How Much Weight Can You Lose In A Month?

This is especially true if you have an event around the corner, like a wedding or vacation, and have a deadline for your weight loss goals.

While weight loss should be the result of sustainable, long-term lifestyle changes, it is possible to lose weight both safely and quickly.

This article discusses the amount of weight someone can safely lose in one month, as well as safe ways to quickly lose weight.

How Much Weight Can You Lose In A Month?

The maximum weight you can lose in one month is unknown.

The CDC, short for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reports that the average person can safely lose one to two pounds per week. (Source)

This amounts to roughly four to eight pounds per month, which is about 48 to 96 pounds in a year.

To lose weight, you have to expend more calories than you take in.

Therefore, you have to burn approximately 3,500 more calories per week than you consume in order to lose one pound of body fat per week.

This means burning 500 more calories than you consume per day.

To burn two pounds of fat per week, you need to burn 7,000 more calories than you consume each week.

This means burning 1000 more calories than you consume per day.

While weight loss technically comes down to a basic equation, sustainably maintaining a caloric deficit is not as simple.

In addition, a caloric deficit is often not enough to successfully keep the weight off in the long run.

Because of this, most people need to use a combination of methods to effectively and sustainably lose weight.

Some of these methods include:

Eating A Healthy Diet

Eating a healthy diet sounds easy enough.

However, sometimes healthy eating requires a lifestyle change.

If you are not sure where to start, try to slowly add nutritious foods to your diet instead of focusing on what to take away.

For example, instead of eating chips with your lunch, opt for fruits or vegetables instead.

In addition, you should try to incorporate lean proteins like fish, as well as nuts and seeds.

Losing weight with chronic fatigue syndrome may be tough, but it’s doable!

Exercise

Exercise is the most effective way to burn calories and, of all exercises, cardiovascular exercise will burn calories the fastest.

In fact, an hour of cardio can burn up to 1,000 calories.

However, strength training is equally as effective when it comes to long-term weight loss.

So, if you want to lose weight quickly and keep the weight off, you should do a combination of cardio and weight training.

Reduce Your Stress Levels

Our body increases its cortisol production when stressed.

High cortisol levels in the body can slow our metabolism and increase hunger.

Cortisol is also linked to unfavorable fat storage (think apron belly). Over time, cortisol levels that remain high can lead to weight gain.

For example, one study revealed that high-stress levels could hinder one’s ability to burn calories effectively during exercise. (Source)

Reducing your stress levels is essential if you want to improve your chances of losing weight. Resting, meditating, practicing yoga, journaling, spending time in nature, and getting a massage are all effective ways to reduce stress.

A caloric deficit only works to an extent during your weight loss journey. Eating healthy, exercising, and reducing stress are the building blocks to weight loss. Because of this, a combination of these factors will yield the best results.

How Many Pounds Can You Lose In A Month?

The exact number of pounds a person can lose in a month is unknown.

Many people assume that to lose weight, you have to eat less.

However, this is an oversimplified explanation.

In reality, research has shown that people with normal body mass indexes generally eat the same amount as overweight people.

However, their bodies are better at using and producing energy.

Losing 20 pounds may be as simple as shifting the way your body produces energy.

Based on this research, one can assume that the key to losing weight is to train your body to produce energy efficiently.

When you are trying to lose weight, it is natural to want to see results quickly.

However, dropping weight too quickly from excess exercise or malnutrition can disrupt your metabolism and hormonal balance.

This is counterproductive to sustainable, long-term weight loss.

To avoid this, you should focus on dropping one to two pounds per week, which is four to eight pounds per month.

Anything more than that puts you at risk of messing with your metabolism and gaining the weight back later on, in addition to other potential health problems.

In addition, adhering to the following guidelines might help you sustainably lose weight:

• Stay hydrated. We often think we are hungry when we are actually dehydrated. If you are experiencing hunger pangs shortly after eating, try to drink water instead of reaching for a snack. You might be happy to discover that the hunger pangs will likely disappear!
• Focus on eating vegetables and healthy fats, which can help you feel fuller for longer.
• Create an exercise regimen that combines cardiovascular exercise and strength training.
• Keep your stress levels to a minimum.
• Aim to get seven to eight hours of sleep each night.

One Month Weight Loss: What to Expect

As previously stated in this article, weight loss comes down to burning more calories than you take in.

But, if a caloric deficit combined with a healthy diet, exercise, and proper rest is not giving you the desired results, you might be on the hunt for alternative (and more intense) methods.

If this is true, you might have heard that meal replacement shakes and cold showers can help you lose weight.

