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First - the more you have to lose the faster you'll lose. So if you are obese you can double the numbers below. And if you are very lean already, divide them in half.

Second - I am talking about average weight loss per week from FAT. In most cases it's not the same as how much you lose on the scale.

It's easy to lose muscle (usually with crash dieting) and getting the scale to move, but that's shooting yourself in the foot.

The short of it is when you lose FAT you look great, when you lose muscle you look smaller, but flabby.

So how much weight can you lose in a week?

The basics of weight loss are diet and exercise. Your average weight loss per week will depend on:

1. How strict are you willing to eat?

2. How hard and how often are you willing to move you body?

It is POSSIBLE to have 4 pounds average weight loss in a week.

But if I showed you the diet and the exercise program required, you'd probably say "forget it."

And even if you did agree to the diet and exercise program, it's not sustainable for more than a few weeks.

The real question is how much weight can you lose in a week...after week, after week.

The sad truth is that for most women it's closer to ZERO pounds per week.

I'd estimate that the average weight loss per week of a typical woman who is trying to lose weight without guidance and succeeding is 0.5 pounds per week at best.

Not too shabby. Can we improve? Sure.

In my experience as a women's fitness coach I've found that the perfect balance of effort (watching what you eat and how much you exercise) and results is average weight loss per week of 1.5-2 pounds.

My best answer to how much weight can you lose in a week for a busy woman with a job and other responsibilities is 2 pounds per week of sustainable FAT loss.

How does that sound to you? Too much? Too little?

One important reminder. Don't expect the scale to move by 2 pounds per weeks. You'll be building muscle and losing fat at the same time, so the scale might not move at all or only a little bit.