How To Figure Out Percentage Of Total Weight Loss

Figuring out your total percentage of weight loss is an easy mathematical equation that provides a way to compare weight loss from person to person. Determining the percentage of weight loss is how they equalize the results to make the weight loss competition fair in NBC's The Biggest Loser television show.

Step 1

Weigh yourself. Record your starting weight and also your ending weight. For example, say you and your friend have had a friendly weight-loss competition going on for the last eleven weeks. Your starting weight was 175 pounds and your ending weight was 150 and your friend's starting weight was 250 pounds and his ending weight was 225.

Step 2

Subtract your ending weight from your starting weight to determine the number of pounds lost. So, in our example, the number of pounds lost for both of you would be 25.

Step 3

Divide the number of pounds lost into your starting weight using a calculator. In our example, you would divide 25 into 175 with the result of 14.29 percent, which is your percentage of weight lost. For your friend, divide 25 into 225 with the result of 11.11 percent which is his percentage of weight lost. You had a higher percentage of weight loss than your friend, even though you both lost the same number of pounds.

Tips and Warnings

There are websites that make it even easier. You plug in your starting and ending weight and immediately it provides you with your percentage of weight loss. You can calculate the percentage of weight lost in a week like they do on the show, or you can calculate it based on the total weight lost since the beginning of the contest.
Remember that it is fat you want to lose, not muscle. This calculation only takes into account the weight you have lost, regardless of whether it comes from fat or not. A better calculation would let you know how much body fat you are losing.