The amount of weight you can lose in a month depends largely on the method you use to shed the excess pounds. Diet and exercise are likely to provide different results than a medically supervised weight-loss program. Your current weight also influences this number. If you are obese you may benefit from rapid weight-loss techniques, whereas if you're simply a bit overweight you are better suited for a more gradual loss.
Standard
According to the National Institutes of Health, a good goal for weight loss is 1 to 2 lbs. per week unless you are under the supervision of a medical professional. Restrict your caloric intake and increase your physical activity to generate the caloric deficit needed to lose 1 to 2 lbs. each week. It takes a deficit of 3,500 calories to lose a single pound of fat. If you generate a deficit of 500 calories a day through diet and another 500 calories a day through exercise, expect to lose 2 lbs. a week. In a month's time, this translates into a weight loss of about 8 lbs.
Medical
If you are obese, which means you have a body mass index over 30, you can enter a medically supervised weight-loss program, which provides faster results. In such a program you will follow a very low-calorie diet to encourage a weight loss of 3 to 5 lbs. per week, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. In this situation, you can expect to lose anywhere from 12 to 20 lbs. over a month.
Difference
The main reason for the variance in results involves your caloric intake. With medically supervised weight-loss programs, you drastically restrict your caloric intake, sometimes as low as 400 calories a day, according to the University of California Los Angeles Center for Human Nutrition. But when you lose weight on your own, you shouldn't go below a certain threshold. For women, this number is 1,200 calories a day, while men should get at least 1,500 calories, advises the experts at the National Institutes of Health.
Effects
Eating less than the recommended caloric intake for your gender, especially if done without the supervision of doctor or dietitian, can lead to adverse effects. The most common include fatigue, dizziness, constipation, diarrhea, headaches, muscle loss and menstrual irregularities. You also increase your risk of malnutrition, dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, which can affect many of the organs in your body, including your heart. Losing a large amount of weight rapidly can cause gallstone formation as well.
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