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Losing weight isn’t achieved with quick fixes and while they may seem tempting and proclaimed as “easy” for some, they often lead to frustration and unsustainable results. Losing 100 pounds is a huge goal that requires a slow, steady, dedicated, and sustainable approach.
Remember that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to health and weight loss. Your journey will be unique and shaped by your individual needs, strengths, challenges, and environment.
Let’s say this clearly and loud, there’s no “fastest” way to lose 100 pounds that’s healthy and sustainable. This is true for any weight loss goal you set your mind to.
This isn’t meant to discourage you. On the contrary, it’s meant to prepare your mindset for gradual, steady progress, which is the key to success.
How fast you can lose weight is influenced by several factors, such as current weight, genetics, eating habits and physical activity level, stress levels, and sleep quality.
According to the CDC (1), an achievable and realistic goal is losing 1 to 2 pounds per week. A gradual approach is better to stick to than quick weight loss methods.
There’s no easy way to say it: yes, it’s hard.
Losing 100 pounds is a significant challenge that requires consistent effort, commitment, and focus to address lifestyle changes that will help you move closer to your goal.
While there may be quick-fix solutions, they often lead to unsustainable results and can be harmful to your body. When it comes to weight loss, no matter the number you hope to lose, quick approaches are an aggressive and unrealistic undertaking for most people.
Losing 100 pounds requires a slow, steady, dedicated, and sustainable approach. Being active to help with muscle maintenance and having a balanced and nutritious diet to avoid nutrient deficiencies are vital components of your journey.
Read more: 1200 Calorie Meal Plan High Protein Diet: What To Know Before Starting
Losing 100 pounds is a significant goal that requires a sustainable approach. There are several angles to consider, such as eating habits, sleep quality, stress management, exercise, and so on. However, ultimately, to lose weight you need to create a calorie deficit (2).
A calorie deficit means you need to use more calories (energy) than you eat by reducing your intake, increasing physical activity, or a combination of both. For such an undertaking as losing 100 pounds, this needs to be a combined approach under the guidance of a health professional.
Losing weight means losing fat, so to lose 1 pound of fat you need to burn an average of 3,500 extra calories. If your goal is to lose 100 lbs of fat, this means burning 350,000 extra calories.
Let’s propose a realistic goal of losing 1 to 2 pounds per week, for which you should aim for a 500 daily calorie deficit (1, 3). Aiming for excessive calorie deficit can result in side effects such as nausea, fatigue, dehydration, constipation, headaches, and dizziness.
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Let’s do some math and analyze the potential timeline for losing 100 pounds.
We’ve established that to lose 100 lbs of fat, you need to burn 350,000 extra calories. By creating a 500-calorie deficit daily, you’ll theoretically need 700 days to reach those extra calories burned. If we translate this into months, it’s 23.3 months, which can be rounded up to 2 years.
This may seem like a lot of time, but don’t forget that sustainable weight loss takes time. By focusing on healthy habits and making gradual progress, you’ll be more likely to achieve your goals and maintain your weight loss long-term.
Losing 100 pounds in 4 months is an unrealistic goal and a very aggressive goal for most people, and it’s not considered a healthy or sustainable pace of weight loss.
It may be possible for some individuals with specific circumstances to lose weight more quickly than the recommended pace, but this should be attempted only with close guidance and monitoring by a specialized healthcare professional. However, even bariatric surgery patients don’t tend to lose weight as rapidly as 100 pounds in 4 months.
Rapid weight loss can lead to muscle loss and nutrient deficiencies, which can harm your metabolism. It could also lead to gallstones.
Using the same principles as before, to lose 100 pounds, you need to burn a total of 350,000 calories. If you’re aiming to reach this goal in 4 months, this means you need a calorie deficit of 2,916 calories per day.
Is this doable?
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (4) recommend adults consume between 1,600 and 3,000 calories per day, with an average of 2,300 calories. Comparing this recommendation to the calorie deficit that would be needed to lose 100 pounds in 4 months, you would need to stop eating or exercise intensely (5) for approximately 3 hours every day. Neither scenario seems doable or sustainable in the long term.
In addition, aiming for an excessive calorie deficit can result in side effects such as nausea, fatigue, dehydration, constipation, headaches, and dizziness. It’s just not realistic or safe.
Loose skin after significant weight loss is often a concern among people embarking on their weight loss journey. Your age, genetics, and weight loss rate are to be considered when it comes to loose skin after weight loss (6).
Although younger skin tends to have better elasticity, rapid weight loss may increase your chances of loose skin, which is another compelling reason why you should aim for a slow but sustainable approach.
There are no assured ways to prevent loose skin, but following a healthy diet, staying hydrated, and exercising regularly helps improve skin elasticity. In some cases, surgical procedures may be considered to address loose skin (7).
Fiber is an essential nutrient for overall digestive health. It can help improve digestion, enhance gut bacteria diversity, and alleviate constipation (8).
Fiber is one of our greatest allies when it comes to weight management. Fiber is a type of carb that your body cannot break down and absorb like other carbohydrates. Furthermore, fiber can slow digestion, leading to a prolonged feeling of fullness, which means you can be satisfied with fewer calories and eat less overall (9).
