How Much Weight Can You Lose in a Month?
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If you’re like me, right about now is the time when you start thinking about losing weight. Every year between April and May my social media feeds get bombarded with fad and crash diets promising that I can shed pounds with little or no effort. I’ll admit that I’ve tried a few of these, hoping I could stumble on some hack that would get me in shape, but as you probably know the results were always unconvincing.
That’s why I’m writing this article: to help you separate fact from fiction. Below, we’ll talk about what is considered rapid weight loss and how much weight you can expect to lose in a month in a healthy, sustainable way. We’ll also look at tools that can help you maximize your success, like weight loss programs that actually work, workouts and cardio exercises you can do and what your nutrition should look like according to experts.
I’ll tell you up front that unfortunately, I don’t have a magic pill or secret formula that will get you to your weight loss goals—and that’s because almost all of those things are a scam with a net negative impact on your health. Weight loss takes effort and focus. If you’re ready to start that journey, then read on.
This content is meant to be informative, but should not be taken as medical advice. It is not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention or treatment of health problems. Always speak with your doctor before starting any new supplement or exercise regimen. It’s important to note that weight loss content can be triggering for those with underlying concerns like body dysmorphia, disordered eating or an eating disorder. Therapy or a more psychological approach to weight management may be needed.
What Is Considered Rapid Weight Loss?
Any weight loss goal or plan that involves losing two or more pounds per week is considered rapid weight loss. I know that probably sounds low when you compare it to the wild claims of weight loss supplements or social media influencers, but losing over two pounds per week will require drastic changes to your diet, lifestyle and body composition that could come with several negative side effects (which we will discuss more below).
If you’re certain you want to try to lose more than two pounds per week, you should be sure to talk to your doctor and/or a registered dietitian who can help you put together a weight loss plan. That way, you’ll have qualified, professional help monitoring your body for the possible negative side effects.
Possible Rapid Weight Loss Side Effects
Weight loss is a relatively simple science: You have to burn more calories than you consume. The difficulty is finding the best way to achieve this when everyone’s body is different. What this means is that rapid weight loss plans will require you to bring your calorie intake to extremely low levels. This can have negative side effects such as:
Muscle loss: When most people think about losing weight, they think about fat loss. But when you significantly reduce your calories, you’re eliminating your body’s energy source. That means your body is going to find energy wherever it can, even if that means breaking down the protein in your muscles.
You want to preserve lean muscle mass, so make sure your weight loss plan includes high quality protein and exercise.
Dehydration: Very low calorie diets can lead to rapid weight loss, but some of that could be lost water weight, which will lead to dehydration. Hydration is important for all of your body functions like keeping your joints lubricated, regulating body temperature, delivering nutrients and keeping your organs functioning.
Staying hydrated could slow down the number on the scale for a short period of time, but water is better for weight loss in the long run.
Chronic fatigue: When you’re consuming significantly fewer calories suddenly, your body can struggle to respond. Ideally, fat loss occurs when your body uses stored fat for energy, but the catch is that your body requires energy for that process to be effective.
Sudden, drastic drops in calorie intake can lead to less energy for exercise and chronic fatigue, both of which can sabotage your weight loss program.
Nutrient deficiency: Most people who are considering a weight loss plan know about the macronutrients: protein, fat and carbohydrates. However, micronutrients are also extremely important. Vitamins and minerals are essential components for all of your body’s functions.
The fewer calories you’re consuming every day, the fewer nutrients your body is getting, which is the opposite of what you want for weight loss. Research suggests that obesity and micronutrient deficiencies go hand-in-hand. If you’re going to run a big calorie deficit, you may want to consider taking a multivitamin to fill those nutrient gaps.
Changes to your metabolism: Metabolism is the process of your body converting food and drink into energy. Some studies suggest that the faster you lose weight, the worse effects you can cause to your metabolic rate, and that can cause you to regain weight later when your eating habits return to normal.
Is There a Healthier Way To Lose Weight?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a modest, steady weight loss plan of one to two pounds per week is much more likely to lead to long-term success. That means you’ll only lose four to eight pounds per month. Let’s face it, that is a slower rate than most people want. Even more, that means you’re looking at adjusting your diet and habits for a longer period of time.
That is kind of the point. Rapid weight loss is attractive because it promises immediate results. However, if you’re not forming healthy eating habits, then you’ll just gain weight back when you fall back on unhealthy eating habits. Sustainable, healthy weight loss helps you form good habits, and keep the weight off through a balanced diet and regular exercise.
