There were times when being fat was considered a symbol of beauty and prosperity. Now everything is different - they are trying to get rid of it in record time. To do this, they go on diets, torture themselves with fasting and fasting days, lock the refrigerator and see salvation in completely giving up their favorite foods and working out until they sweat. Especially often, both representatives of the fair sex and men are concerned with the question of how many kilograms you can lose weight in a month maximum. At the same time, health takes a back seat. And on the first - dreams of the ideal.
Gaining excess weight, especially if you tend to be overweight, is as easy as shelling pears - just allow yourself to be overweight, overeat and not watch your diet. But getting rid of fat is much more difficult. Of course, you can find many stories online, the authors of which claim that they managed to lose those hated pounds in a couple of weeks, almost on bread and water! Tempting, but hard to believe.
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This article will answer a common question: how many kg can you lose per month? And is it necessary to rush in such an important matter as losing excess weight?
How much weight can you really lose in a month?
Excess weight makes it easier to lose weight. The more a person weighs, the easier it is to lose excess weight. The hardest thing to get rid of are the last few kilograms, or rather two to five. The main thing is to lose weight correctly. You can't stick to a strict diet. Otherwise, health problems cannot be avoided.
Don't neglect training. Some calories are lost during exercise. Thanks to various variations of weight loss, including those based on proper nutrition without physical activity, as well as using training, gym classes, jogging and more.
How much can you lose without exercise and on proper nutrition in a month?
Losing weight involves the body first losing excess fluid. The two to five kilograms that are lost in the first week are not excess fat, but water. Fat reserves begin to disappear only from the second week. How much will be lost depends entirely on individual characteristics. What matters is nutrition, activity, whether there is a predisposition to obesity, hormonal levels, and health.
The exact indicators depend entirely on the individual. To maintain health and maintain weight, it is not recommended to lose more than 1-1.5 kilograms per week, which is about 200 grams per day. Strict restrictions allow you to lose much more mass. However, it will return as the body begins to store fat to have an energy reserve in case of starvation.
How much fat can you REALLY burn in a month?
On a vegetarian diet
It has some restrictions that must be observed:
- Absolutely any meat is prohibited, that is, from killed animals and birds;
- Strict veganism requires the exclusion of dairy products, fish, and eggs from the diet.
Such a diet provokes a deficiency of animal protein. Its deficiency leads to a significant decrease in muscle mass. Consequently, weight is lost not only due to fat deposits. A certain proportion of kilograms are lost due to muscles. The result of this can be dystrophy.
Digestion of animal fat and protein contained in meat forces the body to spend approximately four hours on digestive processes. If you stop eating meat products, your own reserves of protein and fat will begin to be used up faster. A person will begin to lose from 2 to 3 kilograms per week, but muscle fibers will begin to disappear along with them. By eating this way, you can lose up to 15 kilograms in a month, but still look unhealthy.
Adhering to a vegetarian diet is recommended for people with blood type II. This is due to the characteristics of the body, which better assimilates plant rather than animal food. For other people, such nutrition is not balanced, that is, it is contraindicated.
On a protein diet
It is considered most effective in the fight against extra pounds. Eating protein foods for a long time is not recommended. Excess of nutrients leads to disruption of the excretory organs. The monotony and imbalance of the diet provokes the fact that the body is constantly under stress and becomes vulnerable, which means that the lost kilograms can return again. Therefore, it is permissible to adhere to such a diet only for a short period of time.
By eliminating carbohydrates from the diet, weight loss occurs mainly due to the loss of energy reserves, that is, fat deposits. Muscle mass remains virtually intact by reducing portions, frequent meals, and getting large amounts of protein. The first week of a protein diet allows you to lose almost 7 kilograms if the excess weight is 20 kilograms or more. Then the excess weight will begin to fall much more slowly. The rate of weight loss will be from 200 to 250 grams per day.
Combining proper nutrition and exercise
Physical activity provokes additional burning of calories (both incoming and stored as fat deposits). Performing cardio training allows you to lose about 800 kcal per hour, which makes a significant contribution to the fight against excess body weight. Each gram of fat contains about 9 calories, which means that within a sixty-minute workout, about 90 grams of fat are lost, if you don’t also take into account the fluid that comes out with sweat.
