Cost per pound calculator

Free calculator, no sign-up

What you spend for each pound (or kilogram) lost.

Enter your numbers

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Arithmetic on the numbers you enter. Check the result against your pharmacy label and ask your prescriber. Reko does not suggest doses, and this is not medical advice.

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How it works

Total spend divided by weight lost. Use the same unit (lb or kg) for the figure you enter.

  1. Total spent = price per month × months, plus any other costs you choose to count, such as syringes or clinic fees.
  2. Weight lost = starting weight − current weight.
  3. Cost per pound = total spent ÷ weight lost. For kilograms, divide by kg lost instead.

Check it against your label

  • That the price is what you actually paid, after insurance or discounts.
  • That both numbers cover the same start and end dates.
  • That you counted every cost you meant to count, and no others.

Frequently asked questions

In short
  • Cost per pound = total spent ÷ pounds lost.
  • Include the same period in both numbers.
  • Early on the figure is large, because little has been lost. It falls as weight comes off, or rises if it stalls.
  • Weight is not the only thing a treatment is for.
Is a lower figure better?

Not necessarily. It is only arithmetic.

Why does it change month to month?

Both the numerator and the denominator move.

Should I use pounds or kilograms?

Use whichever you weigh in. The method is the same.

What does this tool do?

This tool divides the money spent on a medication by the weight lost in the same period. It is a way to see a number. It is not a measure of whether a treatment is worth it, and it says nothing about health.

More on the arithmetic

If weight lost is zero or negative, the figure is undefined. A tool should say so rather than show a number.

A worked example

Example. These numbers are made up to show the steps. They are not a label value and not a suggestion.

Made-up: $400 a month for 3 months is $1,200. Weight went from 200 lb to 188 lb, so 12 lb lost.

  • 1,200 ÷ 12 = $100 per pound.

One more month at the same price and 3 lb more lost: 1,600 ÷ 15 is about $107 per pound. The figure can go up even while weight goes down.

Data sources
  1. No external source is needed for this arithmetic.

Related pages

Medical disclaimer. This page is for information only and is not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber before changing how you take your medicine. Reko does not suggest doses and takes no responsibility for dosing errors.

How Reko does this in the app

Reko keeps your weight over time in pounds, stone or kilograms, so the weight-lost half of the sum is already in your record. Reko does not track what you pay for a medication, so enter the cost side yourself. Doses export as a spreadsheet if you want to do the sum there.

Reko records what you and your prescriber decide. It never suggests a dose, and this page is not medical advice.

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