How much weight can I shed in three months?

The primary objective of losing pounds is to achieve a healthy weight or maybe a trimmed shape so to say. As it is observable among many individuals on a weight-loss plan; the aim and approach are usually different. Some persons may decide to go on an aggressive weight-loss program while others may choose to go it the safe way. All this will be broadly discussed as we attempt to answer the question on the number of pounds that you can afford to lose in 3 months.

Before we delve into the discussion proper; it’s important to state that weight-loss plans should always be drawn with considerations to one’s body mass index (BMI) – rather than body weight. This is because BMI gives a more tenable picture of one’s weight status than mere body weight value as seen on a (weight) scale. It tells you if you’re obese (BMI of ≥ 30.), overweight (25.0 – 29.9), normal weight (18.5 – 24.9), or underweight (< 18.5). So, you should confirm your BMI before you conclude on the number of pounds you need to lose to achieve a healthy body weight.

A safe weight-loss plan for 3 months

Let’s now see how many pounds you can safely lose within 3 months. Considering that the safe weight loss range recommended by The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention is 1 – 2 pounds per week, you would have lost around 12 – 24 pounds at the end of 3 months. This would mean losing around 3,500 – 7,000 calories every week.

You might have heard or read how someone lost more than this stated amount of pounds within the same timeframe, but there’s a high tendency that they had gone through an aggressive weight-loss routine. And, the thing about an aggressive weight-loss routine is that the outcome doesn’t last for long. So, it pays to go about your weight loss steadily and more realistically – this leads us to the steps you should take towards losing 12 – 24 pounds in 3 months.

Be realistic – you can’t lose it all at once

There’s an unmistakable degree of practicality about weight loss, and you must understand this from the get-go. The reason a lot of people seem to have an unaccomplished weight loss goal could be traceable to the lack of understanding of the process. Hence, you should be intentional about setting a realistic weight-loss goal from the beginning. If you’re going to be losing 1 or 2 pounds per week then you should go about it with consistency without pressuring yourself to go above the bar.

You should also factor in your overall health and work schedule when making your weight-loss plan. This is because a more realistic weight-loss routine ought to entail both dietary intervention and physical exercises.

Be mindful of what you eat

More than anything else; the foods we eat contribute greatly to weight gain. So, the very first aspect to tackle is food consumption, especially as it relates to caloric intake. On average, a lot of people consume more calories than necessary – even when attempting to lose weight. Therefore, the very first port of call is to take out all those calorie-adding junk foods, as well as foods and drinks with added sugars. Also, you may need to look through your pantry to reduce the volume of calorie-laden grocery items therein, substituting them for healthier food choices.

To balance things up; you should understand that your body needs a specific number of calories to run daily basic metabolism. The number of calories is, however, usually determined by variables such as age, level of activity, and sex. The table below – with data from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics – should inform you about the number of calories you will be needing per day.

MEN

WOMEN

Now that you’ve found out the number of calories you need per day, you should watch the ingredients that go into the meal you consume. You should be more about eating fruits, vegetables, and foods that are rich in protein and fiber, and cut down your intake of fatty foods. The thing is that a gram of fat contains 9 calories while a gram of protein has 4 calories – the same as carbohydrates.

That said, you will need to reduce your daily caloric intake by 500 (calories) as you’re attempting to shed some pounds. If you maintain this for the whole week, you would end up sloughing 3,500 pounds which is equivalent to 1 pound.

Again, that you desire to cut down the number of calories you consume doesn’t mean you should embrace fad or crash diets whereby you eventually reduce calories than necessary. Even if you’re to reduce your meal portion size, it should be done with moderation – in such a way that you won’t deprive yourself of some essential nutrients.

Stay Active

As you would have observed from the table above, the more active an individual is, the more likely he/she is able to burn calories. To this end, you should work towards complementing your weight-loss routine with regular physical exercises. More so, while you may lose around 500 calories from dietary intervention – or even fasting – you can get to lose more calories, leading to the maximum safe weight-loss range (of 2 pounds) in a week.

In essence, your exercise routine can see you shedding off around 500 calories on each of 4 days, and 750 calories on each of the remaining 2 days – while you leave a day off. That also makes it 3,500 calories from doing different exercises. So, on the whole – considering the 3,500-calorie reduction from diets – you will be losing 7,000 calories (that is, 2 pounds) weekly.

Regarding the type of exercises; you should endeavor to have a mix of cardio and strength training for a specific period per day. This doesn’t have to be in a long stretch; you can just break it down into sessions. Mind you, the number of calories you will eventually burn from exercises will be determined by the following factors:

- The type and intensity of exercise selected;

- The number of minutes spent

- Your BMI.

You can use this calculator to know the number of calories you will burn doing different types of exercises right away.

References

Demori I, and Grasselli E. (2016). Stress-related weight gain: Mechanisms involving feeding behaviour, metabolism, gut microbiota and inflammation. J Nutr Food Sci 6: 1.

Rolls BJ, Ello-Martin JA, and Tohill BC. (2004). What can intervention studies tell us about the relationship between fruit and vegetable consumption and weight management? Nutr Rev. 62(1): 1 – 17.

Magkos F, Fraterrigo G, Yoshino J, et al. (2016). Effects of moderate and subsequent progressive weight loss on metabolic function and adipose tissue biology in humans with obesity. Cell Metabol. 23(4): 591 – 601.

Tedstone et al. (2018). Caloric reduction: The scope and ambition for action. Public Health England.