To achieve maximum effect, adherence to the following rules:
- compiling a diet predominantly from protein foods;
- minimizing foods high in carbohydrates, especially fast ones, which include baked goods and confectionery;
- consumption of simple and complex carbohydrates only in the morning;
- compliance with the drinking regime;
- training three to four times a week;
If you run every day for 30 minutes
In half an hour of running, about 400 kcal are burned, but only if the load is correct. It assumes that the pulse must be rapid, that is, at least 120 beats per minute. If you calculate the amount of fat burned, it will be approximately 45 grams. It is important to remember here that energy from the fat depot begins to be consumed only 20 minutes after the start of jogging. The exception is running on an empty stomach. If you exercise after eating, only the calories you eat will be burned.
Exercise and weight loss
Complex workouts make no sense without a balanced diet and when you overeat. People who consume from 3000 to 4000 kcal per day, even while intensely exercising, can gain weight and not always muscle mass. This is due to a violation of the basic principle of losing weight, which is that the number of calories consumed should be less than those expended.
What if you don't eat after six in the evening?
This principle of nutrition works only in cases where you go to bed no later than 22.00. Fasting for four hours and then for another whole night sends a signal to the body that it needs to accumulate energy. Low-fat fermented milk products drunk before bed will not do any harm. Kefir, for example, perfectly satisfies hunger, does not contain carbohydrates, and therefore is not stored as fat.
No more than 1000 kcal per day
Proper nutrition, which allows you to lose weight and not plunge the body into a state of storing energy in reserve, requires maintaining a daily caloric intake of 1200 calories. If you eat no more than 1000 kilocalories, this will have negative consequences. Eating at this pace, a person sooner or later breaks down, and any excess immediately begins to be deposited in fat, and if you return to your usual diet, even more intensely.
1200 calories per day
Reducing the energy value of food is the surest way to lose weight. It all depends on the source of calories. If 1200 kcal comes from confectionery, you won’t be able to lose weight. The kilograms will begin to fall off if a balance is maintained between carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, that is, in a ratio of 30% to 20% to 50%. Sugar is definitely prohibited. If you eat a balanced diet, you can lose 4-6 kilograms every month.
How I lost 8 kg in a week.///My story
Waiting for a new life: without haste and risk
Why have diets, even the strictest and dubious ones, become so popular? Because people who dream of losing weight want to believe in the ideal option - if they lose excess weight, then immediately - in three, two, or even one week. However, this is impossible, because the body cannot adapt so quickly and give you results in a few days, even if spent without food or doing grueling workouts.
The process of losing weight is very difficult and takes time. If you follow a safe method based on proper and regular nutrition, it will take several months. There is no need to rush things - haste can have a negative impact on your health.
What are the dangers of the extreme measures we take when trying to lose excess weight?
- Excessively reducing your calorie intake slows down your metabolism.
- Cleansing the stomach and intestines, which many people use to quickly say goodbye to accumulated kilograms, leads to electrolyte imbalance and dehydration of the body.
- Artificially inducing vomiting threatens erosion of the esophagus and increases the risk of cancer.
- Excessive force loads wear out the body, causing injuries, weakness, and heart rhythm disturbances.
- Smoking as a way to get rid of excess weight is another common mistake of those who want to make their figure slim and fit. Instead, heavy smokers risk lung cancer, heart and vascular problems.
How much weight can you lose in a month if you safely avoid the methods described above and concentrate on proper nutrition? It all depends on what result you consider optimal. If you need to get in shape by getting rid of 4 kg, it will take you about a month.
And now the calculations: in a week on a healthy diet with daily calorie calculations, it will take 500-900 g, ideally 1 kg. So in four weeks you can lose 4 kilograms of excess weight.
Things will be completely different for someone who needs to lose 20 kg. This problem cannot be solved quickly; it will take more time. At the same time, throughout the entire period of losing weight, you will have to take care of yourself and follow certain rules that will help make all the changes occurring in the body as safe as possible for it.
What affects the rate of fat burning
Everyone loses fat differently, which is due to three factors:
- Food. Fat deposits disappear faster if you consume a minimum of fats and carbohydrates.
- By training. Thanks to physical activity, extra calories are burned.
- Metabolism. A slow metabolic rate means that fat is burned slowly or not at all. Exercise and proper nutrition can increase your metabolism.
If you follow these three rules, the fat will begin to disappear effectively.
Lessons with a trainer
The first and most important advantage of working out with a trainer when you sign up for a gym club is confidence in professionalism and constant control. You will receive advice from a specialist about training, lifestyle and nutrition. Having studied the characteristics of the body, the trainer will give useful advice and speed up the weight loss process. Training using the wrong method often turns out to be exhausting, but useless and ineffective. And this will only reduce self-confidence.
