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Upd: 21.09.2022

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Full Guide to How to Lose 20 Pounds

You may be having an important event in a few weeks that may necessitate a 20-pound weight reduction; otherwise, the dress you intend to wear may be nearly hard to put on. 

Moreover, when you look at your appearance in your dressing room mirror, it shows that you’ve been slacking and getting out of shape due to the undesirable flab around your waist and arms.

The vast majority of us have experienced such in the past. So the question is, is it possible to lose 20 pounds in a month? The answer is yes. Keep reading to find out how?

What Do Experts Say on How Much Weight Can I Lose in a Month?

It is how many pounds can you lose in a month depends on diet, age, body fat percentage, activity level, genetics, gender, muscle mass, metabolism, hormones, and countless other variables, so the correct answer is a range.

A healthy amount of weight loss per month is 4 to 8 kilograms.

It is confirmed that weight loss directly depends on your body. 

  • If you are 100 pounds overweight, you may initially lose 3-5 pounds per week.
  • But if you are only 20 lbs of fat, your weight loss will decrease to 1-2 pounds per week.

This happens until you reach the last 10 pounds of stubborn excess weight to lose. Then you will notice amazing progress if you lose 1/2 to 1 pound per week.

Please note, that people who lose weight gradually and steadily (about 1 – 2 pounds per week) are more successful in keeping the weight off. 

If your goal is losing 20 lbs, see it as a journey, not a final destination. Then it will become your way of life, not an extreme weight loss that brings the fat back a hundredfold. You will learn new eating and physical activity habits that will help you lead a healthier lifestyle. 

The National Weight Control Registry noted that study participants who achieved over time weight loss reported improvements in physical health as well as energy levels, physical mobility, overall mood, and self-confidence.

Whats the most weight i can lose in a month?

It is a fact that the maximum amount of weight you can lose is about 20 pounds in 30 days (5 pounds each week). 

To achieve such a goal, you will most likely have to consume only 500-800 calories every day for 30 days instead of 1,200-1,800 calories as usually recommended by nutritionists to lose 1-2 pounds per week (optimal).

Diets of only 500-800 calories per day are classified as deficient calorie diets (VLD). Therefore, they are best suited as a medically supervised weight loss program for people with real health risks of obesity.

Scientists explain this as follows: long-term adherence to VLCD, in other words, maximum weight loss in a month, exposes a person to some health problems:

  • risk of nutrient deficiencies;
  • fatigue; 
  • gallstones formation in the gallbladder; 
  • hair loss, etc.

How to Lose 20 Pounds in a Month: On the Way to the Goal

There are so many ways you can achieve your goal of losing 20 lbs in a month.

And if not so fast: how to lose 25 pounds in 3 months?

At the heart of every truth about weight loss is consistency. Using the 20-pound example, you can expect to lose that weight in five months. Four of you are incredibly diligent. The truth is that most people can last three weeks, so you need to set yourself up for a lot of self-discipline.

All in all, losing 20 lbs in 3 months is quite possible. It will require an average daily deficit of about 1250 calories for three months.

There will be sacrifices. You will need to plan. You will need to adjust virtually every part of your day. Your likelihood of success increases if you have someone to support you. Find a trainer, coach, friend, or loved one. Behavior change happens in the context of relationships. Losing weight is, first and foremost, a behavior change, followed by diet and exercise.

  • Let’s take one situation as an example. A woman is 25 years old, passive, 68 inches (or 173 cm) tall, and weighs 210 pounds (96 kg). Nevertheless, she can increase her estimated TDEE from 2,095 calories to 2,700 calories per day if she adds moderate exercise. So a 1,500-calorie diet will help her lose 20-pound weight loss in 3 months, or at least get close to that since she will have a daily deficit of 1,200 calories.

Remember also that people who lose weight faster are usually those who are more overweight, to begin with. Similarly, TDEE scores are higher in taller and heavier people because they need more energy to move and maintain their bodies.

In other words, it can be difficult for people of short stature, who think about how to drop 20 pounds fast – and they may not even need to lose that much weight.

How to Lose 20 Pounds in a Month Without Exercising

So many of us want to lose 20 lbs of fat in a month without exercise, and it’s possible, and here is how to achieve that.

  • Slow and Steady Wins the Race

If you’re considering losing weight, don’t look for any form of crash diet. Although some crash diets  are easy ways to lose weight but don’t work, and when they do, it’s water weight, and once you start eating your regular meals, you tend to regain all the lost weight and even more.

  • Avoid Carbohydrate

Avoid any white carbs for 20 pounds in 30 days. Bread, rice, cereal, potatoes, pasta, and fried food are thus restricted unless consumed within 1.5 hours of a resistance-training activity lasting at least 20 mins.

