How Much Weight Can I Lose In A Month? Here’s The Brutally Honest Truth

January 22, 2017 | 244 Comments


how much weight can you lose in a month

Look.

Chances are you’re reading this article right now because you are desperate.

You are sick and tired of the way you look.

You are fed up with being overweight, unhealthy, and feeling like shit.

You want results and you want them now.

You’re just starting out so you want to know how much weight will you be able to lose in a month.

But more specifically you want to know the MAXIMUM amount of weight you can lose in a month.

And you want to do it with as little work as humanly possible.

Now I could easily draw out this intro paragraph a bit longer and tell you how the world and the government has fucked you into being overweight.

I could tell you how it’s not your fault.

I could tell you that all you need to do is sign up for my $97 program and you’ll be able to lose 50 pounds in a single month with zero dieting, 20 minutes of exercise, and less effort than hitting resume on the season premiere of Orange is the New Black.

That would be the dream, huh?

Well that’s because it is a dream.

“How much weight can I lose in a month?” Why asking this question already guarantees you’re fucked

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The mere fact that you’re asking this question shows flawed thinking.

If you’re asking “how much weight can I lose this month,” you’re basically telling yourself, “I want this weight loss crap to be over as fast as humanly possible.”

And that’s totally understandable.

When you’re first getting started, no one wants to diet and exercise.

It’s not a sexy and enjoyable thing to do.

But if you’re looking for ways to lose the maximum amount of weight in a month, 2 months, 12 months or whatever…

…then you’re telling yourself that you don’t want to put in the work after that time period.

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You’re telling yourself “Okay, I’m going to exercise 6x per week and eat nothing but salad for the next 30 days.”

But after those 30 days, we all know what happens.

Everything goes to the shitter.

Your old shitty eating habits come back up, you stop exercising, and surprise, you gain back what you lost in a matter of days.

But this should really come to no surprise.

You essentially fucked yourself from the beginning.

Deep down you knew you could never sustain your insane workout/diet for the month.

What’s the maximum amount of weight someone can lose in a month?

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Okay let’s give some practical advice.

Here’s what you can realistically expect to lose if you’re just starting a weight loss plan:

The more weight you have to lose, the more you will initially lose.

If you are 100 pounds overweight, you’ll probably lose up to 20 pounds in your first month.

This is simply because you have more bodyweight to lose.

That and you’re going to lose a lot of water weight.

But if you are already pretty lean and have 10 pounds to lose, you might only lose 1-2 pounds in a month.

Most people will lose 1-2 pounds per week

Note how I said just said “pounds.”

This isn’t pure body fat.

The first week you will more lose more water, then it tapers off to 1-2 pounds per week.

Related: Can you lose 10 pounds in a week?

Once you get to those last 5-10 pounds, weight loss can slow down to as little as 0.5 pounds per week.

Weight loss is not linear

weight loss linear

As much as we want it to happen, weight loss is not linear.

This means you are not going to lose 1 pound per week for 12 weeks until you reach your goal weight.

You’ll go some weeks losing 1-2 pounds per week, then go 2 weeks without losing anything.

The secret is to stay consistent and trust the process.

30 days is not enough time to see big changes in your body

Sorry to crush the dreams of everyone reading this article, but 30 days is not nearly enough time to see huge changes in your physique.

I’m not saying you won’t see results.

But seriously, what were you expecting to happen in 30 days?

Professional fitness models give themselves up to 20 weeks to get shredded and you want that in 30 days?

Get the fuck out of here.

Instead of 1 month goals, use 1 month checkpoints

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Trying to lose the maximum amount of weight in 1 month (30 days) never works because you’re not focused on creating life long habits.

It’s why people who try to lose weight for a wedding or high school reunion immediately put back on the weight afterwards.

They’re so focused on getting in shape by the end of the month that they have know idea what the hell they’re going to do afterwards.

So how do you beat this?

Instead of setting 1 month goals, set 1 month checkpoints.

1 month checkpoints remove the stress and pressure of having to hit some ridiculous goal at the end of the month.

It helps you refocus your mental energy and really gives you a sense of accomplishment every single month.

Here’s an example:

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1 month goal: “I need to lose 10 pounds in the next month.”

1 month checkpoint: “I will make healthier food choices and stay within my daily calories.”

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1 month goal: “I will never eat sugar again this month.”

1 month checkpoint: “I will reduce my sugar intake slightly and focus on staying within my calories.”

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1 month goal “I will go to the gym 6x per week for 2 hours at a time.”

1 month checkpoint: “I will go the gym at least once this week then 2x next week, then 3x the following week. As long as I’m improving, I’m good to go. ”

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As you can see, the whole point is to take incremental steps towards your goal instead of trying to take one massive leap and fall flat on your face like most people.

