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Losing 60 pounds is a major undertaking and requires a strategic and sustainable plan. Fast and quick fixes won’t do the trick, as they usually backfire. Progress and weight loss are far more than just the numbers on the scale, and staying healthy while dropping some pounds is a must.
If you focus your energy on small but steady changes, the long-term health outcomes will be much greater.
A way to lose 60 pounds is to focus on creating a daily calorie deficit with a healthy diet and exercise. Following a balanced diet rich in wholesome foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, pulses, and whole grains paired with regular physical activity is essential for burning calories, boosting your metabolism, and losing weight.
Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to weight loss. It’s best to talk with your doctor before embarking on this journey to get the best personalized advice.
Proclaimed fast results from fad diets are often tempting and we may want to try them. However, to reach such a significant weight loss goal, finding a sustainable approach that suits your needs, resources, strengths, and weaknesses is essential for long-term success (1). It’s important to remember that any successful weight loss journey is marked by two main characteristics: patience and persistence.
How long it will take for you to lose 60 pounds depends on factors such as age, starting weight, metabolism, sleep patterns, stress levels, diet, and exercise (2, 3).
Experts recommend a gradual weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week, which means 4 to 8 pounds per month (4). This means shedding 60 pounds could take between 7.5 to 15 months. It’s important to set your mind to the long game as in this way, you’re more likely to reach long-term success while preventing muscle loss and potential nutrient deficiencies. You’re also more likely to keep the weight off if you lose it gradually.
It’s worth noting that these are general timelines, and while some people may reach their goals sooner, it’s important to remember that each of us has a unique weight loss journey. Your experience won’t be the same as another person’s.
The best way to use your energy is to focus on progress, not perfection, and celebrate each small step you take toward your goals.
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It doesn’t matter if you’re just starting your weight loss journey or you’re halfway there. Here is some of the best, scientifically proven, advice to help you create lasting lifestyle changes and achieve your goals:
As with any major change in life, being ready and having a plan is essential for success. Take into account your initial and desired weight, and dietary changes you may need to make, and come up with a realistic plan and goals. Seeking expert advice from a healthcare provider could be a good starting point, as they can provide valuable insights into the pros and cons of different approaches and what factors influence your individual journey (1).
This is no mystery, a balanced diet with all three macronutrients is essential for overall health and well-being, so don’t be afraid of any of them. The key is to know the best sources to add daily:
Being physically active is essential for weight loss. And it’s not only about super-intense workouts. All sorts of movement help and starting small with daily moderate exercise will have a significant impact (8).
Consistency is key and to achieve this, finding activities you enjoy is a must. You need to feel good about the routine and exercises. When you like and enjoy the moves, it’s easier to come back to them. A combination of cardio and strength workouts is the best strategy to maximize calorie burn and muscle maintenance (9). You can also build more movement into your daily routine by doing things such as parking farther away from the office or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
However, before you start any workout regimen, it’s best to talk with your doctor about the best options for your particular case.
We all know that regular workouts and a balanced diet are two cornerstones for weight loss. But that’s not all. Other factors, such as stress and sleep, have significant impacts on our weight loss efforts and can even derail us from our goals.
Stress triggers emotional eating for many people, and we often choose unhealthy food in these cases. Therefore, we can impair our weight loss goals. When dealing with stressful situations, identifying the root cause and seeking healthy ways to cope is key. Things like exercise, time in nature, meditation, or finding hobbies can help (10).
Not having enough sleep can mess up your weight loss goals. Poor sleep quality makes your body produce more ghrelin (the hunger hormone) and less leptin (the fullness hormone). The result? An imbalance that leads to increased appetite and cravings, promoting the urge to go for unhealthy food choices (11).
Be sure to prioritize quality sleep and aim for 7 to 9 hours each night, or whatever amount is optimal for you. This will help with your weight loss journey, overall weight management, and well-being.
Read more: How To Lose 3 Pounds a Week According To Experts
Searching for quick fixes and fast weight loss approaches will result in stress and anxiety. It can also lead to gallstones, slow metabolism, malnutrition, muscle loss, and weight regain. While fast weight loss can be appealing, prioritizing health and sustainability should prevail for an overall health journey. Fast weight loss approaches should only be followed when they are by your doctor (12, 13).
Let´s start with the basics. Theoretically, to lose 1 pound of fat you need to burn 3,500 calories. If you multiply this by the 60 pounds you aim to lose, the overall calorie burn you will need to achieve is 210,000 calories.
Setting realistic expectations is essential for sustainable weight loss, and 1 to 2 pounds per week is usually a healthy and sustainable pace. This means that losing 60 pounds could take between 7.5 and 15 months. To accomplish this you should create a daily calorie deficit either by reducing your intake, increasing your expenditure with more exercise, or a combination of both (14).
Let’s make all of this information make sense. Let’s say you want to lose 60 pounds in a year. To do so, you will have to burn a total of 210,000 extra calories within a year, or 576 calories daily.
How can this be measured?
For starters, knowing what your current calorie intake is could be useful. To know this, you could track your meals and calorie intake for 5-7 days and then calculate the mean from this. Then, you just need to subtract the 576 calories from the mean, and the result will be your new calorie intake goal.
If we take as baseline the general recommendations from The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (15), which is an average of 2,300 calories, and subtract the 576 calories to reach the calorie deficit, an adequate daily calorie intake to lose 60 pounds in a year should be 1,724 calories. You can also calculate a more individualized goal using an online calculator or with the help of a registered dietitian or your healthcare provider.
This gradual approach will allow your body to adapt, forming long-lasting lifestyle changes and reducing the risk of plateaus or rebounds.
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While it’s possible to lose significant weight in three months, losing 60 pounds in that time frame is neither healthy nor sustainable in the long term. Rapid weight loss approaches involve unhealthy methods that can harm your overall health. Aiming for 1 to 2 pounds per week is a more sustainable approach and while it may take longer to reach your goal, you’re more likely to keep the weight off in the long term(16).
Loose skin after significant weight loss is often a concern among people who are embarking on their weight loss journey. Age, genetics, and weight loss rate are influencing factors when it comes to loose skin after weight loss (17).
Even though 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 slow but sustainable approaches.
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 (18).
Read more: Lose 20 Pounds In 2 Months With This Expert-Approved Guide
Considering a healthy progressive weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds per week, a realistic weight loss goal in 3 months would be between 12 and 24 pounds. This sustainable rate will help promote long-term health.
Your weight may fluctuate by a pound or more from day to day due to changes in the amount of fluid or waste in your body, but this isn’t actual weight loss. Losing one pound of fat per day is an unrealistic goal and an unhealthy one. To achieve this, you should be in an extreme calorie deficit and do intense workout sessions, potentially resulting in severe malnutrition and health problems. The best approach is sustainable weight loss focusing on gradual changes through a balanced diet and regular exercise.
Walking is one of the best exercises you can add daily without even thinking you’re working out, which will surely help you toward your weight loss goals. Incorporating walking during your daily life is a simple and powerful strategy to boost your calorie burn and fat loss. Consistency is key, so gradually add more walking time to your routine.
Targeted fat loss in specific areas is not possible, but regular walking will help with your overall weight loss, including increasing belly fat burn. Adding brisk walks to your routine along with a balanced diet can increase your chances of reaching your goals.
Losing weight is a complex journey with many factors that come into play. Your diet and exercise frequency are crucial, but sleep and stress management are other factors to add to the mix. Achieving sustainable results means having a game plan, knowing the best foods to choose, finding movement that you enjoy to be consistent, and making peace with this long journey with its potential ups and downs.
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