How to Lose Weight in 3 Months (and How Much to Aim for) | Livestrong.com (2023)

FAQs

How much weight should I aim to lose in 3 months? ›

A safe, healthy, and realistic goal is to lose 0.5-to-1% of your body weight per week, which is around 1-to-2 pounds of weight loss per week for most people. In other words, you can expect to lose 12-to-24 pounds in a 3-month period.

For safe weight loss that lasts, aim for a pound or two per week. Since 90 days is about 13 weeks, you can safely lose up to 26 pounds in this time frame.

The National Institute of Health recommends setting realistic weight goals and that is to say that losing 50pounds in 3 months is neither a realistic nor an achievable weight goal. The National Institute of Health recommends trying to lose about 5% to 10% of your total body weight in a period of six months (6).

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.

You Can Lose Up to 24 Pounds

Although everyone's body is different, in general, people can expect to lose one to two pounds a week if they are doing so in a healthy manner, Jim said. So for three months, or about 12 weeks, a healthy goal is 12 to 24 pounds.

The best medical advice suggests that you lose no more than 2lb per week . So to do this you should create a calorie deficit of between 3500–7000, aka, 500–1000 calories per day. You can choose to do this through what you eat, how much exercise you do, or a mixture of both.

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.

What is a good 30 60 90 day plan? ›

An effective 30-60-90 day plan consists of three larger phases — one for days 1-30, one for days 31-60, and one for days 61-90. Each phase has its own goal. For example, the goal in the first 30 days is to learn as much as possible about your new job.

Ideally, a 90-day plan should: Serve as a single reference point for resources, outlets for support, and clarity on responsibilities and goals. Introduce and foster an environment that supports regular growth conversations with managers so the employee can envision their path for advancement.

According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, among other credible sources, one could lose about 1-2 pounds a week, which means that the recommended time frame to lose 50 lbs is between 25-50 weeks (7 months to 1 year) (15). Losing weight much faster than that is not safe or sustainable.

You burn about 100 calories per mile walked. 50 lbs of weight loss equates to 50 x 3,500 calories or -175,000 calories. In which case, to loose 50lbs in ~3 months (100 days) means a deficiet of 1750 calories a day. To achieve this -- just by walking -- equates to 17.5 miles a day (if my math is correct).

You will need to cut 3,500 calories from your diet to lose one pound of fat – so cutting back 1,000 calories a day will equal two pounds of weight loss per week. At a weight loss of two pounds per week, you will lose 50 pounds in 25 weeks, or a little less than six months.

Is It Possible to Lose 30 Pounds in 3 Months? Weight loss happens when you reduce your calorie intake below what you burn. To lose 30 pounds in three months, you'll have to create a calorie deficit of 8,750 calories per week — or about 1,250 calories per day.

To start your weight loss or fat loss journey, you need to create a calorie deficit by simply eating below your maintenance calories. For example, if your calorie deficit is 2000, then you need to eat around 1700 to 1800 calories per day and slowly you can reduce your calories to 1500.

Water can be really helpful for weight loss. It is 100% calorie-free, helps you burn more calories and may even suppress your appetite if consumed before meals. The benefits are even greater when you replace sugary beverages with water. It is a very easy way to cut back on sugar and calories.

How much water should I drink to lose weight? ›

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.

“A generally accepted rate of healthy weight loss is a half-pound to one-pound per week. So, budget five-to-six months to achieve a 20-pound weight loss,” she says. McAllistre explains that losing weight slowly helps you keep the weight off.

That burns an extra 3,500 calories per week. Since there are about 3,500 calories in one pound, it would take you one week to lose one pound and 20 weeks to lose 20 pounds.

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.

Some of the best cardio exercises include power walking, jog-walking, biking, swimming, or using the elliptical. I'd recommend that you start your journey to losing 100 pounds with walking. You can begin walking or jog-walking for 20 to 30 minutes a day. Work it up to 45 minutes then increase it again.

His weight, unsurprisingly, was a problem; according to a recruiter, at his height he could only weigh 191 pounds if he wanted to be a SEAL. In less than three months, in what he admits was a “crazy, crazy, crazy routine,” Goggins dropped the pounds.

Conclusion. To sum up, it could take 4-5 months on average for you to lose 40 pounds, provided that you follow a nutritious diet, regularly work out, keep your fluid intake high especially when you work out and have a balanced sleep cycle. You will surely nail it with patience and dedication.

Physical activity, such as walking, is important for weight control because it helps you burn calories. If you add 30 minutes of brisk walking to your daily routine, you could burn about 150 more calories a day. Of course, the more you walk and the quicker your pace, the more calories you'll burn.

People who are very overweight (men over 25% body fat and women over 35%) can often lose 2-to-4 pounds per week without issue. That means very overweight people can lose anything from 24-to-48 pounds in 3 months if they know what they're doing.

