Losing weight is a tough process, and it works best when there is a permanent aspect to it. Although it is possible to drop up to 20 pounds a month through changes in your eating habits alone, you're likely to find the process easier and have more lasting success if you move at a gradual pace and make a series of small adjustments that you can keep up indefinitely.
BASICS
To lose 20 pounds within a month, you must build up a significant calorie deficit. You can do that by dramatically reducing your portion sizes at meals and snacks and choosing lighter, lower-calorie foods. Burning or saving 3,500 calories equals one pound of weight loss. Thus, you can lose 1 pound per week by cutting 500 calories per day from your diet. Unless you normally eat more than 3,000 calories daily, however, it's not possible to cut 2,000 calories per day from what you eat. Instead, you can follow a medically supervised weight loss program or participate in vigorous exercise in addition to cutting a large number of calories.
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RISKS
There are significant risks involved in severely cutting calories without medical supervision. The National Institutes of Health recommends that men eat no fewer than 1,500 calories per day and women eat no fewer than 1,200. Eating less than that could result in nutrient deficiencies, fatigue, dizziness or other health problems. Quick weight loss is another health issue. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if you lose more than 2 pounds per week, you are less likely to keep the weight off over time.
MEDICAL PROGRAM
A medically supervised weight loss program, however, can be a safe way to take off as many as 5 pounds per week. According to the Weight Control Information Network, people following medically supervised very low-calorie diets eat only 800 or fewer calories per day. Often their eating plans consist of one low-calorie meal daily and two low-calorie meal replacements in the form of light shakes or fortified bars.
SAMPLE DAILY PLAN
A 500-calorie daily diet can enable you to lose close to 5 pounds per week. A sample daily plan with that calorie goal might include 1 cup of nonfat plain yogurt for breakfast, which has about 100 calories. For lunch, you could have one 200-calorie meal replacement shake. Dinner could be another shake or 1 cup of cooked wild rice. You could also have 1/2 cup of fresh raspberries or strawberries as a snack at some point during the day; with exercise or a slower pace of weight loss, you'd be able to eat significantly more food and still slim down.
CONSIDERATIONS
Losing weight quickly can involve putting your health at risk. The results may not be lasting, and you may not be able to keep up such a strict meal plan for an entire month. To prioritize your safety, always check with your doctor before starting any new plan for weight loss.
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