Search terms like “80 pounds weight loss” and “how long to lose 80 pounds” are increasingly common, given the fact that many people have a significant amount of weight to lose and want to know how to lose 80 pounds in 6 months or at least as fast as possible.
But how long does it take to lose 80 pounds? Are there guidelines for how long it takes to lose 80 pounds? What are the best tips for how to lose 80 pounds in 6 months?
In this guide, we will answer your question, how long does it take to lose 80 pounds, and give you our best tips and recommendations for how to lose 80 pounds as fast as possible.
We will cover:
- How Long Does It Take To Lose 80 Pounds?
- 9 Tips for How to Lose 80 Pounds Fast
Let’s jump in!
How Long Does It Take To Lose 80 Pounds?
If you are currently trying to lose 80 pounds or more, you may set an ambitious weight loss goal of trying to lose 80 pounds in 6 months or less.
But, how long does it take to lose 80 pounds? Can you lose 80 pounds in 6 months? Is it possible to achieve “80 pounds weight loss” on your own, or do you need weight loss surgery?
Let’s start looking at these questions and trying to answer how long it takes to lose 80 pounds in a safe and healthy manner.
First, let’s address the question, “Can you achieve an 80 pound weight loss on your own?”
The short answer is yes.
If you are committed to the best 80 pound weight loss diet and exercise plan, and you have at least 80 pounds to lose to reach a healthy body weight for your height and body composition, it is possible to lose 80 pounds on your own without weight loss surgery.
However, we won’t sugarcoat it: even if you follow all of the best tips for how to lose 80 pounds, losing 80 pounds is not easy at all.
An 80 pound weight loss plan takes consistent effort and commitment to change your entire lifestyle by following a healthy weight loss diet and engaging in regular physical activity.
That said, the benefits of an 80 pound weight loss plan are that you will feel like a new person afterward, not just physically but also mentally and emotionally, after changing your life, changing your body, and seeing the amazing weight-loss results you can achieve with consistency and hard work.
So, now onto the meat of addressing “how long to lose 80 pounds.“
We all want to lose weight quickly, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the recommended healthy weight loss rate is 1 to 2 pounds per week.
Because it takes a caloric deficit of 3,500 calories to lose one pound of fat, this means you need to eat 500-1000 calories per day less than you are burning.
If you are able to lose 2 pounds per week, you can then lose 80 pounds in 40 weeks or 10 months.
This may seem like a disappointingly long time for how long to lose 80 pounds, particularly if you were hoping to learn how to lose 80 pounds in 6 months, but when it comes to sustainable weight loss, slow and steady tends to win the race.
There’s no point in losing 80 pounds rapidly and then regaining the weight back or struggling to maintain your goal after doing all that work to lose 80 pounds.
Moreover, depending on your current body weight, health status, diet you have been following, and exercise habits, you may lose 80 pounds faster than 10 months due to a more rapid yet still safe rate of weight loss.
This is why working with a healthcare team can be beneficial to find the most effective way for how to lose 80 pounds as quickly as possible.
The more weight you have to lose, the faster you can lose weight safely.
The suggested amount of weight to lose per week of 1 to 2 pounds is based on the average adult needing to lose weight; if your BMI places you in the morbid obesity category (body mass index over 35 kg/m2), you can likely lose more weight per week safely.
Plus, it is easier to lose weight when you are significantly overweight because you will burn more calories at rest and while being active, which makes it easier to create the caloric deficit necessary to lose weight.
Additionally, if you have a lot of lifestyle behaviors to change, you likely have a significant amount of water weight to lose.
You may lose upwards of 10 pounds or more in the first week and a significant amount of weight over the first month which will shorten the amount of total time you will need to lose 80 pounds and reach your goal weight.
However, 80 pounds of weight loss in 6 months is likely overly ambitious and too rapid to be healthy for many people, so it is important to set realistic expectations that somewhere around 6-10 months minimum is more likely.
9 Tips for How to Lose 80 Pounds Fast
Here are some tips for how to lose 80 pounds as fast as possible:
#1: Count Calories
To lose 80 pounds, you need to generate a caloric deficit.
This means that you need to assess your basal metabolic rate, BMR, and total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) and then track everything you eat.
Losing 2 pounds per week requires a caloric deficit of 1000 calories per day.
You can generate this calorie goal by cutting calories in your diet, being more physically active, or a combination of both (both being the preferred choice).
#2: Drink More Water
Drinking more water improves almost every facet of your health, helping to increase your metabolic rate and reduce appetite.
#3: Remove Processed Foods and Sugar
Processed foods and sugar contain empty calories and can be deleterious to your health and increase appetite and food cravings.
#4: Bulk Up the Plate With Fiber
The best weight loss diets are high in fiber because adding more fiber to your diet will help you stay satiated between meals while also providing a host of other health benefits such as improved digestion, better gut microbiome health, and lower risks of various lifestyle diseases.
Good sources of fiber include vegetables, beans, lentils, and whole grains.
#5: Rearrange Your Plate
Focus on non-starchy vegetables filling ⅔ of your plate with lean protein taking up the majority of the last ⅓ with a small amount of whole grains or starchy carbs and healthy fats.
#6: Eliminate Alcohol
Alcohol contains empty calories, alters your metabolism, increases water retention, and can cause overeating.
#7: Be As Active As Possible
Getting a minimum of 60 to 90 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 30 to 75 minutes of vigorous exercise five days a week is recommended for weight loss.
In addition to regular exercise, try accumulating an additional 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day and moving your body as much as possible. You should also do strength training workouts twice a week to build muscle and boost your metabolic rate.
#8: Get More Sleep
Aim to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night, which is the recommended amount for adults to support optimal energy levels and regulate your hormones and metabolism.
#9: Seek Weight Loss Support
If you are looking for tips for how to lose 80 pounds fast, it is highly advisable that you work with your doctor, a registered dietitian or nutritionist, and perhaps a therapist or life coach, to help you on your 80 pound weight loss plan.
Losing 80 pounds is a long process, and there may be underlying reasons why you have landed at a weight where you need to lose 80 pounds.
Weight loss support in terms of finding the best weight loss diet for losing 80 pounds for your body, as well as emotional support and potential medical testing that could be helpful in your 80 pound weight loss plan, is generally the best first step in how to lose 80 pounds quickly and safely.
That said, although we wanted to present that as a disclaimer, it is still absolutely possible to follow a good weight loss plan and vetted strategies for how to lose 80 pounds and manage your 80 pounds weight loss plan on your own.
Take it one day at a time. You can do it!
To get started on a regular exercise plan, try out our 30-day walking challenge for beginners!
