Weight loss is driven by expending more calories than are consumed. Losing 15 lbs. in a month, a rate higher than recommended, requires a net loss of 13,125 calories per week. The human body burns calories in three ways: 1) your resting metabolic rate (approximately 70 percent), 2) caloric expenditure from the act of eating itself (about 10 percent), and 3) exercise (roughly 20 percent), according to Exercise ETC, Inc.
Step 1
Exercise six days a week and ensure that you burn 1,021 calories per workout, a significant effort. To provide some examples, a 150-lb. person would burn the required amount of calories by performing any of the following workouts: moderate aerobic dance for three hours, cycling or playing singles tennis for two hours, running for an hour and 20 minutes at an 8.5-minute mile, or lifting weights for two and a half hours.
Step 2
Reduce your daily caloric intake by 1,000 calories per day. Visit a website with a calorie calculator, such as the American Council on Exercise, and enter your statistics to calculate the number of daily calories you need to maintain your current weight with little or no exercise. Subtract 1,000 from the number provided and divide by 5. Eat approximately that number of calories each meal.
Step 3
Eat five to six smaller meals and snacks a day to increase the thermic effect of food (TEF), or calories expended from digestion. Ten percent of calories are burned simply through digestion. For this effect to operate fully, eat frequent, small meals. Eating too much food at one time suppresses TEF and causes more calories to be stored, according to Exercise ETC, Inc. Additionally, eating more frequent meals regulates blood sugar, reducing the temptation to overeat. Eating breakfast has shown to boost metabolic rate by 5 percent alone, Exercise ETC, Inc. reports.
Step 4
Reduce your fat intake significantly. To digest food, the body expends just 3 calories for every 100 calories of fat consumed, yet it burns more than 27 and 23 calories, respectively, from the digestion of protein and carbohydrates, according to Exercise ETC, Inc.
Step 5
Consume 12 to 16 glasses of water each day. Keeping your body well hydrated actually decreases the amount of water it retains, helping you to slim down and lose weight.
Tips and Warnings
- If significant weight loss is your goal, please consult a fitness or health professional. Having realistic goals and a detailed exercise plan from a highly experienced and qualified professional will ensure your goals are met safely, and most importantly, that your weight loss is sustainable.
- Although it is possible to lose 15 lbs. in a month, it is highly unsafe and not advised. Sustainable weight loss should be 1 to 2 lbs. per week. In addition, the extremely demanding workout regimen for most looking to lose 15 lbs. in a month will likely cause injury or other possible health hazards. It is best to reset your weight loss goals to a more realistic amount and to lengthen the time period in which you want to see weight loss. A duration of six months is advised as this allows enough time to utilize a combination of strength training and cardiovascular exercise, which can alter your body's resting metabolic rate (responsible for burning approximately 60 to 70 percent of calories, according to Exercise ETC, Inc.). Do not attempt the exercise regimen or diet restrictions suggested above without first consulting with your doctor. Extreme measures are required for this level of weight loss. Significant reduction in caloric intake (more than 500 calories per day) is not advised as it can cause the body to react in a way that will slow your resting metabolic rate and potentially inhibit weight loss over a longer period of time. Additionally, significant reduction in calorie consumption is likely to lead to insufficient nutrient intake.
Things You'll Need
- Weight scale
- Exercise equipment
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