It takes time, patience, and dedication to lose weight in a healthy way. But it’s reasonable to wonder how much time we’re talking about. Maybe you want to know how long it takes to lose 10 pounds and if it’s possible to lose that much in, say, a month.
It’s not possible for most people to lose 10 pounds safely in one month, says Michael Glickman, MD, head of Revolution Medicine, Health and Fitness and a board-certified family medicine and obesity medicine doctor. He says, “Losing weight too quickly could raise the risk of gallstones and even cause weight gain afterward, especially if it was done by severely restricting calories.”
Let’s ask the question again: How much weight can you lose in a month without getting sick? What is the real time it takes to lose 10 pounds? Here are some opinions from experts.
How To Lose Weight Safely
First things first: Dr. Glickman says that a safe way to lose weight is to take a multifaceted approach that includes good diet, regular exercise, lowering stress, and getting enough sleep. He says it’s not necessarily about eating less, but about making sure you eat a variety of veggies and staying away from processed foods, refined oils, and refined carbs.
Another thing you can do is make healthy changes to your routine that you enjoy, says Michael Hamlin, CSCS, founder of Everflex Fitness and a certified strength and conditioning expert. That could mean going to a workout class twice a week with friends, making a plant-based dinner with your partner, or going for a walk by yourself while listening to your favourite podcast.
Dr. Glickman says that one to two pounds per week is the safest amount of weight to lose at a time. There are people who lose weight more quickly in the first month after starting a healthy, low-calorie diet. However, a lot of that weight loss will be water weight.
How long does it take to lose weight?
Dr. Glickman says that there is no one way to lose weight that works for everyone.
“One to two pounds per week is about the average amount of weight that can be lost,” he says. “You might lose more weight some months and less weight other months, so a healthy goal is to lose four to eight pounds each month.”
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1. Protect your sleep schedule
Dr. Glickman says that not getting enough sleep makes your hunger hormone, ghrelin, rise. This can make you snack late at night, which will eventually make you eat more calories throughout the day. Try your best to sleep between seven and nine hours every night.
2. Commit to daily walks
Even though it sounds easy, Dr. Glickman says that walking for 30 minutes every day could make a huge difference. “It’s not about burning calories; it’s about how mobile you are, the happy hormones your brain releases, and the anti-inflammatory responses in your body that affect your weight in the long term.”
3. Eat plants
Different kinds of plants are best for the gut bacteria because they affect your metabolic set point (your body’s ideal weight), insulin levels, and fat storage, according to Dr. Glickman. What did he suggest? To make sure you’re feeding your gut bacteria and getting enough vegetables, try a plant-based day or meal once a week.
4. Consider a calorie deficit
You should talk to a doctor or registered dietitian to find out how many calories you need each day because it varies on your age, gender, level of activity, muscle mass, current weight, and the number of calories you burn while you’re at rest (also known as your basal metabolic rate). He says that’s how they can figure out a small calorie deficit, or how many calories you need each day to lose one to two pounds per week.
5. Reduce stress as best you can
“Stress can make you feel more hungry and raise your metabolic set point,” says Dr. Glickman. He also says that having more of the stress hormone cortisol in your body can make fat stick around your stomach. To help deal with stress and anxiety, try relaxation methods like yoga, meditation, and writing in a journal, even though this is easier said than done.
6. Drink plenty of water
“We can mistake thirst for hunger sometimes,” says Dr. Glickman. “Make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day, but especially before, during, and after exercise.” The Mayo Clinic says that women should drink about 11.5 cups (2.7 litres) of water every day.
7. Strength train
Studies have shown that strength training has a big effect on your metabolism and ability to burn fat. To get the most out of it, Dr. Glickman recommends doing it at least three times a week. Please keep in mind that strength training makes muscles bigger, so even though you are losing fat, you may not notice a big difference in your weight at times.
8. Work in HIIT exercise
HIIT workouts can change the way your body looks and build muscle at the same time, says Hamlin. A 2017 study in the Journal of Diabetes Research found that women who did HIIT plans got the same results in body composition and aerobic ability in half the time as women who did moderate-intensity workouts.
9. Increase fiber
Dr. Glickman says that fibre is a great way to feed good bacteria in the gut and keep blood sugar levels in check. It also helps prevent insulin resistance and diabetes. Hamlin says that foods high in fibre, like veggies, also make you feel full without giving you too many calories. Even though fibre can be found in powder or supplement form, Dr. Glickman says that the best and healthy way to get it is from plants.
10. Avoid processed foods
Dr. Glickman says that eating processed and packed foods can make you gain weight. “This includes any packaged food with ingredients you can’t name, even if the number of calories and carbs looks good,” he says. “Always pick fresh foods over stored ones.”