  • Don’t Take Calories

Drink plenty of water, as well as unsweetened iced tea, tea, diet sodas, coffee, and other no-calorie and low-calorie juices. Milk, soft drinks, and fruit juice should not be consumed.

how to lose 20 pounds in a month

How to Lose 20 Pounds in a Month Without Dieting

  • Get Small Plates for Foods With High Calories

The average dinner dish is now more significant than a few decades ago. This trend could lead to weight gain because using a small plate makes quantities seem more meaningful. This makes you consume less, which can help you lose weight. A larger scale, on the other hand, can make a dish appear smaller, encouraging you to pile on more food resulting in additional weight gain.

  • Consume Enough Fiber-Rich Foods

Fiber-rich diets may help you stay fuller for a more extended period losing 20 lbs by increasing satiety. According to research, one form of fiber, viscous fiber, is very beneficial for weight reduction. It makes you feel full and makes you eat less. 

When thick fiber comes into touch with moisture, it produces a gel.  However, this gel expands the time it takes for nutrients to be absorbed and slows the emptying of your bowel.

  • Keep Off From Stress and Have sufficient Sleep

People frequently overlook sleep and stress when it comes to their health. Both have a significant impact on your appetite and 20-pound weight loss. The appetite-regulating hormones leptin and ghrelin may be disrupted by insufficient sleep. When you’re stressed, another hormone, cortisol, rises, resulting in weight gain.

  • Remove Sugary Fluids From Your Beverages

Additional sugar may be the sole most harmful element in the modern diet. Sugary beverages, such as soda, have been linked to an elevated risk of various ailments. Because liquid calories do not affect fullness like solid food, it’s easy to take too many calories from sugary drinks.

However, avoiding these beverages totally can have significant long-term health advantages. However, fruit juice should not be substituted for soda because it can have as much sugar.

The Main Rules for How to Lose 20 Lbs in a Month

If you want to lose 20 lbs of your body weight in a month, here is how to go about it.

  • Be conscious of the beverages you are drinking. Don’t drink any beverages without checking its calories content
  • Always eat your dinner earlier
  • Eat more healthy protein
  • Stay away from alcohol intake
  • Intermittent fasting 
  • And various exercises to tone your core and muscles

Is It Safe to Lose 20 Pounds in a Month?

It has already been mentioned that losing 20 pounds per month means losing 5 pounds per week. This is much more than the recommended weight loss limit. Therefore, it is worth noting that this is a way of losing weight that should be coordinated with specialists. 

If you arrange such a fat loss marathon, be aware of the side effects. 

Some serious consequences of drastic weight loss include:

  • MENTAL PROBLEMS 

If not handled properly, sudden weight loss causes negative feelings: from mental fatigue to extreme sadness, and even depression. Losing 20 lbs in a month does not give some people enough time to get used to their new bodies. 

In addition, excessive weight loss can also exacerbate pre-existing or latent mental health issues with body image. This can lead to problems with accepting one’s body. Therefore, this approach can lead to body dysmorphia, anorexia, or bulimia. 

  • LOSING MUSCLE MASS 

When you lose weight, you also lose muscle mass. It is the muscles that work with metabolism and determine the state of the internal system. 

You may not feel it, but losing a lot of weight in a short period of time disrupts the ratio of fat to muscle. 

  • DEHYDRATION 

The adult human body contains an average of 45-65% water. Muscles in particular contain about 75% of water. 

20 pound weight loss initially leads to a deceptive feeling of lightness and a decrease in body size. But often it is dehydration, which is very harmful to the body. It disrupts the normal functioning of the body and leads to thirst, dizziness, constipation, and fatigue. 

  • LACK OF VITAMINS AND MINERALS 

To lose as much as 20 pounds in a month, you most likely missed many meals. Therefore, you deprived your body of nutrients that are necessary for proper functioning. 

Malnutrition can lead to a deficiency of calcium and vitamin D, which are responsible for bone strength. 

  • DISTURBANCE OF ELECTROLYTE BALANCE 

These chemicals perform the following functions to regulate the functioning of nerves and muscles. They help to hydrate the body and repair tissue damage. 

20 pounds in 30 days can destabilize the proportion of these elements in the body. This will consequently lead to muscle cramps, muscle weakness, and irregular heartbeat.

  • THE WEIGHT CAN COME BACK 

When you run your body of calories, your body senses this as a threat, shuts down, and goes into starvation mode. To compensate for the loss of calories, your metabolism slows down and conserves what little energy you have. During this period of conservation, your body also stores fat. 

The Bottom Line on How to Lose Weight in 30 Days

Finally, Avoid obsessing over your weight; the numbers don’t matter. Your muscle mass weighs heavier but takes up less space since it is denser than fat. Because the scale may not reflect what you see by how fit you are, Drinking water and sweating will help you lose 20 pounds in a month quickly.

Lasta Authors

We are an Inspired team of writers who are passionate about writing on the topic of a healthy approach to Nutrition and Wellness. We are guided in our writing by our knowledge and experience as well as open official medical and health sources.

William Read - Nutrition Consultant

William is from Canada, he is passionate nutrition & wellness writer. William understands that the topic of wellness is still not well understood, so his goal is to enlighten and teach people how to live healthier and happier in their bodies.