Meal replacement shakes are nutritious shakes meant to replace a meal.

They are useful weight-loss tools for a few different reasons.

First, the average replacement shake contains fewer calories than the average meal.

This allows you to acquire filling calories while still maintaining a caloric deficit.

In addition, planning, prepping, and cooking healthy meals can become difficult when you have a busy schedule.

If you are short on time, you might end up opting for a pre-made meal that is not only high in calories but expensive.

This is where replacement shakes come in.

A replacement shake meal is a convenient and reliable way to ensure you get a nutritious meal in your system.

All you have to do is scoop your meal replacement powder into water or milk and shake.

Plus, a replacement meal shake is rich with nutritious ingredients that you might not fit into your diet otherwise.

Research has shown that meal replacement shakes are effective with short and long-term weight loss.

However, relying on replacement meal shakes alone to lose weight is not enough.

You need to ensure the rest of your meals are healthy and that you maintain a caloric deficit.

There are benefits to cold exposure, which is why cold showers have also been speculated to help with weight loss.

This speculation is partly because cold water therapy has been an alternative treatment for illnesses, skin conditions, and injuries for centuries.

Gladiators used cold therapy in the Roman Empire to soothe their sore muscles after the battle.

Some research suggests cold showers can help with weight loss.

Several studies have shown that the body can convert white adipose tissue (WAT) into brown adipose tissue (BAT) when submerged in cold water.

Essentially, it converts fat-storing tissues into fat-burning tissues — stimulating the body to burn more fat in the process.

Increased brown adipose tissue in the body has been shown to burn up to 500 additional calories daily.

However, the amount of time it takes for results to appear is not yet determined.

BAT levels may not begin to increase until the body has endured 60 hours of regular cold exposure.

This amounts to six hours of cold showers or other cold exposure every day for ten days.

While cold showers might help stimulate weight loss, relying on this method solely to achieve your weight loss goals is not recommended.

Why You May Want To Try Intermittent Fasting

Even if you think you are doing everything right, you may still not be losing weight.

This is an understandably frustrating experience.

However, there could be a few reasons you are not seeing results yet.

Stress, not tracking your calories closely enough, and not eating according to your specific needs can all hinder your weight loss journey.

Some people even report not losing weight on 1,400 calories a day.

Intermittent fasting is a possible solution to these problems.

Intermittent fasting, an eating pattern that has gained popularity recently, has been shown to help with weight loss.

What makes intermittent fasting enticing is that it focuses on when — not what — you eat.

While no foods are “off limits” during intermittent fasting, this does not mean you can binge on unhealthy foods every day and expect results.

To fully benefit from intermittent fasting, you still need to eat a healthy diet during your eating window.

When it comes to determining your eating and fasting window, there are a few popular options to choose from:

1. The 16/8 method

The 16/8 intermittent fasting method allows people to eat during an eight-hour window and then fast for 16 hours.

This is one of the most popular methods because it is manageable for most people while still yielding results.

This eating pattern has a high success rate and can start showing results as soon as eight weeks.

2. The 12/12 method

The 12/12 fasting method allows people to eat during a 12-hour window and then fast for 12 hours.

This is one of the most manageable intermittent fasting methods, making it a popular starting point.

3. The 5:2 method

The 5:2 intermittent fasting method allows people to eat freely for five days and then restrict their diets for two days.

This fasting method yields results quickly, sometimes taking just a few weeks.

However, it may be harder to stay consistent when using this method.

4. The OMAD (one meal a day) method

The OMAD (one meal day) fasting method allows people to eat only one meal a day.

This is the most restrictive and difficult of all the intermittent fasting methods.

You can expect to feel fatigued and hungry when beginning this method.

This method is not recommended for women, as they are more prone to experience issues related to low blood sugar.

The best intermittent fasting method is whatever works best for you.

As is the case for any diet, intermittent fasting works best when combined with a healthy diet and an exercise regimen that combines cardio and strength training.

How Much Weight Can You Lose In A Month? Final Thoughts

Figuring out the most effective way to lose weight for your body is a process of trial and error.

For many, weight loss comes in stages — there’s the initial drop, the plateau, and the maintenance phase.

A combination of weight loss methods usually gives the best results.

Intermittent fasting is also a useful, manageable, and effective method for losing belly fat.

It has been associated with increased muscle tone, enhanced concentration, and fat loss.

Regardless of your chosen methods, you want to lose weight slowly and steadily to prevent disrupting your metabolism and hormonal balance.

Lastly, it is important to remember that weight loss is a journey. In the process, you will incorporate healthy habits into your routine, which can add value to your life.