4 min read
Why Do Two People on the Same Diet Lose Weight at Different Rates?
Two people on the same calorie deficit lose weight at different rates for real reasons — genetics, appetite, and adherence, not just willpower.
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Adaptive calorie targets
Your calorie target is a guess, and it was only ever a guess about an average person. Bodies do not stay still, so a number that fitted you in January can quietly stop fitting by March. These guides explain what makes a target drift and what a target that updates itself is watching.
Most apps hand you a number on day one and leave it there. That number came out of an equation using your height, weight, age and sex, and it never saw you move around, sleep badly, or have a stressful fortnight.
We care about this because it changes how a stall feels. If you believe the target is correct, a flat week on the scale looks like your failure. If you know the target is an estimate with a shelf life, the same week reads as a signal to adjust, which is a far more useful thing to be told.
The guides here cover the moving parts: the everyday movement that changes without you noticing, what happens to energy use during a long deficit, why two people on identical plans end up somewhere different, and why the number is worth revisiting. All of it applies just as much if you are trying to gain weight.
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Guides in this topic
4 min read
What Is NEAT and Why Does It Change Without You Noticing?
NEAT is the calories burned by everyday movement, not exercise, and it shifts by hundreds of calories a day without you noticing, in either direction.
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Why Your Calorie Target Shouldn't Stay the Same for Months
Your calorie target should be adjusted often and not fixed for months, no matter if you're trying to lose weight or gain it.
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