Written by Garett Reid | NSCA, CSCS, CISSN, M.S.E.S.S
Fact checked by Tyler DiGiovanni, BSBM
FACT CHECKED
If you went all in and remained focused, how much weight can you lose in a month? You'll probably hear answers ranging from 4 pounds to 30 pounds! We'll tell you that the healthy number lies somewhere in the middle of this range – exactly where depends on you!
This article will explore how much weight you can expect to lose in a month and what it would look like!
Prepare to lose some pounds with our exclusive 12-week fat loss training program. Choose between a 4 or 5 day training split and torch that stubborn fat, all while retaining, or even gaining muscle...
How Do You Lose Weight?
To lose weight, you need to understand the basics of how it even occurs. Losing weight fundamentally comes down to calories, the unit of measurement for energy.
Physiologically, there are two numbers that will dictate your weight.
- The amount of calories consumed in your diet
- The amount of calories expended for basic functions and physical activity
Yes, there are other variables that can make it easier or harder for people to lose weight. However, in general, this is the framework for how our weight fluctuates.
Therefore, losing weight will come down to the balance of these two numbers as you must create a caloric deficit; this means you burn more calories than you consume. For example;
- 2,000 calories (consumed) - 2,500 calories (expended) = -500 (caloric deficit)
- 3,000 calories (consumed) - 2,000 calories ( expended) = -1000 (caloric deficit)
- 1,500 calories (consumed) - 1,700 calories (expended) = -200 (caloric deficit)
Notice the amount you eat or the amount you burn doesn't independently affect the deficit. Rather, it's the combination of both.
Just because someone may eat very low calories, if they are sedentary, they'll lose less weight than a highly active person who eats twice as much as they do.
Calories Consumed
Your calorie consumption is the most important variable when losing as much fat as possible in a month. If you don't control your calories, you can easily make it virtually impossible to burn enough calories to create a caloric deficit.
Therefore, you must track your diet and calories consumed. We strongly recommend that you do so if you have never counted calories, at least for the month.
Tracking calories will help give you a better idea of portion control, ultimately making controlling your weight easier in the long run.
Calories Expended (TDEE)
Your body uses calories to perform basic functions like breathing, digesting food, and physical activity. This is known as your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), which has four components.
- Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): BMR is the number of calories your body needs to perform basic life-sustaining functions, like breathing, circulating blood, and maintaining body temperature.
- Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT): This refers to the calories burned through any form of movement, from daily tasks like walking to structured exercises like running or weightlifting.
- Thermic Effect of Food (TEF): TEF is the energy your body uses to digest, absorb, and metabolize food.
- Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT): NEAT includes all the calories burned through activities other than formal exercise, standing, walking to the car, or doing household chores.
Of all these, you have the most control over your EAT and NEAT. The majority of the population live sedentary lives with minimal physical activity. This is a major driver of gaining excess weight.
You can find some examples of these calculators here.
Creating An Appropriate Caloric Deficit
To lose weight, you just need to burn more calories than you consume.
As mentioned, this means balancing the above two values to create a deficit. Now, in a completely theoretical world, you could probably lose up to 1lb a day, meaning you burn 30lbs in a month.
However, we would not recommend this. Losing too much weight too fast can result in a variety of issues, such as:
- Loss of muscle mass
- Constant fatigue
- Low energy
- Drop in performance
- Possible disruption in hormone levels
Under normal circumstances, a recommended caloric deficit can be anywhere from 300-1000 calories daily.
Surprisingly, you can actually gain muscle in a caloric deficit.
How Much Weight Can You Lose in a Month Safely?
So now that we know the general process of losing weight, we can begin to answer the question; how much can you lose in a month?
Before we move forward, it's important to note that 1lb of fat equals around 3,500 calories.
Now, theoretically, you could probably lose up to 1lb daily for 30 pounds. In fact, you've probably heard similar claims. To do this, you would need to be in a 3,500 caloric deficit daily!
There are likely some persons for whom this would be doable and appropriate, but it would be for morbidly obese people. Regardless, losing 30lbs in 30 days is extreme, and we would definitely not recommend it.
Therefore, the real question is, how much weight can you lose in a month safely?
As mentioned above, the recommended caloric deficit you should be in daily is 300-1000 calories. Assuming you have a decent amount of weight, you can safely create a 500-1000 caloric deficit daily.
This means you could burn 15,000-30,000 calories in 30 days. As 1 pound has 3,500 calories, this means you could safely burn around 4 to 9lbs in a month.
That said, you could probably bump this up slightly if you wanted. While maintaining a large caloric deficit for an extended period can cause issues, doing it for a month could be possible if you don't go so extreme.
Therefore, we would say that losing 10lbs in a month would be the maximum a person could lose in a safe manner for the short-term.
What Effects How Much Weight A Person Can Lose In A Month?
It's important to remember that the amount of weight you lose in a month can vary from person to person.
For example, a 300-lb man with 40% body fat could lose a significant amount of weight. They could easily burn 15lbs a month and even more.
On the other hand, it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for a 140-lb woman with 16% body fat to lose 15lbs in a month. For them, 5lbs would be a much more realistic goal.
In total, here are some of the different variables that affect your ability to lose weight;
- Total body weight
- Body fat percentage
- Activity levels
- Hormonal issues
- Metabolic disorders
Those are just a few. The important thing to remember is that everyone is different, so you will need to adapt accordingly.
Weight Loss Is Not Linear
Keep in mind that weight loss is not linear. In reality, weight loss will more closely resemble stocks declining rather than an even, consistent drop.
Therefore, it's important to monitor long-term trends. In fact, we generally recommend clients examine their weight only weekly, at most.
