Written by Garett Reid | NSCA, CSCS, CISSN, M.S.E.S.S
Fact checked by Tyler DiGiovanni, BSBM
FACT CHECKED
Losing weight can be a daunting challenge, especially when you have a big goal in mind. However, it's easy (relatively easy) if you're told what to do. If you're curious about how to lose 20 pounds in 3 months, you're in the right place. This comprehensive guide will break down the whole process to help you achieve your weight loss goals.
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 Long Does It Take to Lose 20 Pounds?
Dropping 20 pounds in 3 months is a significant but entirely achievable goal. With the right strategies and commitment, you can definitely reach this number.
However, the time it takes to shed those 20 pounds can vary from person to person, depending on factors such as;
- Metabolism
- Starting weight
- Diet
- Exercise routine
- Consistency
In general, a safe and sustainable rate of weight loss is about 1 to 2 pounds per week. Aiming for a loss of around 1-2 pounds per week ensures that the weight you lose is more likely to stay off in the long term when compared to quick fixes.
With this number in mind, it would take you 10-20 weeks on average. This makes losing 20 pounds in 3 months (12 weeks) a reasonable goal, yet on the faster side, if you're consistent.
Is It Possible to Lose 20 Pounds in 1 Month?
While technically, it is possible to lose 20 pounds in a month, it's not recommended as it typically involves extreme dieting or excessive exercise, which can harm your health.
Rapid weight loss can result in a variety of issues, including;
- Muscle loss
- Nutrient deficiencies
- Constant fatigue
- Possible hormone disruption
Instead, a safer, more sustainable approach is to aim for how to lose 20 pounds in 3 months, giving you more time to adopt healthy habits that are easier to maintain.
How to Lose 20 Pounds in 3 Months: Step-By-Guide
Successful weight loss depends on multiple components working in succession together. We're now going to go through these and explain what losing 20 pounds in 3 months would look like.
1. Set A Time Frame To Follow
The first thing you should do is set up a general timeline you can follow to determine whether you're on track. You can set weekly and monthly goals.
3 months is approximately 12 weeks. Therefore, to hit 20 pounds lost by the end of the 3rd month, you should burn around 1.6 pounds weekly. Therefore, your first month should look like this;
- Week 1- 1.6 pounds
- Week 2- 3.2 pounds
- Week 3- 4.8 pounds
- Week 4- 6.4 pounds
After the first 4 weeks, you should have lost around 6.4 pounds. Look at your weight and assess your plan. Are you not losing enough? Too much? Or just right?
Take this information to make any adjustments needed and then repeat for the next 4 weeks.
Assess your weight loss and again make any necessary adjustments. Then, repeat the process one more time for the next four weeks.
It's important to note that 3 months actually span around 13 weeks. This extra week provides some flexibility, especially during the initial phase, allowing you to adjust your plan as needed without feeling rushed.
2. Create a Calorie Deficit
To lose weight, you need to utilize/burn more calories than you consume by creating a deficit. As mentioned above, 1 pound of fat requires you to burn approximately 3,500 calories.
Therefore, 1.6 pounds of fat equals 5,600 calories. You then divide this by 7 (7 days), meaning you need to aim for an approximate 800-calorie deficit daily.
You can use a TDEE calculator to see how many calories you burn daily and then subtract 800 to see how much you should eat.
3. Focus On A Whole Food Diet
Following a whole-food diet is your most important tool to control your calories and create a caloric deficit.
Nutrition is key when trying to lose weight. If your diet is out of whack and you're consuming thousands of excess calories, you'll never be able to burn them off.
This is why following a diet primarily consisting of whole foods is essential. This includes;
- Protein: Incorporate lean protein sources such as steak, chicken, fish, and eggs. Protein helps build muscle and keeps you feeling fuller for longer.
- Healthy Fats: Include moderate amounts of healthy fats, such as nuts, avocados, olive oil, and seeds. These fats are essential for hormone regulation and overall health.
- Fiber: Foods high in fiber (like fruits, veggies, and whole grains) aid digestion, help regulate blood sugar levels, and keep you full without overeating.
Of all these foods, eating high protein will likely have the largest effect on the success of you reaching your goal. High-protein diets have been shown to be one of the, if not the most effective diet for weight loss and weight maintenance.¹
For this reason, we advise you to eat around 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.
4. Cut Out Ultra-Processed And Junk Foods
At the same time, you need to control your consumption of processed and sugary foods. For most people, simply cutting out the following foods will have a massive impact on their diet and overall calorie consumption;
- Ultra-processed foods
- Added sugar
- Fried foods
- Fast food
- Junk food
Cutting out these foods is the single most effective lifestyle change people can make when trying to improve their body composition.
