Enter your starting and current weight to see the percent change, how much you have lost, and where you sit against the 5%, 10% and 15% milestones.
Weigh yourself the same way each time — same scale, similar time of day.
Tools
Weight-loss percentage calculator
Starting weightlb
Current weightlb
Body-weight change
9.5%
You have lost 21 lb from a 220 lb starting weight.
5%11 lb10%22 lb15%33 lb
Use the same scale
Share with your clinician
Percent change is one signal, not a health diagnosis.
Educational only, not medical advice. Discuss goals, medication and any rapid changes with a licensed clinician.
How the math works
You have passed 5% — a clinically meaningful milestone for many people.
Why percent change, not just pounds
Percent body-weight change puts your progress on the same scale researchers and clinicians use. Losing 20 pounds means something different at 180 pounds than at 320 pounds, and the percentage captures that. It is also the number most weight-management studies and medication labels report, so it makes comparing your own trend to published results more honest.
- The calculator uses: (starting weight − current weight) ÷ starting weight × 100.
- Use a consistent starting weight — ideally the first weight recorded with your clinician or program.
- Track the trend over weeks, not day-to-day swings from hydration, food and sleep.
What the milestones mean
The CDC notes that even a modest 5% of body weight can improve health markers such as blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol. Many programs treat 5%, 10% and 15% as meaningful checkpoints rather than a single finish line. Higher is not automatically better for everyone — the right target depends on your health history and a clinician's guidance, and maintaining a loss matters more than hitting a number quickly.
- 5% — often the first clinically meaningful milestone.
- 10-15% — associated with larger metabolic benefits in many people.
- Rapid or unexplained loss is worth raising with a clinician.
Sources
- CDC: Losing weight — CDC notes that even a modest 5% of body weight can produce health benefits.
- NIH/NIDDK: Treatment for overweight and obesity — Federal context on weight-management goals and clinician-guided treatment.