A tool to support the clinical decisions of doctors and health professionals, not for self-diagnosis or self-treatment.
This calculator is inside the patient's file in Clinicato: open it from "Medical tools" while you chart the visit, it fills in from the patient's details and vital signs where they are recorded, and adds its result to the visit's plan in one tap, with the "Medical tools" add-on. Try it in your clinic
Calculator
How it works and when to use it
Percentage = (starting weight − current weight) ÷ starting weight × 100, and with the number of weeks the calculator gives the average change a week.
In the AHA/ACC/TOS obesity guideline benefits begin with a 3 to 5% loss and are clear from 5%, with 5 to 10% the usual first goal, while unintended loss of more than 5% within 6 months calls for assessment by the GLIM criteria.
Reference: 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS obesity guideline, Jensen MD et al. Circulation 2014;129(25 Suppl 2):S102-38 (sustained loss of 3-5% gives clinically meaningful benefit, 5-10% is the usual initial goal); GLIM criteria, Cederholm T et al. Clin Nutr 2019;38:1-9 (unintentional loss > 5% within 6 months or > 10% beyond 6 months)
Frequently asked questions
Why measure the percentage and not just kilograms?
The health benefit follows the share of weight lost, and five kilograms is a different share for each person.
When is weight loss worrying?
When it is unintended, especially more than 5% within 6 months or 10% over a longer time, it needs a medical look for the cause.
Tools you may also need
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- Waist-to-hip ratio calculator Waist-to-hip ratio and the waist assessment.
- Pregnancy weight gain calculator The recommended total gain, its weekly rate, and the gain so far.
- Child BMI calculator A child's BMI and how it is read on growth charts.
- Body surface area (BSA) calculator Body surface area in m² by two formulas.
Clinic software for this specialty
Try Clinicato for your clinic
These calculators are free here for everyone, and in Clinicato 49 medical tools work inside the patient's file with the "Medical tools" add-on: filled from the visit and the vital signs, with the result added to the visit's plan, next to appointments, prescriptions and invoices.