Certified Personal Trainer (NSCA) Practice Exam

If a client beginning at 220 lbs loses 1% of their weight weekly, how many weeks until they reach 200 lbs?

1. 20 weeks

2. 9 weeks

3. 5 weeks

4. 3 weeks

The correct answer is: 9 weeks

To determine how many weeks it will take for a client weighing 220 lbs to reach 200 lbs by losing 1% of their weight each week, we need to calculate the weight loss over time. Starting at 220 lbs, a 1% weight loss in the first week would be: 1% of 220 lbs = 2.2 lbs At the end of the first week, the client would weigh: 220 lbs - 2.2 lbs = 217.8 lbs In the second week, the 1% weight loss is calculated on the new weight: 1% of 217.8 lbs = 2.178 lbs So, by the end of the second week, the client weighs: 217.8 lbs - 2.178 lbs = 215.622 lbs This process continues with the client losing 1% of their current body weight each week. By iterating this method, one can observe how the amount lost does diminish slowly over time, but the decrease per week allows accumulation toward the goal of reaching 200 lbs. By continuing this calculation backward from 200 lbs, it becomes evident that roughly 9 weeks are needed to reduce from 220 lbs to around 200 lbs