Without putting your health at risk, there is no safe way to lose 15 lbs. in under a month. Unsafe diet and exercise strategies, such as over-exercising and following an extreme calorie restriction diet, may result in that much weight loss over a period of a few weeks to a month, but they pose serious dangers to both short-term and long-term health and well-being. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, pace your plan more slowly.
Step 1
See a physician to work out an individual weight-loss plan that will fit your lifestyle and budget. You can lose 15 lbs. in six or eight weeks' time, but you'll need to make permanent and dedicated lifestyle changes and keep them off beyond that period. To avoid damaging your metabolism, follow your doctor's advice in developing a plan.
Step 2
Change your eating habits. To lose just 1 lb., you'll need to burn or save about 3,500 calories more than you take in, so you must eat fewer calories on an everyday basis. Rather than choosing processed foods, restaurant meals or prepared items, eat foods with low energy densities. The Mayo Clinic defines such foods as natural, wholesome items with high water and fiber contents but low fat and calorie contents. Examples include fruits, vegetables and whole grains. MyPyramid.gov recommends adding balance by also eating small portions of nonfat dairy products and lean proteins. Try to reduce your daily calorie intake by 500 to 1,000.
Step 3
Begin to exercise or, if you already work out, step up your routine to burn more calories. For weight loss, the American Council on Exercise recommends working out for at least 45 minutes at a time on five or six days each week. Vigorous exercises will burn the most calories and lead to the fastest weight loss. According to the Mayo Clinic, both rollerblading and running at a pace of 8 mph burn more than 900 calories per hour for a 160-lb. person.
Step 4
Participate in a medically supervised weight-loss program if necessary. According to the National Institutes of Health, women should eat a minimum of 1,200 calories daily and men should eat a minimum of 1,500 calories daily, unless they are being medically supervised, in which case they may be able to eat as few as 500 to 800 calories per day and lose 3 lbs. or more per week. Normally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends pacing healthy weight loss at no more than 2 lbs. per week.
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