Most people who are losing weight have a well-developed instinct of self-preservation and a sense of self-pity. A coach will help you deal with this. When you come to train, you need to work hard to see the results. Every person who begins to get acquainted with sports has favorite exercises. And with the help of a trainer, you can create an individual training plan based on them, which will not only help burn fat and improve body contour, but also bring pleasure.
Weight Loss Standards
To lose weight without health consequences, you need to lose no more than one kilogram weekly. This allows you to maintain your metabolic rate, not harm internal organs, not lose skin elasticity, and also save energy to fight excess weight. If you follow this rule, the result will be maintained for a long time.
The main thing is to avoid the following mistakes:
- Starve. If caloric intake falls below the permissible norm, the body begins to accumulate fat at an even greater rate, which means that metabolism slows down.
- Avoid fats. Only trans fats are harmful, while unsaturated fats are healthy and necessary. Free fats, combining with molecules of unrefined oils, are removed from the body and speed up this process.
- Avoid salt. Adding flavor to food, if the water-salt balance is disturbed, it is capable of retaining excess liquid. Salt does not affect weight loss, but in order to preserve bone structure and prevent cramps, it must be present in at least 2 grams per day.
How much weight can you lose? In a week, in a month, in three...
Creating a workout program for weight loss
To understand exactly how to plan a workout, you need to understand the basics of the body's metabolic processes. Not a single gram of fat will disappear without certain conditions. The formula for success is simple - you should consume fewer calories than you burn during the day. And intense training will help with this. Note that this rule is only effective for people who do not suffer from illnesses that lead to fat gain. If you have had a hormonal imbalance, are an endomorph, or have problems with the endocrine system, you should consult your doctor before starting classes.
It is better to entrust the preparation of a training program to the professionals offered by the gym club. The slightest violation of the rules can lead to disastrous results. It is necessary to take into account age and health status, as well as physical fitness. You also need to focus on your life schedule to ensure effective weight loss, but not to deprive yourself of your last strength.
There are a number of mandatory rules when drawing up a weight loss program:
- Do exercises for different muscle groups.
- Alternate cardio with strength training.
- Never forget to warm up at the beginning of your workout and cool down at the end.
- It is more beneficial to do high-intensity cardio before your cool-down.
- Don't forget to stretch to avoid injury.
You shouldn't go to the gym every day. This way, your body will not have time to recover, and the excess lactic acid released after exercise will contribute to poor health. It is optimal to conduct 3-4 workouts per week.
How to count calories?
It is best to keep track of the amount of calories you are losing using a special food diary. Using tables of dietary fat and calorie content of foods makes it easier to track your daily calorie intake. The main thing is to take into account the exact mass of the portion.
Eating about 22-26 kcal per kilogram of your own weight helps you lose weight and stay healthy. Multiplying your weight by the norm allows you to calculate your daily calorie intake, taking into account the fact that the amount of protein per 1 kilogram of weight should be 2-3, the same amount of carbohydrates, and fat 1-2 grams. To calculate how much this is in calories, you can take into account the fact that for every gram of protein there are 4, carbohydrates - 4, and fat - 9 kilocalories.
What do you need to remember?
As you can understand from the questions above, the diet should include fresh fruits and vegetables. They are rich in fiber, vitamins and other beneficial microelements, which reduces the risk of developing non-communicable diseases. It is advisable to eat seasonal vegetables that grow in the region where you live. When choosing a diet, it is important to reduce the amount of fat. But do not forget that there are different types of fats, and this is also a vital element in the body. They are involved in the construction of cell membranes and hormonal balance. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce trans fats and saturated fats, which are contained in salad dressings, sauces (mayonnaise, ketchup also fall into this category), low-fat yogurts, milk, cottage cheese, confectionery products prepared with margarine, candy, fast food, quick breakfasts and etc. It is advisable to replace fried food with boiled or steamed food. Use only vegetable oils and avoid animal fats (butter, margarine, spread, lard for frying).
It is better to replace the cake or candy with an apple or even a banana.
The main enemy of BMI is sugar. You need to understand that it is contained in both fruits and confectionery products. And if in the first case it is healthy sugar, then in the second it is a direct path to excess weight. Accordingly, it is better to replace the cake or candy with an apple or even a banana.
How to lose weight correctly?
Losing weight requires compliance with several important rules that must be followed in order to maintain the achieved result and not harm your own health.