What is a realistic goal for weight loss? ›

But do you really know what's realistic? Over the long term, it's smart to aim for losing 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 1 kilogram) a week. Generally to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week, you need to burn 500 to 1,000 calories more than you consume each day, through a lower calorie diet and regular physical activity.

Although everyone's body is different, in general people can expect to lose one to two pounds a week if they are doing so in a sustainable manner. "Over the course of two months or eight weeks, a healthy weight-loss goal is eight to 16 pounds," White said.

Generally, if following a healthy weight loss diet plan and exercising, you can expect to lose 15 to 35 pounds in 4 months safely (1 - 2.5 pounds per week). Everything will depend on your specific body, diet, and lifestyle, but that's a general number.

The 90 Day Money Challenge is designed to take you on a step-by-step journey from your current financial situation to a much better place. This book is packed with practical ideas that you can begin using immediately. Getting started is not easy, but this proven process works every single time!

A 30-60-90 day plan is what it sounds like: a document that articulates your intentions for the first 30, 60, and 90 days of a new job. It lists your high-level priorities and actionable goals, as well as the metrics you'll use to measure success in those first three months.

Health and wellness daily goal examples:

Exercise more by going on a 30 minute walk, five days a week. Make time for your morning routine by setting an alarm 15 minutes earlier. Reduce stress by doing a 2-minute guided meditation before you check your phone.

You will need to cut 3,500 calories from your diet to lose one pound of fat – so cutting back 1,000 calories a day will equal two pounds of weight loss per week. At a weight loss of two pounds per week, you will lose 50 pounds in 25 weeks, or a little less than six months.

What is the best way to lose weight at 60? ›

Burn more calories than you eat or drink. Eat more veggies, fruits, whole grains, fish, beans, and low-fat or fat-free dairy; and keep meat and poultry lean. Limit empty calories, like sugars and foods with little or no nutritional value. Avoid fad diets because the results don't last.

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.

"This means to lose 1 pound, you'll need to walk roughly 35 miles or 70,000 steps. Over the course of a week, this means targeting 10,000 steps a day," says Davis. At this rate, you could lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks.

How many steps in a mile? An average person has a stride length of approximately 2.1 to 2.5 feet. That means that it takes over 2,000 steps to walk one mile and 10,000 steps would be almost 5 miles.

Walking is a great form of exercise, and doing so for 1 hour each day may aid in weight loss and provide other health benefits. Walking is an effective way to lose weight because it helps you burn more calories, especially when you monitor your calorie intake.

A safe, healthy, and realistic goal is to lose 0.5-to-1% of your body weight per week, which is around 1-to-2 pounds of weight loss per week for most people. In other words, you can expect to lose 12-to-24 pounds in a 3-month period.

As we determined earlier, losing 50 pounds in 5 months is an example of an unrealistic weight loss goal. A more realistic plan that fits the healthy weight loss basics targets reducing 5 to 10% of your body fat within six months (1).

At one to two pounds per week, losing 25 pounds will take you a little more than 12 weeks, or three months. To lose weight in a healthy manner, you should cut 500 to 1,000 calories a day by eating less and exercising more.

We recommend losing no more than 1 to 2 pounds per week for sustainable weight loss, which means you could potentially lose 10 pounds in five weeks. However, a more realistic timeline is 10 to 24 weeks, since most people don't have hours to devote to walking every day.

Set a realistic timeframe

At one to two pounds per week, losing 25 pounds will take you a little more than 12 weeks, or three months. To lose weight in a healthy manner, you should cut 500 to 1,000 calories a day by eating less and exercising more.

Is it reasonable to lose 10 pounds in 3 months? ›

You should not lose more than 2 pounds weekly, and a 10-pound weight loss should, under ideal circumstances, take place over 10 weeks. Losing weight too quickly can also cause you to lose lean muscle tissue, making it significantly more challenging to maintain your weight loss and stay at your goal weight.

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.

And if you exercise regularly, over time you will gain even more fitness benefits. “At 6 to 8 weeks, you can definitely notice some changes,” said Logie, “and in 3 to 4 months you can do a pretty good overhaul to your health and fitness.” Strength-specific results take about the same amount of time.

You will need to cut 3,500 calories from your diet to lose one pound of fat – so cutting back 1,000 calories a day will equal two pounds of weight loss per week. At a weight loss of two pounds per week, you will lose 50 pounds in 25 weeks, or a little less than six months.

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.

Physical activity, such as walking, is important for weight control because it helps you burn calories. If you add 30 minutes of brisk walking to your daily routine, you could burn about 150 more calories a day. Of course, the more you walk and the quicker your pace, the more calories you'll burn.

Get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week, or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity. The guidelines suggest that you spread out this exercise during the course of a week. Greater amounts of exercise will provide even greater health benefit.

On average, a 15 to 20-pound loss (approximately 2 to 5 percent of your starting body weight) is enough to notice "significant changes in your body," he said. You can start seeing differences in yourself as early as two weeks with rapid weight loss.