No, it is not safe. A month is not enough time to lose so much weight. 20 pounds in a month is a drastic weight loss that can lead to health issues. The healthy amount of weight loss in a month is between 4-8 pounds a month.
While losing 20 pounds in a month is possible, losing weight too quickly often comes with a metabolism that slows down, increased cravings, and risks that include muscle loss, gallstones, increased (or decreased) hormones, and nutritional deficiencies. It's much healthier to lose weight at a sustainable, slow rate.
It is possible to lose 20 lbs. of bodyfat in 30 days by optimizing any of three factors: exercise, diet, or drug/supplement regimen. I've seen the elite implementation of all three in working with professional athletes. In this post, we'll explore what I refer to as the “slow-carb diet”.
The simplest answer to how much weight can I lose in 4 weeks is around 20lbs. Yes, this is actually possible!
Losing weight safely typically involves losing 1-2 pounds per week ( 1 ). This would allow you to lose 20 pounds within about 5 months at 1 pound per week or 2 1/2 months at about 2 pounds per week.
“Women and men of average height need to gain or lose about three and a half and four kilograms, or about eight and nine pounds, respectively, for anyone to see it in their face,” said Nicholas Rule, associate professor in the Faculty of Arts & Science and Canada Research Chair in Social Perception and Cognition.
The CDC state that a person can safely and effectively lose about 1–2 lb a week. Based on those numbers, in a month, a person could safely lose 4–8 lb.
1-2 pounds in a week is the recommended weight loss rate by health experts all over the world. So in 4 weeks, you should aim to lose 4-8 pounds.
On average, a person can lose anywhere from 4 to 8 pounds in 30 days. This is in line with the CDC guidelines that suggest that a gradual and steady loss of 1 to 2 pounds a week is what is best and sustainable for long-term weight loss (11).
Drinking at least 64 ounces (eight cups) of water every day may help with weight loss. Downing liquid is not the only way to meet this goal. About 20 percent of your hydration needs can be met through your diet, says Caroline Susie, RDN, a national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Its simple. You need to burn more calories than you consume every day for losing weight and fat.
Eat Fewer Carbs
To help lose 20 pounds in two months, you should try to limit refined carbohydrates such as white rice and pasta and focus on fiber-rich, complex carbohydrates such as beans and whole grains. Dietary fiber can also reduce hunger, decrease caloric intake and help prevent weight gain.
Once again, it comes down to your TDEE and simple math. To lose 20 pounds in 1 month, you'd need to create an average deficit of 2,500 calories per day for 4 weeks.
But many health care providers agree that a medical evaluation is called for if you lose more than 5% of your weight in 6 to 12 months, especially if you're an older adult. For example, a 5% weight loss in someone who is 160 pounds (72 kilograms) is 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms).
According to many experts, losing 1–2 pounds (0.45–0.9 kg) per week is a healthy and safe rate (1, 2, 3 ). Losing more than that is considered too fast and could put you at risk of many health problems, including muscle loss, gallstones, nutritional deficiencies and a drop in metabolism ( 4 , 6 , 7 , 8 ).
Running is the winner for most calories burned per hour. Stationary bicycling, jogging, and swimming are excellent options as well. HIIT exercises are also great for burning calories. After a HIIT workout, your body will continue to burn calories for up to 24 hours.
Generally, most health experts recommend aiming for about 1–3 pounds (0.5–1.4 kg) of weight loss per week, or approximately 1% of your total body weight ( 33 , 34 ). Therefore, it may take anywhere from a few weeks to several months to lose 30 pounds safely.
Can You Really Lose 15 Pounds In A Month? Yes, it is possible for you to lose 15 pounds a month. However, this would only be done in the unhealthy way of eating on a very-low-calorie-diet. Such diets are not recommended to people unless your doctor advises otherwise.
You can lose 10 pounds in 1 month by changing your diet and lifestyle habits. However, weight loss is different for everyone. Reaching your weight loss goals can be a big challenge, regardless of how much weight you want to lose.
How long does it *really* take to lose 15 pounds? “The safest and most sustainable timeline to lose about 15 pounds would be about two to four months,” says Jonathan Valdez, RDN, towner of Genki Nutrition and spokesperson for New York State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Conversely, losing weight in your 30s and 40s is more difficult than when you're a young adult. (Men and women tend to put on little or no weight after age 40 and lose weight in their 70s, according to HHS.)
Losing weight too quickly can damage your metabolism
If you lose more than about 8 pounds in a month, not only will you likely not be able to keep it off, but it also means you probably engaged in unhealthy behaviors to get there.
So what is the magic number to lose weight and keep it off? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , it's 1 to 2 pounds per week. That means, on average, that aiming for 4 to 8 pounds of weight loss per month is a healthy goal.