Calorie Deficits
Calorie deficits have gotten some negative press in recent years, especially in response to fad diets that ask you to eat as little food as possible to reduce your calories. But these fad diets are better categorized as starvation diets. Starvation diets and calorie deficits are not necessarily the same thing.
Calorie deficit meaning
A calorie deficit is when you’re burning more calories than you’re eating. There are several ways to achieve this, but the most healthy combination is a balanced diet and regular exercise. Whether you have to run a calorie deficit really depends on your goal.
Fat loss can happen without calorie deficits, and you can build lean muscle without calorie deficits. But if your goal is weight loss, you have to burn more calories than you consume. There are plenty of ways to do this without going hungry, which I will discuss in detail in a section below.
How To Calculate a Calorie Deficit
It can be difficult to accurately calculate the correct calorie deficiency for you. "A registered dietitian can help you with this, or you can use a BMR (basal metabolic rate) calculator,” says Johna Burdeos, RD. BMR calculators are widely available online; they take into account your current height, weight, age, activity level and sex in order to calculate how many calories you need per day.
Shooting for a deficit of 500 calories per day is generally considered safe, Burdeos says. That fits with a one to two pound per week weight loss goal, because research says one pound of body weight equates to about 3,500 calories. That means to lose one pound of weight you need to burn 3,500 more calories than you consume.
A general plan could look like this: Run a 500 calorie deficit each day for seven days and you should lose about one pound. If you want to lose two pounds per week, then you should aim for a 1,000 calorie deficit each day, and so on. Remember to check in with your doctor before starting any weight loss plan, especially one that is considered a rapid weight loss diet.
Nutrition for Weight Loss
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Let’s talk about nutrition, and what that looks like on a weight loss plan. Like I said before, I highly recommend you talk to your doctor or a licensed nutritionist if you want to get the healthiest and most sustainable results. There are also plenty of weight loss apps that can connect you with a nutritionist to design a personalized plan. Below are a few general strategies to keep in mind. How much weight you lose is highly dependent on many factors including your diet, genetics and exercise routine.
Consider caloric density
One great way to think about your nutrition for weight loss is caloric density. Caloric density is how many calories a certain food has in a given amount. Some foods have a lot of calories in small amounts while others have very few calories. You can use caloric density in your weight loss program by prioritizing low calorie foods.
I first learned about caloric density through Noom, a weight loss app that I used with great success. You can check out my full review of Noom if you’re looking for a program to follow, but I want to highlight how it categorizes food to give you a visual of what I’m talking about.
Noom categorizes food as red, yellow and green. Red foods are high calories in small amounts, yellow are moderate calories and green are low calories. You can eat significantly more food from the yellow category than the red while still staying within your calorie goal. For example, one time I read the package on an eight-ounce steak, which said there were 600 calories. Instead I ate a sweet potato bowl with avocado, cheese and other ingredients because I could eat over double the food for the same calories. Even if you don’t use Noom, caloric density can be a very useful tool in making sure you’re running a calorie deficit without actually eating less food, or going hungry.
Avoid processed foods
When you think about eating a healthy, balanced diet, think about your macro and micronutrients. Your body uses the nutrients from your food for all of its functions, which means a healthy weight loss plan will maximize nutrients while still letting you run a deficit to lose weight.
That’s why you’ve probably heard that you should avoid processed foods if you want to lose weight. But “processed food” actually refers to any food that is altered in any way from its natural state. That means washed fruit is processed, cut meat is processed, etc. What you really want to avoid instead are heavily processed foods like refined grains, pre-packed and frozen meals, and foods with tons of additives.
These foods can often contain significant amounts of added sugar, salt and fat, and it can be difficult to track exactly how much of each item you're consuming. Aim for minimally processed, nutrient-rich foods, and supplement with a multivitamin if you need to.
Nutrition to Focus On for Weight Loss
Instead of getting bogged down in all of the foods you need to avoid, let’s talk about what you should focus on.
Whole foods: Whole foods are minimally processed foods. Think about whole fruits and vegetables, whole grains like oats, nuts and most meats. Whole foods typically lack additives like sugar and sodium that add calories without nutritional value.
Healthy fats: It may sound counterintuitive, but eating healthy fats won’t sabotage your fat loss. Healthy fats are also called unsaturated fats, and you can find them in plant sources like avocados and nuts. Foods that are high in healthy fats can actually increase your body’s absorption of vitamins and minerals, plus make you feel fuller for longer.
Protein: If you’re losing weight, including the right amount of protein in your diet can help you keep lean muscle mass, burn more calories during digestion, store less fat for energy and feel fuller for longer periods of time.
