1–1.5 lbs a week. Controlled, not fast.

1 to 1.5 lbs a week isn’t a marketing number — it’s the direct, arithmetic consequence of the dosing philosophy on the previous pillar. Slower escalation means lower average doses for longer, and lower average doses produce a slower, steadier loss curve. Here’s exactly what that curve looks like, and why Dr. Miranda protects it on purpose.

Where the number comes from

This isn’t an independent target bolted onto the dosing protocol — it falls out of it. Because Summit only escalates your dose once weight loss has genuinely stalled for 8–12 weeks, and because most patients spend the bulk of their treatment in the 8–12mg active-phase range rather than climbing to the ceiling, the resulting loss velocity settles into a controlled band rather than a sprint.

How to read this: this is simple arithmetic, not a promise — it shows where the 1–1.5 lb/week target actually lands over 40 weeks if held consistently. Your own line will move inside, above, or below this band depending on your dose, your response, and where you started. It’s the target the dosing protocol is built to protect, not a guarantee.

Why “controlled” is the point, not a limitation

A faster program pushes for the fastest possible number on the scale. Summit’s protocol treats a fast number as a warning sign, not a win: SOP-003 explicitly flags weight loss faster than 2 lbs a week as a trigger to check for muscle-mass loss rather than fat loss — and to shift focus toward protein intake and strength training before the dose goes any further. That’s the same reasoning behind the Meal Planner and Exercise Planner free tools: pace this deliberate only works if your habits have time to actually catch up to your changing body.

What protects the pace, visit to visit

The same hold-and-reduce criteria from the dosing pillar apply here directly — nausea, vomiting frequency, and appetite suppression that’s cutting into real nutrition are all reasons Dr. Miranda will hold or lower your dose at a monthly visit, which in turn keeps the loss rate inside the target band rather than spiking and stalling.

An honest range, not a guarantee

Individual results vary. Your actual weekly rate depends on your dose, your metabolic response, your starting point, and how consistently the daily fundamentals — hydration, electrolytes, protein — are being hit alongside the medication. What Dr. Miranda actually controls is the lever behind the number: how conservatively your dose is escalated. The 1–1.5 lb/week range is the outcome that lever is built to produce, not a promise attached to your individual case.