Proper and dietary nutrition
Any diet gives only a temporary effect. Only a complete revision of your diet allows you to stay in shape. This presupposes the absence of too strict restrictions so that there is no desire to break.
The following rules must be observed:
- eat small meals every three hours;
- be sure to have breakfast, since the calories incoming in this meal are the most important;
- snack on vegetables, dried fruits, dairy products, fruits, nuts;
- never overeat;
- do not undereat at night;
- do not eat carbohydrates in the evenings, with the exception of fiber-rich vegetables.
Physical activity
Fat burning workouts help you lose even more weight. The main thing is to choose the right program and loads. A professional trainer can help you create it. If you exercise on your own, you should run, ride a bike, do endurance exercises, and use cardio equipment. The duration of training should be from 40 to 60 minutes, and the pulse should be 120-160 beats per minute.
You should start practicing with a warm-up. Fast walking allows you to warm up your muscle ligaments. To avoid getting tired, you need to run at intervals. Five minutes of running and two minutes of walking. If jogging is done daily, then you need to exercise for at least half an hour. Hour-long workouts will bring results if you run at least three to four times a week.
You can't run on a full stomach. You should wait at least an hour after eating. It is forbidden to eat up your fatigue with fatty and sweet foods. It is better to drink water, and you should eat only 30 minutes after your run.
Expert advice
Nutritionists will never advise anyone to follow a mono-diet based on one or two products. Experts recommend not restricting calories too sharply. Otherwise, stress will lead to breakdown and uncontrolled overeating. You don't have to give up all your favorite foods. Once a week you can indulge in a salad dressed with mayonnaise, low-fat sour cream or kefir.
Professional fitness trainers note that many people, wanting to lose weight, train for two or three hours and then also fast. This does not allow you to speed up weight loss. Prolonged physical activity only leads to fatigue. A tired body does not release the energy accumulated in the fat depot, since it needs it for “survival”. Fasting leads to a decrease in metabolic rate.
Trainers advise moderate physical activity and good nutrition after exercise. Food eaten during this period of time, on the contrary, is quickly absorbed, restores the body, relieves fatigue, which makes the process of fat accumulation unnecessary.
What mistakes do people make when working out in the gym?
People who are losing weight are mostly shy and embarrassed to ask for help. This is the very first and, perhaps, main mistake when visiting the sports section. You need to develop self-confidence. Having arrived at the training center, you have already taken the first step, and you cannot stop. It is worth taking an introductory lesson and enlisting the support of a professional trainer.
With its help, you will master the basic techniques for performing exercises, become familiar with exercise equipment, begin to understand safety precautions, and protect yourself from the risk of injury. After all, even banal jumps, if the technique is not followed, can result in sprained ankles and serious ankle injuries.
Another common mistake is copying the exercises of those who constantly go to the gym. A beginner must develop rationally, starting with simple basic exercises. And it is better to select them individually. You can’t come to the gym and start working out chaotically. There must be a clear plan that you follow strictly. There are several key aspects when creating a training session:
- any lesson begins with a warm-up;
- if you need to perform strength exercises, you should start with them, maintaining maximum concentration;
- transition to compound exercises, for example, squats, deadlifts, bench presses, etc.;
- working out individual muscle groups;
- endurance exercises;
- hitch.
It is not a good idea to constantly change the program. If it is written by a professional, then you should stick to it from start to finish. Otherwise, the desired result will not be achieved. A well-balanced workout will not get boring quickly, and after 1-2 months it can be adjusted.
Don't start with difficult exercises. You need to increase the load gradually. But you shouldn’t stop there either. If you have no difficulty completing the entire workout and the program is easy, it makes sense to add more challenging elements to continue improving your body.
Beginners expect instant results. And, with a lot of excess weight, the plumb lines of the first weeks are really impressive. But, over time, the percentage of weight lost gradually decreases, which is why those losing weight become depressed. This is the wrong approach to training. We must remember that correct, and most importantly, healthy weight loss is a slow and gradual transformation of the figure.
To make it easier to mentally cope with the workload, set small goals for yourself, taking into account your own capabilities. When you achieve them, you will experience incredible joy. And this will stimulate further work. When you look back and see how much hard work you've put in, the thought of giving up and quitting will seem ridiculous.
Don't forget about nutrition. No matter how hard you try to lose weight by exercising, you need to stick to a healthy diet. Do not abuse alcohol, it kills protein synthesis.