Complex carbs: Carbohydrates are your body’s go-to energy source from your diet. Carbs are quickly broken down and converted to energy for immediate use. There are simple carbs and complex carbs. Complex carbs take longer to break down and release into your bloodstream, which means they help regulate blood sugar. Plus, many complex carbs are a good source of vitamins and fiber.
Focusing on these nutrients from whole food sources will help you balance your diet and put your body in the best position to lose weight.
Exercise for Weight Loss
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Another key component to losing weight is regular physical activity. This can take many forms, and what works best for you depends on your body composition, your experience and your preferences. The best type of exercise is the type that you’ll do consistently, and enjoy it too.
Cardio
If the first thing that pops into your mind when you read “cardio” is running, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Running is a type of cardio exercise, but not the only one. Cardio refers to aerobic exercise, or continuous exercise that raises your heart rate for an extended period of time. Other than running, cardio exercise can include swimming, walking, high intensity interval training (HIIT), body weight training and much more.
How many calories you’ll burn during a cardio workout will vary from person to person, but having access to a good cardio machine can help you track your progress. You can also use pre-set workouts on most cardio equipment now to take the guesswork out of training.
Strength training
Lifting weights typically burns less calories than cardio workouts, but there are other benefits to consider. Strength training can boost your metabolism even when you’re not actively exercising, which means you’ll burn more calories at rest. A high metabolism will only benefit your weight loss journey.
Weight lifting can also balance blood pressure by lowering bad cholesterol and raising good cholesterol, target the fat cells in difficult to lose spots like your abdomen and reduce anxiety which can be a key factor in weight gain.
Supplements for Weight Loss
There are a lot of weight loss supplements on the market that make big promises that can seem almost too good to be true. That’s usually because it is too good to be true. The truth is that there is no magic pill or supplement that can lose weight for you, with little to no effort on your part. That said, supplements can work alongside your weight loss program to give you an extra boost. Here are a couple to consider.
Fat burners
Fat burners are supplements that can claim to do a lot of different things. Usually a fat burner tries to help increase your metabolism, decrease fat absorption, suppress your appetite, increase your energy or some combination of all of these. For more information, check out our in-depth PhenQ review—one of the most popular fat burners.
Appetite suppressants are similar to fat burners, and most supplements that market themselves as fat burners are also appetite suppressants.
Protein powder
Protein powder is one of the most common supplements you’ll find in stores and in pantries. Unlike fat burners, protein powders are simple formulas that give you a serving of protein with little to no extra ingredients. According to certified sports nutrition coach Pete Nastasi, the benefits of supplementing your diet with protein powder include “increased satiety, greater lean body mass, increased metabolic rate and decreased body fat conversation.”
Related Post: The Best Protein Powders for Weight Loss
Weight Loss in a Month FAQs
How many calories should I eat to lose two pounds a week?
How many calories you should eat depends on your body. One pound of body weight equals about 3,500 calories. Therefore, losing two pounds per week means you need to burn 7,000 more calories than you consume over the course of a week, which equals a calorie deficit of 1,000 calories per day.
Why are the first 10 pounds the hardest to lose?
Actually, depending on your overall weight loss goal, the first 10 pounds can be relatively easy to lose. That’s because when you make an adjustment to your calorie intake, your body will find the energy elsewhere. Typically that means losing some water weight at first, then losing fat stores and some muscle mass as you continue the diet.
Does drinking water help you lose weight?
Yes, drinking more water can help you lose weight. Water has zero calories, and when you drink water you’re usually not going to consume other drinks that do have calories, which lowers your overall calorie intake. Water can also reduce your appetite if you drink a glass before eating, and it can help you burn more calories during digestion.
Where does weight loss show first?
Everyone’s body stores excess weight in different areas. Where your weight loss shows first will depend on your body. However, the aesthetics of losing body fat are only one part of weight loss programs, and not necessarily the most important. Weight loss comes with plenty of health benefits like reduced risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
Why am I eating more but losing weight?
If you’re eating more food but losing weight there could be a number of reasons. You should consult your doctor if you are worried about underlying health problems. However, if you’ve made healthy lifestyle changes and are seeing weight loss as a result you may be consuming less calories overall despite eating more food. That’s because highly processed foods have high calories and low nutrients whereas whole foods are the opposite.
The Bottom Line
How much weight you can lose in a month depends on a ton of different factors. A healthy, sustainable expectation is one to two pounds per week which is between four and eight pounds per month. It is possible to lose weight at a faster rate, but before starting on a rapid weight loss plan you should consult your doctor and a licensed nutritionist.
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