Maybe a special event or your wedding is happening in six weeks, or perhaps summer is coming and your body isn’t looking as you might want it to. You’re carrying around 20 more pounds than you’d like and now you’re all over the internet searching how to lose 20 pounds in 6 weeks. But is a 20-lb weight loss achievable in this timeframe?
Are there tips and tricks you can use to make your body 20 pounds lighter in just under 2 months? Let’s find out!
A realistic 6-week weight loss transformation is a loss of 6 to 12 pounds – nothing more. This means that if you’re looking to lose 20 pounds in this timeframe, you’ve grossly overestimated what you and your body can achieve healthily and sustainably.
Why do we say this?
Our estimation is in line with the weight loss guidelines that are given by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. According to these experts, a slow and steady weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds a week is a realistic and sustainable amount of weight loss that anyone should hope to achieve (1).
The experts state that while the rate of weight loss is affected by multiple factors, this above-mentioned pace is best for anyone who hopes to keep their weight off long-term.
If it’s not feasible for someone to lose 20 pounds in 6 weeks, then it’s also unrealistic for a woman, or a man, to lose this same amount of weight in just 4 weeks/1 month. When it comes to weight loss, most people assume that by eating less and exercising more that the weight will just fall off.
This couldn’t be further from the truth, as weight loss goes far beyond what you eat and how you work out. To better understand this, let’s explore some factors that influence weight loss.
Please note that although these factors may influence your weight loss journey, it doesn’t mean they’ll make it impossible for you to reach your desired body weight. These are just elements to show you why goals such as losing 20 pounds a month are unrealistic and why weight loss rates are different for different people.
We all understand that a calorie deficit is the main thing that helps with weight loss, which is why statements such as “you can’t out-exercise a bad diet” exist. Research goes on to suggest that if you’d like to lose weight, reducing your daily average calorie intake to about 500 to 750 calories less than you burn is the best way to get started on this journey (2).
Unfortunately, some people who are hoping to lose weight too quickly cut a lot more calories than this in the belief that the less they eat, the faster the weight loss. This won’t work. When you eat too little, your body believes that you’re starving and may go into ‘starvation mode’ where it slows down your metabolic rate, reducing the calories in burns a day in an effort to save your life.
When your metabolic rate is slower, you burn fewer calories in a day, which ultimately makes it more difficult to lose weight.
Learn more about the right way to reduce portion size for weight loss.
Research over the years continues to show that how much sleep you get per night and how well you sleep can influence your weight loss efforts. Failure to sleep enough or well enough can lead to habits such as late-night snacking (which will affect your calorie deficit) and can also negatively impact your hormones and metabolic rate, all ultimately leading to less-than-desirable weight effects. To see the best results, do your best to get 7 to 9 hours of quality sleep each night (3, 4, 5).
Genes also play a role in weight management. Being overweight or obese tends to run in the family, so if your parents are overweight or obese, your chances of being overweight or obese are higher than those whose parents aren’t overweight or obese (6).
Genetics can also affect metabolic rate and some people have a faster metabolism, which helps them lose weight faster or even not gain weight at all, even if their diets aren’t the best. There’s nothing you can do about your genetics, so don’t stress about it. Just find what works for you and be consistent.
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Multiple studies over the years have shown that high stress levels are associated with weight gain and may increase the risk of obesity. When you’re very stressed, you’re more likely to overeat and less likely to exercise – two factors that can contribute to weight gain.
Chronic stress can also influence your hormone levels, which may cause more fat storage in the body and even trigger mental health problems, which can negatively influence weight management efforts (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12).
The topic of alcohol and weight gain is something that remains heavily debated. While some believe that drinking will lead to weight gain, others believe that these two matters don’t influence each other.
Regardless of this argument, researchers agree that heavy drinking can contribute to weight gain in some people. Not only is alcohol usually empty calories and sugar, but being inebriated can also lead to excess energy intake, which is bad for a calorie deficit weight loss diet (13, 14).
The amount of exercise you get in a day and the intensity of the workout also influence how well and fast you can lose weight. The CDC recommends 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a day, 5 days a week (15).
However, this is the bare minimum. Exercising for longer than 30 minutes or more intensely will help you burn more calories.
Incorporating more intense exercises into your routine will also help with calorie burning during the session and adding resistance/weight training helps with calorie burning during and long after the workout session is completed.
Read more: Pilates Vs Yoga For Weight Loss: The Battle Of Low-Impact Exercises
Other components such as your age, sex, muscle mass, and medications you’re taking can influence how quickly you can shed those extra pounds (6, 16).
No, it’s not. A loss of 20 pounds in 6 weeks is considered rapid weight loss. Not only is rapid weight loss not sustainable in the long term, which means that the weight will likely come back, it also puts you at risk of several health problems.
In the short term, rapid weight loss can cause headaches, diarrhea, constipation, hair loss, and cold intolerance. However, these simple side effects aren’t all that can affect you.
Losing weight too quickly can leave you with unsightly loose skin that can affect your self-confidence, increase the risk of gallstones and gallbladder inflammation, lead to a loss of muscle mass rather than fat loss, cause dehydration and even mild liver dysfunction, and lead to elevated uric acid levels (17).
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Rapid weight loss is terrible for you and your body, so how do you make sure you lose weight at a healthy and sustainable pace? Some healthy ways to lose weight include:
Read more: I Want to Be Skinny: 6 Science-Backed Strategies for Fat Loss
There is no amount of calories you can eat that will help you lose such a large amount of weight in just 6 weeks. Rather than trying to starve yourself to reach this impossible goal, we suggest adjusting your timeline to something more realistic and then cutting 500 to 750 calories from your regular diet. This will help you lose weight at a much healthier pace.
As mentioned above, weight loss – even a 20-lb weight loss – is a marathon, not a sprint. There’s no quick and magical way for you to drop such a large amount of weight very quickly. Patience, a better diet, dedication, a positive mindset, a good and progressive workout routine, more sleep, and lower stress levels are the main things you need for any type of weight loss.
As mentioned above, you can realistically lose anywhere between 1 and 2 pounds a week. So in a month, realistic weight loss is between 4 and 8 pounds. 10 pounds isn’t a major stretch from that, but everyone’s experience will differ based on individual factors. Yes, it usually is. If you’re curious about what losing 20 pounds looks like, you may notice the following: You shouldn’t aim to lose weight at such a rapid pace. An 18-lb weight loss can take 9 to 18 weeks, especially if you want to maintain that weight loss long-term. It could be. This is about 16 weeks and at a weight loss rate of 1 to 2 pounds a week, some people, but not all, may manage to achieve this.Frequently Asked Questions
Is it realistic to lose 10 pounds in a month?
Is a 20-lb weight loss noticeable?
Can I lose 18 lbs in 6 weeks?
Is losing 20 pounds in 4 months realistic?
Is it realistic to lose 20 pounds in 6 weeks? As we’ve discussed in the article, not only is it not realistic, it’s also not healthy and not recommended. You should aim to lose 1-2 pounds in a week as this is healthy and sustainable. Before you start any weight loss programs, make sure to consult your healthcare provider for guidance.
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