So bottom line: Use 1 month checkpoints to create momentum and crush any long term goal.

Your 3 step battle plan to losing the max amount of weight this month (and the rest of your life)

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Step #1: Create a calorie deficit

The cornerstone of any diet is a calorie deficit. This means you need to eat less than your burn in order to lose weight.

Most people can start with getting about 10-12x your bodyweight in pounds for their daily calorie intake.

You would need to slightly adjust down if you aren’t initially losing weight.

If you want to lose weight faster, you would start at 10x.

But please note that the lower calorie you go, the harder it gets since hunger will be greater.

Step #2: Get your macros (and micros) under order

Macros are your protein, carbs, and fats.

In order to preserve muscle mass as well as regulate hunger, you should aim to get a minimum of 0.6 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight if you’re relatively sedentary.

If you’re doing heavy weight lifting like I recommend in Superhero Shredding 2.0, then you would need to bump that up to 0.8 grams.

Step #3: Set realistic expectations

Arguably the most important step in this whole process.

Most people know that they need to eat less crap and exercise more in order to lose weight.

Where 99% of people screw up is they’re unrealistic, lazy, and really just too much of a pussy to put in the work.

Sorry, some one had to say it.

Anyone can chase the goal of losing 5-10 pounds in a month but how many can maintain those results for the next 6-12 months? How about 6-12 years?

Most can’t.

That’s why expectations are so important.

You can’t expect a miracle in a month. The sooner you realize that, the better off you’ll be.

So what exactly the brutally honest truth?

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It’s this:

  • If your mentality is “What is the maximum amount of weight I can lose this month?” then you already lost. You will never be successful at losing weight unless you approach it with a long term mindset.
  • The stories you hear about people losing 30+ pounds per month almost never happen unless you’re morbidly obese.
  • Weight loss is not linear. You always lose more in the beginning, level out to about 1-2 pounds per week in the middle, and weight loss slows down to a crawl in the end. Always.
  • Stop searching for the fucking “secret.” It doesn’t exist. Just like becoming a millionaire or finding that perfect girlfriend who’s hot, smart, and kind, there’s no secret. The “secret” is that there is not secret. It’s all about having consistency, grit, and determination to get what you want.

What’s your biggest struggle with losing weight? Drop a comment below and let me know. I’m glad to help.

244 Comments - Leave Your Thoughts

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  1. Hi! I really like your article– it’s nice to find something that’s actually honest for once. I’m a 16 year old 5’4″ female who is 146 lbs, I wouldn’t say I’m obese but I AM overweight. I’m generally comfortable with what I look like and what I feel like but theres an even in a month and a half that I wanted to look slimmer for… hence searching for a way to lose weight in a month. Over the summer I lost 20 pounds for my quineanera which was easy because I shed weight easily but I also can get it back which damn I did in two weeks (lol) so I have a basic idea of a good diet and work out plan. I am going to stick with this– which is just a lot less artificial carbs and workouts (I also happen to be on a rockclimbing team so that helps), is there anything else you would reccomend? Do you think these fat burner pills have an effect to some degree? Let me know I feel like I can trust your opinion!!! Thanks and stay brutally honest 😉

    1. Do not take the pills. Waste of money and useless especially at your age. I know it’s not what you want to hear, but focus on making better, healthier habits.

  2. “they’re unrealistic, lazy, and really just too much of a pussy to put in the work” that’s me right there. Problem is, how do you get out of the funk? I am nearing 100 kgs. On a 165 cms frame, that’s obese. I want to stick to the lifestyle change, but I have one of those bodies that puts on weight quickly, but loses it really slow. It’s depressing to workout and cutback on food and not see any results. How do I keep myself motivated? Help!

    1. You need to take one step forward and believe in the process.

      Sounds sappy as shit but the only way to get long lasting results is by creating habits. Trust the process and the results will come. Have you started to track how much you’re eating yet and make healthier choices?

  3. hello im a male teen 5’8″ 160 pounds not obese but overweight. question: can i maintain my weight, wait till i get taller and that would balance out my weight?

  4. Thanks for the honesty. I am 105kg, work out 2 x week hiit at gym, do tai chi, cook from scratch making healthy choices, have a treat just every 6 weeks, so how come i dont lose weight. Im also in meds for diabetes. Please help

      1. Keith
        I weigh 406 pounds I would like to
        Know what my water intake should and calorie intake should be just a starting us mu treadmill but because of my weight I can only go about 6. Mins. At a time please help

  5. Hi Keith,

    I am 1.69cm and I only lose weight on 1000 calories a day. Do you not think this is ridiculous? Anything higher than that I won’t lose? What gives. This has been the calorie intake I have to follow my whole life to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week!