5. Stay Hydrated
Understanding the role that water has in weight loss can be a big hack--It's a simple, cost-effective tool that can aid in fat loss and overall health.²
By staying hydrated, you can stop mistaking thirst for hunger, which can lead to grazing and overeating. Additionally, drinking water can help bolster your metabolism, making it easier to burn calories and lose weight.
Staying hydrated will help control appetite, improve digestion, and increase energy levels. Aim for at least 8 cups of water per day, but more may be needed depending on your size, sweat rate, and exercise level.
6. Exercise Regularly
Above we talked about how your nutrition is key to controlling your calories. Now, in addition to keeping your calories low, you can also use regular exercise to increase your calorie burn.
Multiple studies have found that while diets alone can be effective in weight loss, adding exercise to the diet is significantly better.³ Not only are people able to lose more weight, they can keep it off in the long-term.
An active lifestyle that includes exercise should ideally include components of both cardio and strength training.
Often, people debate whether cardio or strength training is better for fat loss. Just do both. Both bring unique benefits, so utilizing both is your best option.
Cardio
Cardiovascular exercises such as running, cycling, swimming, or walking can help burn calories quickly. Therefore, we strongly advise you to include some components of cardio.
Now, many people will argue between two types of cardio;
- HIIT
- Steady-State
In terms of weight loss, neither is significantly superior to the other. They both have unique benefits so include at least one session of each.
In total, aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity cardio per week. However, more could be better if you can handle it.
Strength Training
Have you ever seen a guy or girl who drops a ton of weight only to be surprised they don't have a 6-pack, chiseled arms, or a big booty? That's because these are built with muscle!
Everyone who wants to burn fat should lift weights using a progressive overload program.
Lifting weights while dropping weight will help maintain your muscle mass and possibly even put on more. This is ideal as it will build that shapely body you're looking for once you shed 20 pounds of fat.
Your primary goal when training during fat loss is the exact same as when trying to build muscle. This means training with intensity and increasing the load and volume weekly.
Aim to include strength training at least 2-3 times per week. However, depending on your overall goals, 4 or 5 times could bring better results.
7. Prioritize Sleep and Stress Management
Poor sleep and high stress levels can hinder weight loss by increasing hunger and cravings and affecting metabolism.
This is probably the easiest thing you can do to make your weight loss journey successful as all you need to do is sleep!
Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night and practice stress-reducing activities such as meditation, yoga, or deep breathing exercises.
Keeping The Weight Off After 3 Months
After you've lost 3 months, it's crucial to not stop! In a perfect world, once we lose weight, we could just relax and it would stay off. However, while life is awesome, weight loss doesn't work like that.
Now, losing 20 pounds is the hard part so there is some good news. However, you'll need to be able to adhere to your new lifestyle and diet long-term to keep your weight off. Again, this is why extreme diets usually don't work in the long-run as they don't allow you to learn long-term lifestyle changes.
One piece of good news is that you will have more wiggle room with your diet. If you fall off your diet for a couple of nights, it's not going to have any massive effects on your overall weight loss. Any excess calories can easily be corrected throughout the week.
Find A Sport Or Hobby
One piece of advice would be to find a sport or hobby that you enjoy. This can include;
- Hiking
- Cycling
- Tennis/Paddle Ball
- Racing
- Martial Arts
Literally, anything that you truly enjoy doing and burns calories!
Getting involved in athletics is an awesome tactic to ensure you stay active and keep the calories burning.
You can do this in addition to your regular program or have it replace some of your cardio, depending on what sport you do.
Final Thoughts
Losing 20 pounds in 3 months is definitely achievable for a lot of people. However, keep in mind that this initial weight loss is just the beginning of your weight loss journey and new, healthy lifestyles. Keeping this in mind can make the entire process easier as you should learn to actually enjoy the entire process.
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
- Moon, Jaecheol, and Gwanpyo Koh. “Clinical Evidence and Mechanisms of High-Protein Diet-Induced Weight Loss.” Journal of Obesity & Metabolic Syndrome, vol. 29, no. 3, 30 Sept. 2020, pp. 166–173, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7539343/, https://doi.org/10.7570/jomes20028.
- Salim, Somiya Gutbi, et al. “The Impact of Hydration on Weight Loss and Obesity: A Narrative Review.” Medical Science and Academic Journal - Multidisciplinary , vol. 1, no. 1, 2024, riyadahpublishers.com/index.php/MSAJM/article/view/18.
- Curioni, C C, and P M Lourenço. “Long-Term Weight Loss after Diet and Exercise: A Systematic Review.” International Journal of Obesity (2005), vol. 29, no. 10, 2005, pp. 1168–74, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15925949, https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0803015.
Garett Reid
Author