You need a daily deficit of around 1,000 calories to shift 2 kilograms weekly. That means burning roughly 7,000 calories more than you eat across the week.
This works because 1 kilogram of body fat contains about 7,700 calories, so a 7,000-calorie shortfall gets you close. Here’s why the deficit matters for losing fat—not just weight.
Build Your Deficit Without Destroying Muscle
When you drop calories hard without resistance training or proper protein, you lose muscle alongside fat. That’s not what we’re after. You want fat gone, strength kept.
The research is clear on this one. A study comparing high-protein eating (2.4g per kilogram of body weight) against moderate protein (1.2g per kg) during intense exercise and strict calorie restriction showed the high-protein group lost more fat and actually gained lean mass. The moderate protein group lost both.
Your move: Eat around 2 to 2.4 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. If you’re 80kg, that’s 160 to 192 grams daily. Spread it across your meals—breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks. Protein keeps your muscles alive when calories drop.
Resistance Training Stops the Muscle Bleed
Here’s what happens without weights during rapid fat loss: your body burns muscle for energy because muscle is expensive to keep running. Resistance training tells your body to keep that muscle. It’s not optional if you want to preserve strength and look good after the fat comes off.
Studies on people doing 10% or more weight loss show that resistance training cuts muscle loss significantly compared to diet alone. One paper found that people doing resistance three times weekly during weight loss maintained muscle while non-exercisers lost it, even when total weight loss was identical.
Your move: Lift weights 3 to 4 times weekly. Focus on compound movements—squats, deadlifts, rows, presses. You don’t need hours. 30 to 45 minutes per session hits the target. The stimulus is what matters, not the duration.
Accept That Metabolic Adaptation Will Slow You Down
Your body fights back when calories drop hard. As you lose weight, your resting metabolic rate dips because you’re carrying less body weight and your body actively downshifts energy expenditure to preserve fat stores. This is metabolic adaptation, and it’s real.
Research measured this directly: after losing 14 kilograms on a diet, people showed metabolic adaptation of around 92 calories per day immediately after weight loss, then it dropped to 38 calories per day after four weeks of eating normally again. The bigger the deficit, the stronger the adaptation.
This means your weight loss will plateau if you don’t adjust. You can’t just eat at the same 1,000-calorie deficit forever and expect 2kg every single week for months.
Your move: Plan to track your deficit every 2 to 3 weeks. If weight loss stalls, either cut another 200 calories or add 200 calories of activity. Don’t panic and slash 500 more calories at once—that’s when things break down (more hunger, less training intensity, higher injury risk). Slow adjustments beat crash moves every time.
9 Steps To Shed 5–10kg in 6 Weeks
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Includes an exercise plan, nutrition plan, and 20+ tips and tricks.
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Time-Restricted Eating Helps You Stick With It
Trying to count every bite all day burns you out. Time-restricted eating—eating in a set window like noon to 8pm—can make adherence easier because you have fewer hours to manage. You’re not constantly deciding whether to eat.
The research doesn’t show TRE burns more fat than plain calorie restriction, but it does show people find it easier to sustain. If hitting 1,000 calories daily feels like a slog, compressing your eating window makes the math feel simpler.
Your move: Pick an 8-hour eating window. Some people do 12pm to 8pm. Others do 1pm to 9pm. The timing doesn’t matter—consistency does. Within that window, hit your protein target and your calorie goal. Outside the window, water, coffee, tea only.
Add High-Intensity Work on Top of Your Resistance Sessions
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) burns more calories in less time than steady cardio and increases fat oxidation after you stop exercising (called EPOC—excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). That’s the afterburn effect.
Compared to moderate-intensity continuous exercise, HIIT reduces abdominal fat more efficiently and improves insulin sensitivity faster. For a trainer’s perspective: you’re busy, so time efficiency matters. HIIT gets results faster.
Your move: Add 2 sessions of 20 to 30 minutes of HIIT weekly—say, sprints, rowing machine intervals, or kettlebell circuits. Keep these separate from your resistance days so you’re not trashing yourself. Do HIIT on days you lift lighter or just do conditioning. Recovery matters more at 2kg per week loss.
FAQ: Fast Fat Loss Questions
What’s the difference between losing weight fast and losing fat fast?