  6. I’m stuck. I’ve been eating healthy and drinking water exclusively for the past two months and I’ve only lost 3 lbs. I don’t feel slimmer or look more toned. I have increased my activity level, although its not super impressive I usually walk 3 miles 3 times a week (I have never been athletic or active so this is an accomplishment for me). I rarely cheat on my diet, maybe 2 cheat meals on a weekend but that’s it. What am I doing wrong? I’m 21, 5’0 and 120lbs.

      1. Not really, I just meal preo and keep a rough estimation of calorie intake. I typically stay around 1,700-1,800 calories per day.

  7. People you don’t need to pay anyone $97 to lose weight. You can do it yourself by using your own willpower most of us when we set our minds to it can do just about anything we all know the right foods to eat just start doing that and maybe just take about a thousand calories to 1500 a day and do some kind of exercising for 20 minutes it is not difficult to go on the treadmill for 20 minutes day good luck to you all and to all a good-night

  8. Hey Keith … I am 23 years old but I am overweight . I weigh around 249 pounds which is double of what I should be as my height is just 158 cms. I just joined gym can you suggest me anything else please

  9. I stopped reading this article 3/4 the way through, I’m curious, are you a nutritionist, a doctor, a trainer? You seem to have some facts correct, but I am living breathing proof that you can lose 5 pounds a week by eating right, and NOT STARVING yourself with little to no exercise. 3 years ago I had had enough of being overweight and unhealthy, I counted calories, watched my fat intake and ate the RIGHT foods. The only exercise I got was from housework. Exercise actually does very little when it comes to weight loss however it is important as you need to maintain muscle. I clicked on here because I have reached a plateau and can’t seem to get the last 15 pounds off, by taking time to plan your meals meticulously and count calories and fat, you soon realize that rapid weight loss is achievable, and keeping it off is very possible. Every meal I prepared was delicious and I was never ever hungry. For your readers, don’t despair! Losing more than “1 to 2 pounds per week” is not unrealistic AT ALL! With meal planning, food scales and checking labels, I lost 80 pounds 4 months and I’ve kept it off. My doctor said I am the picture of health, I no longer take blood pressure pills and my blood work has been excellent. Good luck everyone, not everyone is the same obviously, but go ahead and dream big! It can happen!

    1. The more weight you have to lose, the faster you’ll initially lose it. If you have 80-100 pounds to lose, it’s very possible to lose 5 pounds per week for a few weeks.

      But if you only have 10 pounds to lose, how can you expect to lose 5 pounds per week? You can’t. In these cases where you have less weight to lose, you’ll adhere much closer to the 1 pound per week guideline.

      Context matters.

    2. Hi Sheri,

      Read your comment on this article, and got me curious. I need to lose weight before it’s too late. I read that you lost nearly 5 pounds by just eating right?

      Would you be able to shed some more light and help me out a bit?

  10. I don’t agree with “I’m fucked.” I have an inguinal hernia and my doctor said to lose weight. I’m 93kg and the app said I’ll be 75 in April. I was wondering if that’s true and if I can lose more in a month cause of the pain. Not gonna give up after. Lol. Other than that, lovely article. Spot on

  11. My biggest problem is doing all the above no on serious note love your article. It was refreshing not to hear a load of soft pampered bullshit. You rekindled my desire to keep going.

    Many thanks

  12. Hi Keith,
    I came across your article because I googled “how to be happy with 2lbs weight loss. I have struggled all my life with yo yo dieting living off shakes where I lost 190lbs and then gaining it all back because I binged like crazy. This has been my life for 40 years. I have always been weight loss goal focussed for special events so your article struck a real chord with me. I have just started a healthcare plan where the emphasis is on slow and steady weight loss I have been given a calorie intake of 2500cals per day which seems ridiculously high to me for weight loss but does appear to be working!!! I know I will need to adjust this is I lose but my main problem is being satisfied with the slow loss. I know it makes sense but having been used to the highs of losing 14 + lbs in a week it felt pointless, hence the googling!. Thanks for your article it has helped me put things into perspective.

  13. Oh my! I really love your article. I’m 22 yrs old,female,137lbs. I lose 3 lbs in 1 month. It was not what i expected,i expext more than that since I take my diet seriously and just have a cheat day on weekends,maybe just 2 meals. I don’t drink coke or juices. Nor eating chocolate. I tried drinking diet pills but i feel like its
    Not helping me. So my question is,Should i be happy with the 3lbs result,is it good enough? Or i need to do more. Am i overweight? I look forward to your reply since it seems like your honest enough to this article.

    1. 3 pounds in a month is pretty normal. I wouldn’t stress over it. I don’t know if you’re overweight since i don’t know what you look like…also that heavily depends on how you define “overweight.”

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