage of body weight lost predict long-term success? Partially. Patients who achieve 10% or more loss in the first 6 months are more likely to maintain that loss long-term compared to those who lose less than 5%. However, long-term success depends more on whether you continue the intervention (medication, diet, exercise) than on how much you lost initially.

Should I recalculate my percentage if I regain weight? No. Continue using your original starting weight as the baseline. If you regain weight, your percentage lost will decrease, which accurately reflects that you've moved away from your goal. If you regain all the weight and restart treatment after 6+ months, you can set a new baseline at that point.

What is the formula for percentage of weight loss in Excel? In Excel, if your starting weight is in cell A1 and your current weight is in cell B1, the formula is =((A1-B1)/A1)*100. This will give you the percentage lost. You can drag the formula down to calculate percentage for multiple weigh-ins.

Sources

1. Apovian CM et al. Pharmacological management of obesity: an Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 2015.
2. Powell-Wiley TM et al. Obesity and cardiovascular disease: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2021.
3. Jensen MD et al. 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS guideline for the management of overweight and obesity in adults. Circulation. 2014.
4. Wing RR et al. Benefits of modest weight loss in improving cardiovascular risk factors in overweight and obese individuals with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2011.
5. Lean MEJ et al. Primary care-led weight management for remission of type 2 diabetes (DiRECT): an open-label, cluster-randomised trial. The Lancet. 2018.
6. Messier SP et al. Effects of intensive diet and exercise on knee joint loads, inflammation, and clinical outcomes among overweight and obese adults with knee osteoarthritis. JAMA. 2013.
7. Wilding JPH et al. Once-weekly semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity. New England Journal of Medicine. 2021.
8. Jastreboff AM et al. Tirzepatide once weekly for the treatment of obesity. New England Journal of Medicine. 2022.
9. Magkos F et al. Effects of moderate and subsequent progressive weight loss on metabolic function and adipose tissue biology in humans with obesity. Cell Metabolism. 2016.
10. Garvey WT et al. American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and American College of Endocrinology comprehensive clinical practice guidelines for medical care of patients with obesity. Endocrine Practice. 2016.
11. Pi-Sunyer X et al. A randomized, controlled trial of 3.0 mg of liraglutide in weight management (SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes trial). New England Journal of Medicine. 2015.
12. Ryan DH et al. Weight loss and improvement in comorbidity: differences at 5%, 10%, 15%, and over. Current Obesity Reports. 2017.
13. Wadden TA et al. Weight maintenance and additional weight loss with liraglutide after low-calorie-diet-induced weight loss: the SCALE Maintenance randomized study. International Journal of Obesity. 2013.
14. Franz MJ et al. Weight-loss outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of weight-loss clinical trials with a minimum 1-year follow-up. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2007.

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Platform Disclaimer. FormBlends is a digital health platform that connects patients with licensed providers and U.S.-based pharmacies. We do not manufacture, prescribe, or dispense medication directly. All clinical decisions are made by independent licensed providers.

Compounded Medication Notice. Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide are not FDA-approved. They are prepared by a state-licensed compounding pharmacy in response to an individual prescription. Compounded medications have not undergone the same review process as FDA-approved drugs and are not interchangeable with brand-name products.

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