Not only is it possible to lose 15 lbs. in two months, that's approximately the suggested healthy weight loss rate recommended by the National Institutes of Health. The NIH recommends losing weight at a rate of 1 to 2 lbs. per week. Over an eight-week period, that's 8 to 16 lbs.
The Numbers
To lose 2 lbs. of weight per week, you need to create a calorie deficit of 1,000 calories per day, based on your recommended calories per day for weight maintenance. This means, if you naturally burn 2,000 calories per day without any extra exercise, you can try to lose 15 lbs. by eating 2,000 calories per day and burning 1,000 calories with exercise, or eating only 1,000 calories per day with no exercise. Trying to burn 1,000 calories with exercise, or cutting your food intake in half are both very difficult to do every day for eight to nine weeks. A more sensible option would be to cut your calories by 500 and burn 500 calories with exercise each day.
Daily Calories
The U.S. Department of Agriculture publishes a helpful document called "Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010" that includes recommended daily calorie counts based on your age, gender and daily activity level. Check page 14 of the document to find your recommended number. The NIH recommends no fewer than 1,200 calories per day for adult women and 1,500 calories for men, so burning calories through exercise should be a key component of your weight-loss plan.
Types of Exercise
If you are new to working out, you will most likely need to budget more time for exercise than someone who is in better shape. If you try to exercise at a high-intensity, aerobic pace, you may tire before you burn the necessary calories. Find a pace that lets you work for 30 minutes without stopping, and do two workouts each day. If you can maintain a higher heart rate, perform aerobic exercise, which you do at a pace similar to jogging. The Mayo Clinic publishes a helpful chart for selecting calorie-burning exercises based on your weight.
Curb Calories
To help lower your daily calorie intake, spread your calories out throughout the day. If you eat breakfast, a morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack and dinner, you won't have long spaces between eating, leading to hunger followed by overeating. Use nutrition labels to create daily menus, spreading the calories among your meals and snacks.
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