Just keep this in mind as you're losing weight for 30 days!
Beyond The Scale
Remember that we have been using the term "weight," not "fat. This is because there are other factors to consider than just the number on the scale. Remember that the scale simply measures your total body weight. This includes;
- Fat
- Muscle
- Bones
- Water retention
- Glycogen storage
- Waste
It sounds funny, but it's common for fighters to drop 1-2 pounds simply by going to the bathroom!
One of the biggest issues that new trainees experience is seeing minimal progress when only looking at their weight. As they're new to training, they will likely put on some muscle mass if they include weight training.
10 Pounds Of Fat, Or Weight?
There's another important piece of the puzzle. People will often use the terms "fat" and "weight" interchangeably.
Just because you lose 10lbs, it doesn't necessarily mean it's all fat. Ideally, it is, but it can vary greatly, and you may lose 7lbs of fat and 3lbs of muscle. Some of the things that can affect this ratio include;
- Rate of weight loss
- Sleep
- Protein intake
- Inclusion of weightlifting
The Best Way To Lose 10 Pounds In 1 Month
As we just said, the time it takes to lose weight in a month can vary greatly. Ideally, you would lose 10 pounds of fat, so we will lay out the most important guidelines for you to follow.
1. Weight Train 3-4 Times A Week
As mentioned above, strength training plays a crucial role in fat loss. It holds several awesome benefits, including;
- Mitigates muscle loss
- Improves metabolism
- Helps maintain hormones
- Still burns calories!
To be clear, burning calories is not your primary goal when lifting weights. Rather, it's to preserve muscle mass. However, those extra calories can make a difference, so look at them as a little bonus.
To maximize your results, be sure to train with the proper intensity and use a progressive training program. For most people, 3-4 weekly gym sessions are a good starting place.
However, everyone should be training at least twice a week and some trainees could move gym sessions up to 5x a week.
2. Increase Protein Intake (2.0g/kg+)
High-protein diets have long been very effective in optimizing weight loss programs.¹ By increasing your protein intake, you will;
- Feel fuller and more satisfied. This curbs cravings and overeating
- Help mitigate muscle loss
- Increase TEF (thermogenic effect of food). This is the amount of calories your body requires to breakdown food, process it, and utilize its nutrients
Aim for at least 2.0g per kilogram of body weight. However, research shows that more (up to 2.5g/kg) would likely bring better results.
3. Increase Daily Steps
We love steps at SET FOR SET. Increasing daily activity is a powerful tool that's often overlooked because it's not "intense." In reality, one of its benefits is that it's not "intense."²
Depending on your size and other variables, walking 10,000 steps will likely burn 400-600 calories.
Because it's low-intense and low-impact, it places minimal stress on the body. Because of that, you can complete them daily!
4. Get Adequate Amounts Of Sleep
Most know sleep is essential for recovery. However, it also plays a huge role in body composition while in a caloric deficit.
A study from 2018 put two groups into a 30% caloric deficit and then placed them on different sleep schedules.³
- One group got 7.5 hours of sleep nightly
- One group got 6.5 hours of sleep during the week
This minimal difference had large effects on the weight lost over 8 weeks. The group with adequate sleep had 83% of their weight loss come from fat, while 17% came from muscle.
On the other hand, in the group that slept one hour less, 58% of the weight loss came from fat, while 42% came from muscle!
This difference is caused by a few mechanisms, including;
- Hormonal balance
- Increased appetite
- Loss of energy
Therefore, to optimize your weight loss in a month, get your sleep every night! Aim for 7-9 hours nightly.
How To Keep The Weight Off
After you've lost weight in a month, your battle isn't over. In fact, it's just beginning.
Losing weight in one month is a good short-term goal to have. However, keep in mind it's just that, a short-term goal. Maintaining a healthy weight is one part of a complete, healthy lifestyle which is a life-time pursuit.
Unfortunately, while many people can initially be successful in losing weight short-term, a large majority regain the weight. This is one of the reasons we promote losing weight slowly, as this is easier to adhere to. In fact, adherence is the most important part of a diet.
Therefore, as you're losing weight, keep this fact in mind. Ingrain these new habits into your head and make them become a part of your normal routine.
The good thing is that maintaining weight loss is easier than losing it as long as you follow basic guidelines.
Final Thoughts
When you ask how much weight you can lose in a month, the answer typically lies within the range of 4 to 8 pounds for most people. However, an achievable, yet more ambitious goal, would be losing 10 pounds in a month. This is done by creating a moderate calorie deficit, eating whole foods, exercising regularly, and prioritizing sleep and hydration. And as always, have short-term goals but have them as part of a more long-term, or even life-long, goal.
Prepare to lose some pounds with our exclusive 12-week fat loss training program. Choose between a 4 or 5 day training split and torch that stubborn fat, all while retaining, or even gaining muscle...
References
- Pesta, Dominik H, and Varman T Samuel. “A High-Protein Diet for Reducing Body Fat: Mechanisms and Possible Caveats.” Nutrition & Metabolism, vol. 11, no. 1, 19 Nov. 2014, p. 53, https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-7075-11-53.
- Creasy, Seth A., et al. “Pattern of Daily Steps Is Associated with Weight Loss: Secondary Analysis from the Step-up Randomized Trial.” Obesity, vol. 26, no. 6, 6 Apr. 2018, pp. 977–984, https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.22171.
- Leproult, Rachel. “Effect of 1 Week of Sleep Restriction on Testosterone Levels in Young Healthy Men.” JAMA, vol. 305, no. 21, 1 June 2011, p. 2173, https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2011.710.
Garett Reid
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