Weight includes muscle, water, and glycogen (carbohydrate stores). During the first week of a hard deficit, you’ll drop 3 to 4 kilograms, but about 1.5 to 2kg is water and glycogen, not fat. After week one, the pace slows and becomes more real—true fat loss is 0.75 to 1.5kg weekly under normal conditions. Jumping to 2kg weekly requires aggressive eating and training discipline.
Can I lose 2kg a week without losing muscle?
Technically yes, but it’s tight. You need high protein (2-2.4g per kg), resistance training 3 to 4 times weekly, and reasonable overall training volume (not overtraining). Research shows this combination preserves lean mass even in marked deficits. Without one of these, you’ll lose muscle. Pick all three and you’re in good shape.
How do I know if my deficit is actually 1,000 calories?
Track honestly for two weeks and watch the scale trend. Weigh yourself daily at the same time (first thing in the morning after the toilet). Take the weekly average. If you’re losing roughly 2kg, your deficit is right. If it’s 1kg, you’re at 500 calories. If it’s 3kg, you’re closer to 1,500. Adjust food quantities based on the actual result, not the theory.
Will I get hungry all the time at this deficit?
Yes, often. High protein helps hugely—protein keeps you fuller longer than carbs or fat. Eat volume: vegetables, lean meats, whole grains. Skip processed junk that’s calorie-dense but not filling. Drink water before meals. Some people do well with coffee or tea to suppress appetite. It’s uncomfortable, not impossible.
What should I eat to hit my protein target easily?
Chicken breast (31g protein per 100g), Greek yogurt (10g per 100g), eggs (6g each), salmon (25g per 100g), cottage cheese (11g per 100g), lentils (9g per 100g cooked). Mix these across breakfast, lunch, dinner. One shake with 30-40g protein powder covers snack easily. Don’t overthink it—whole foods work just as well as fancy supplements.
Is 2kg a week sustainable for months?
No. Most people sustain this for 4 to 8 weeks before metabolic adaptation and mental fatigue kick in. After that, expect 1 to 1.5kg weekly as your body adapts. Some people do 4 weeks hard, then 2 weeks at maintenance to let adaptation settle, then repeat. Cycling effort works better long-term than grinding at 2kg forever.
Should I do cardio or just lift weights?
Do both, but lift first. Resistance training is non-negotiable for muscle preservation. Cardio or HIIT adds to your deficit and improves conditioning. Lifting alone won’t create enough deficit for 2kg weekly without eating incredibly low. Add cardio to make the math easier. You don’t need hours—30 minutes of conditioning most days works.
What if I plateau after three weeks?
Tighten the deficit by 200 calories or add 200 calories of activity. Don’t cut 500 calories at once or drop below 1,500 calories daily (if male) or 1,200 (if female)—below that, training quality collapses and hunger becomes unmanageable. Small tweaks every two weeks beat panic cuts.
Does meal timing (intermittent fasting, small meals, etc.) matter more than total calories?
No. Total daily calories matter most. Meal timing is just a tool to make hitting that calorie target easier. Some people do better with 3 meals daily, others with 2 large meals, others with grazing. Pick the pattern you can sustain. Consistency beats perfection every time.
Can I lose 2kg a week without tracking calories?
Unlikely. You can estimate and get close, but hitting precisely 1,000 daily is hard without tracking, especially at the start. Use an app for two weeks to learn portion sizes. After that, eyeballing often works. But at 2kg weekly, being off by 300 calories daily stalls progress quickly.
What happens after I reach my goal—how do I keep the weight off?
Metabolic adaptation fades when you eat normally for 4 to 6 weeks. Your resting metabolic rate recovers gradually. The key is eating more protein long-term (even at maintenance) and keeping resistance training consistent. Studies show people who exercise regularly post-weight-loss regain less weight. The habits you build now stick.
The Practical Starting Point
Track your current eating for three days without changing anything. Use an app like MyFitnessPal. That’s your baseline. Subtract 1,000 calories from that total. That’s your daily target. Hit that number, plus 2g protein per kg body weight, plus 3 resistance sessions weekly. Measure your weight weekly (average the daily weigh-ins). After two weeks, assess if you’re trending toward 2kg loss. If not, adjust by 200 calories. That’s it. The science is simple. The execution is the grind.
