Losing 10 to 15 pounds in a month is equal to losing 2 1/2 to 3 3/4 pounds per week. This exceeds most recommended weight loss rates of 2 pounds per week. But if your physician or trained exercise specialist agrees the quicker goal is reasonable and safe for you, under supervision, simple calculations can point the way, and a few reasonable steps will do the trick. But be careful. Starvation, dieting too aggressively and skimping on balanced nutrition can backfire and cause real harm.
Step 1
Accurately record your daily food intake and exercise. Record daily food eaten and its weight and calories by consulting a food calorie calculator. Record your daily exercise and the calories you burned up by consulting an exercise calculator. Record these for at least one week and calculate daily averages.
According to the National Institutes of Health, women and men, at their ideal weight with moderate exercise, require about 1,200 and 1,500 calories per day, respectively. Weight loss results from using up more calories than you consume. This requires balanced targets of calorie restriction and calorie-burning exercise.
Step 2
Calculate your excess body fat by consulting standard body weight tables. Every pound of body weight represents 3,500 calories. Multiply excess weight by 3,500. Example: If you weigh 120 pounds above ideal weight (excess body fat) you have 120 X 3,500 = 420,000 extra calories to eliminate with diet and exercise.
Step 3
Combine calorie restriction and fat burning equal to about 1,200 calories a day to lose 10 pounds a month, if you are a female eating over 2,500 calories a day; or diet and exercise worth about 1,750 calories a day if you are eating over 3,000 a day to lose 15 pounds per month.
For men, eliminate about 1,200 calories a day by diet and exercise if you are eating over 2,700 per day to lose 10 pounds in a month; or eliminate 1,750 calories a day from by diet and exercise if you are eating over 3,300 calories to lose 15 pounds in a month.
Step 4
Exercise regularly. Consult the exercise tables to find exercises you can enjoy and burn up some of the calories you need to eliminate, and do it three to five days a week. For example, exercise which burns up 600 calories in a day combined with restricting 600 calories of food creates a 1,200 calorie daily deficit. Exercise makes you feel good and adds a great heart and muscle wellness benefit too.
Tips and Warnings
- Some of your excess body weight might be retained fluid. Consult your physician about restricting dietary sodium. High sodium (mostly as salt) is a major cause of fluid retention. Be sure to get at least seven to eight hours of sleep every night to protect your immune system and to help restore exercise stress.
- Because this weight loss rate is so high and can include strenuous exercise, do not proceed without consulting your physician for approval and guidance. Losing weight too fast can alter your metabolism in ways that will pack those pounds right back on, and then some. Starvation diets can make you eliminate critical nutrients and damage your heart, immune and nervous systems.
Things You'll Need
- Bathroom scale
- Kitchen food scale
- Exercise calorie calculator
- Food calorie calculator
- Ideal body weight table
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