A 2019 randomized controlled trial that involved 345 overweight or obese adults found that adequate dietary fiber intake could help promote weight loss, independent of their overall calorie and macronutrient intake (10).
However, most adults don’t meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommendation of 25 to 30 grams of fiber daily. You can boost your intake by adding wholesome foods that are rich in soluble and insoluble fiber, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes.
Protein is a crucial nutrient for health. It’s well known that you need protein to build muscle, but it can also help you lose weight. Evidence has shown that high-protein diets can help raise your metabolism, reduce your appetite, and conserve muscle mass (11).
Protein can help reduce ghrelin levels, the hunger hormone, making you feel fuller for longer, thereby helping reduce your calorie intake.
Choose lean meats, fish, eggs, beans, lentils, and tofu. Balancing animal and plant protein is the best choice for a protein boost with plenty of micronutrients.
Read more: 18:6 Intermittent Fasting: Can Eating Only 2 Full Meals Help You Slim Down?
We all know that exercise is a cornerstone for successful weight loss. Exercise can also help manage stress and improve sleep quality (12).
Evidence has shown that strength training (13) helps build muscle mass and boosts your metabolism, allowing you to burn more calories, even when resting. It can help you stay healthy and lose weight. It’s also a great habit to get into for long-term health.
If you’re new to strength training, it’s best to start slow and consult your healthcare provider if you have any pre-existing health conditions.
As strange as it sounds, not getting quality sleep can hinder your weight loss efforts. Poor sleep quality leads to increased production of ghrelin (the hunger hormone) and reduced production of leptin (the fullness hormone).
What does this mean? You may be more prone to increased appetite and cravings, which increases the urge to go for unhealthy food choices (14).
Prioritizing quality sleep of around 8 hours each night can help with your weight loss journey, overall weight management, and well-being. Uncover the surprising benefits of somatic bedtime routine in our past article.
The BetterMe: Health Coaching app will provide you with a host of fat-frying fitness routines that’ll scare the extra pounds away and turn your body into a masterpiece! Get your life moving in the right direction with BetterMe!
For many of us, stress is a common part of our day-to-day lives. While short-term stress can be a normal body response to challenges, when this continues for long periods, it can hurt both physically and mentally.
Stress can trigger emotional eating, often turning to unhealthy food to cope with these feelings. This can impair your weight loss goals. When you experience stress, identifying the root cause to understand where this is coming from and finding healthy ways to cope is essential. Things such as exercise, time in nature, meditation, or finding hobbies can help (15). To learn more about the stress relief for women, check out our in-depth article on the topic.
With a big weight loss goal such as shedding 100 pounds, seeking the support of a health professional like a registered dietitian is an excellent way to help you on your weight loss journey.
A registered dietitian can help determine what the best path is for you to help you lose excess fat without a diet that’s too restrictive, offering that much-needed support along your journey.
Furthermore, evidence has shown that for overweight or obese adults, working with the close guidance of a registered dietitian is a more efficient way to help with weight loss and improve cardiometabolic outcomes and quality of life than doing it alone. This work can also help keep the weight off afterward (16).
In addition, if you have any underlying health conditions, a dietitian’s guidance can be particularly beneficial. They can ensure you lose weight safely without significantly compromising your health.
A healthy and sustainable weight loss rate is commonly 1-2 pounds per week, regardless of their initial weight. For a person with obesity, this could mean losing around 4-8 pounds in a month. That being said, it’s important to remember that weight loss isn’t a linear process and individual results depend on starting weight, metabolism, and lifestyle habits, among other factors. A quick weight loss approach often doesn’t work and can affect your overall health. A slow, healthy, and steady weight loss pace for a 200-pound person can be 1-2 pounds per week. Remember that diet and exercise are two cornerstones for success and that individual results can vary. Big-boned individuals can achieve a healthy weight. It’s worth remembering that genetics play a key role in body composition, so your bone structure won’t change if you lose weight and you may still be “big”. However, a combination of healthy eating, regular exercise, and lifestyle changes can help people of all body types reach their weight loss goals. A sustainable and healthy weight loss speed is generally 1-2 pounds per week, achieved by a combination of a balanced diet, an exercise routine, and some lifestyle changes. At this rate, you could expect to lose between 8 and 16 pounds in two months. However, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution and individual results may vary. Frequently Asked Questions
How much weight can an obese person lose in 1 month?
How fast can a 200-pound person lose weight?
Can a big-boned person become thin?
What is the maximum weight loss that can be achieved in 2 months?
Weight loss isn’t a linear process, it’s a complex journey with ups and downs and many factors coming into play. Your diet and exercise frequency are crucial, but sleep and stress management are other factors to add to the mix.
Losing 100 pounds is a long-term plan that may take approximately 2 years. While this may seem like an awful lot of time, aiming for a steady weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week is a safe and more doable goal with long-lasting results than going for quick weight loss methods that could harm your health.
It’s important to consult a healthcare professional for personalized guidance and to ensure your weight loss journey is safe and effective.
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