How to lose a stone

How much is a stone?

A stone is 14 pounds, or 6.35 kg. Body fat stores roughly 7,700 kcal per kilogram, so a stone of fat holds about 49,000 kcal. That number decides how long it takes: you need to eat that much less than you burn, spread over the weeks.

How long does it take to lose a stone?

These are averages from the 7,700 kcal per kg rule. In practice the first couple of weeks are faster because of water loss, and later weeks a little slower. The NHS recommends 0.5 to 1 kg a week, which puts a stone at 7 to 13 weeks.

Can you lose a stone in a month?

Losing a stone of fat in four weeks would need a deficit of about 1,700 kcal a day. For most people that means eating almost nothing, which leads to muscle loss, low energy and regaining the weight. You might see the scale drop 3 or 4 kg in the first month if you cut carbs and salt, but most of that extra is water and comes back.

A better target for a month is 2 to 4 kg. That is still a noticeable change in how clothes fit, and it is a pace you can keep until you reach the full stone.

A plan to lose your first stone

1. Set your calories

Find your maintenance calories with our calorie calculator and eat about 500 to 600 kcal less. Do not go below about 1,200 kcal (women) or 1,500 kcal (men) without medical advice.

2. Eat enough protein

Aim for around 1.6 to 2 g of protein per kg of your goal weight. It keeps you full and protects muscle, so the weight you lose is fat. Our high protein meals make this easier.

3. Walk more

Add 2,000 to 4,000 steps a day to your current count. It burns an extra 100 to 150 kcal a day without making you much hungrier. Check your numbers with the steps calculator.

4. Lift something twice a week

Strength training, even bodyweight exercises at home, tells your body to keep its muscle while you lose fat.

5. Track what you eat

People who track their food lose more weight than people who do not. Log everything, including oil, milk and drinks, for at least the first few weeks.

6. Weigh in and adjust

Weigh yourself three or more times a week at the same time and compare weekly averages. If the average has not moved for three weeks, reduce your calories by 100 to 200 kcal or add more steps.

What to expect week by week

A sample day

For a target of about 1,500 kcal with over 100 g of protein, see our 1500, 1800 and 2000 calorie meal plans. Pick the level closest to your target and swap meals with similar calories and protein.

If the scale stops moving

Plateaus are normal. Most of the time the cause is small, unlogged extras or water retention. Our guide to why you are not losing weight goes through the common reasons and what to do about each.

Calori makes the tracking part quicker: take a photo of each meal and it logs the calories and protein, so you can see your weekly trend in the progress charts.