There are a lot of people out there looking to lose weight right now.
Unfortunately, many people want to lose weight so badly that they attempt very restrictive plans, take drastic measures, and try just about any diet or supplement to lose weight fast!
The problem with that is ... effective and long-term weight loss isn’t about starvation, removing your favorite foods, or extreme workouts. Instead, it's about patience and taking consistent steps toward your goals.
In this article, I'm going to answer the question "how much weight can you lose in a month?", the difference between fast weight loss and sustainable weight loss, and some advice for losing weight the right way.
Because what's the point of putting in the work to lose weight, just to turn around and gain it all back time and time again ... with even more weight!
The good news is ... we can help you make a plan.
You just have to make sure to stick to that plan in order to see real results.
How Much Weight Can You Lose In A Month?
You might be wondering, how much weight can you lose in a month? The answer is ... it depends.
It depends on your genetics, your eating habits, how much weight you want to lose compared to your current body weight, your activity level, and more...
Each of these variables are going to play a role in weight loss, and not all of them are going to be equally important to everyone.
For most people, there’s a more important question to ask.
Rather than asking, "How much weight can you lose in a month?" ... you should ask yourself "What is healthy weight loss?" and "How much weight should you lose in a month?"
Chances are, unless you’re a high-performing athlete who needs to make weight, you’re looking to permanently lose it. If that’s the case, you should be more concerned with sustainability than speed.
Speed Vs Sustainability
When it comes to how much weight you can lose in a month, and weight loss in general, you can lose weight in one of two ways. You can lose weight quickly or you can lose weight sustainably.
Although it is possible to lose weight quickly and keep it off, most people find it hard to rapidly lose weight and maintain it. That’s because the changes you need to drop a lot of weight quickly are hard to maintain in the long-run.
If you need to quickly lose a few pounds to make weight for a competition, or fit into a wedding dress on your big day, you can certainly get creative with your weight loss and make that happen.
But if you’re looking to permanently lose weight ... stop worrying about how many pounds you can lose in a month. Start focusing on developing healthy, consistent habits and try to lose that weight over a longer period of time. This will increase your chances of keeping the weight off.
Just keep in mind: faster doesn’t necessarily mean better, or healthier, by any means.
How Much Weight Is Too Much Weight?
How much weight can you lose in a month before it's too much? Again, this answer is going to change from person to person. Some people can more easily lose weight than others. On average, however, many people find that they can lose between 6 and 10 pounds a month if they adhere to their nutrition, workouts, supplements, and healthy habits.
If you decide to severely limit calories while doing hours of cardio, you could be able to lose a lot more weight in a month. You could probably lose 20 pounds (if that's your goal) in a month's time, but it’s potentially bad news if you do.
You see, you will burn away valuable metabolically active muscle, and also fat. This means you are basically shrinking yourself and will look the same as or worse than you do now, just smaller.
Here’s the kicker...
When you come off that diet, there's a greater chance you will gain that weight back ... maybe even adding on extra unwanted weight.
You know why?
Because, at this point, you've lost a lot of valuable calorie-burning muscle tissue. That's right ... muscle tissue is highly metabolically active, meaning that by just having more muscle tissue ... you'll burn more calories throughout the day.
So, when you decide to try to lose weight quickly, you're actually making it harder on your results long-term.
This means not only will you be more likely to gain the weight back, but you will also have a much harder time losing it next time. Hence, the term yo-yo dieting.
This can be disheartening, frustrating, and really messes with you mentally.
The point is, if we want to maintain or increase our body's ability to burn calories ... we need to maintain or add lean muscle.
Tips For Losing Weight
Now, there are many ways to lose weight. There are plenty of nutrition plans, diets, and so forth that can work.
Here are a few tips from The National Weight Control Registry. This is a self-reported database of people who have lost at least 30 pounds and have kept it off for a year or more.
Eat breakfast every day – A majority of their participants eat breakfast every day. Eating breakfast can be very beneficial, because it can keep your body satiated (appetite satisfied) during the morning.
Now, I am not saying to eat whatever you want. Instead, I would recommend consuming a protein-based meal if you want the best results. Doing so can help with eating less throughout the rest of the day as well.
That means you can be less likely to overeat in calories with an unhealthy lunch or snack in the middle of the day to keep you going.
Weigh yourself once a week – A majority of survey participants weighed themselves once a week.
Weighing yourself weekly is often enough to help you monitor your weight, but infrequent enough so you don’t feel discouraged every day.
Because weight loss is rarely a straight line.
There are days that you lose weight and days that you don’t. Weighing yourself once a week gives you an overall idea of the direction you're heading, rather than a daily play-by-play.
If you weigh yourself weekly, you'll be able to identify and make adjustments to your weight loss plan when necessary.
Stop watching so much TV – A majority of participants reported that they watch less than 10 hours of TV a week.
It’s not that TV makes you gain weight, but living a sedentary lifestyle can. If you’re looking to lose weight, try standing up and moving more.
Even if you’re not exercising, you can still enjoy other hobbies that don’t include sitting for long periods of time.
Exercise daily – 90% of participants said that they exercise every day. But remember, exercise looks different to everyone.
For some people, exercise includes working out and running, but for other people, it means nature walks or yoga. The point is, people are getting up and moving with intention every day.
Another key component to weight loss is simply keeping track of what you are eating throughout the day.
The first step to understanding weight gain or a lack of weight loss is to understand what you’re already consuming daily. Now, we aren’t saying to stress about the numbers ... just keep track of the numbers so you know what you're putting in your body.
A suggestion would be to get a fitness lifestyle app, like the 1st Phorm App. This way, you can easily track your food (main priority), but can also track your water intake, workouts, and progress!
Do What Works For You
No matter what you decide to do to lose weight, it’s important that it works for you. If watching TV while walking on the treadmill is helpful, do that.
If you prefer going to a group class rather than lifting weight alone, do that.
Because remember, losing weight is hard enough ... so, if you hate every aspect of it, you'll fail. Make sure you find things you can stick to and enjoy.
The most sustainable way to lose weight is a method you enjoy. If you love your cycling class, you are much less likely to stop, and therefore more likely to keep the weight off.
...but don't fool yourself, you won't "enjoy" every workout. You won't always be "motivated." That's normal ... and that is when your discipline must kick in.
Long-term weight loss is about long-term life changes.
Experiment with different workouts ... routines ... and lifestyle adjustments until you’ve found something that you enjoy.
To help you lose weight, find something you can see yourself doing indefinitely … or at least for an extended period of time!
1st Phorm Can Help You Reach Your Goal Body Weight
So, how much weight can you lose in a month? That depends.
But, if your goal is to lose weight, 1st Phorm has a variety of nutritional supplements and resources that can help you achieve that goal.
We can help you with the nutrition and workout plan you'll need to reach your goals!
You can download the 1st Phorm App to keep track of your nutrition, workouts, progress, and even have one-on-one help ... all in the palm of your hand!
Plus, you'll have one-on-one help from a Transformation Advisor right inside the App! That means if you have questions, your advisor is right there to help you!
You also get access to daily live educational videos hosted by the 1st Phorm Team.
You can also give us a call at 1-800-409-9732 Monday - Friday, 6 am - 10 pm CST, and talk with one of our NASM Certified Personal Trainers and NASM Certified Nutrition Coaches ... for Free!
Or just send us an email to CustomerService@1stPhorm.com!
As you can see, there are multiple ways to reach out if you need help, questions answered, or support as you tackle your weight loss goals!
If and when you need help, we've got your back!
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