A common weight loss goal is losing 30 pounds in a month, or people hoping to lose 30 pounds in 30 days may ask: “How much weight can I lose in a month? Can I lose 30 pounds in a month?”
So, can you lose 30 pounds in 30 days? How many pounds can you lose in a month? What is a healthy amount of weight to lose per month? And what are the best tips for how to lose 30 pounds in a month?
In this guide, we will discuss whether you can lose 30 pounds in 30 days, what a healthy amount of weight to lose per month is, and tips for how to lose 30 pounds in a month or as fast and as safely as possible.
We will cover:
- Can You Lose 30 Pounds In a Month?
- How Many Pounds Can You Lose In a Month?
- Tips for How to Lose 30 Pounds In A Month (Or As Fast As Possible)
Let’s dive in!
Can You Lose 30 Pounds In a Month?
It is crucial to begin this discussion with how to lose 30 pounds in 30 days with the hard truth:
Normal, regular weight loss plans involving tailoring diet and exercise cannot and should not lead to 30 pound weight loss in a month for almost everyone.
There may be exceptions for those with extreme morbid obesity, who again should be working with a team of medical professionals, including a registered dietitian specializing in obesity diet plans.
Therefore, we just want to present the disclaimer that we are not recommending trying to lose 30 pounds in a month or doing a 30-day 30 pound weight loss challenge.
To lose 30 pounds in 30 days, you have to lose 1 pound a day every day of the month.
To lose one pound of stored body fat, you have to burn 3500 calories more than you are eating in a day.
This is unreasonable and significantly higher than even the daily caloric needs of most men and women, according to the USDA.
That means that you’d have to eat next to nothing every day and still burn upwards of 2000 additional calories, which is not only unsustainable and will disrupt your metabolism, increase the risk of injuries, and cause body systems to shut down, but it could also be fatal.
The only caveat is that if you have a significant amount of extra body fat and are clinically diagnosed as morbidly obese according to your BMI (body mass index over 35 kg/m2), you may be holding onto a lot of extra water weight.
Then, if you follow one of the best plans for how to lose 30 lbs in a month (which would involve a healthy, balanced, sustainable diet, exercise, and other lifestyle adjustments), you may be able to lose 30 pounds in 30 days safely.
This would be because a significant amount of the 30 pound weight loss would come in the first week and would be attributable to water weight that your body is holding onto due to the inflammatory state your current diet, lifestyle, hormonal balance, and health status is causing.
How Many Pounds Can You Lose In a Month?
We have laid out the disclaimer that the answer to the question: “Can I lose 30 pounds in a month?“ is generally no, so let’s turn to the positive and actionable side of things, answering: “How much weight can you lose in a month?”
Unfortunately, the answer is: it depends.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a healthy amount of weight to lose in a month is 4-8 pounds, which falls in line with the recommended rate of healthy, sustainable weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds per week.
However, the caveat here is that if you are just beginning your weight loss journey and have a significant amount of weight to lose, you will likely be able to lose more than 4 to 8 pounds in a month.
This requires a daily caloric deficit of 500-1000 calories, which can be generated by cutting calories in your diet, increasing your physical activity, or a combination of both.
The weight loss diet and exercise combination strategy is preferred for overall health and sustainable weight loss and weight maintenance.
However, your starting weight, your activity level, your current health status, how much you are willing to adjust your diet and how much time and energy you have to exercise, etc., are all factors that will affect how many pounds you can lose in a month.
If you are holding onto a significant amount of water weight as well as body fat, and you have been habitually following a poor diet with lots of inflammatory foods, simple carbs, sodium, alcohol, soda, processed foods, etc., you may be able to drop upwards of 10 pounds in the first week or so if you follow one of the best 30 pound weight loss plans.
The majority of this initial weight loss will be water weight because the best 30 pound weight loss plans help rebalance your hormones and reset your metabolism by cutting out inflammatory foods, both of which can help you shed a tremendous amount of water weight quickly.
All of this is to say that while it may take 3-4 months or more to lose 30 pounds for some people if you have excess water weight and can make a lot of adjustments in your diet and exercise habits, you may be able to lose 15-20 pounds in the first month of a 30-day weight loss program safely and effectively.
The more weight you have to lose, the easier it is to create a caloric deficit and lose 30 pounds fast.
Tips for How to Lose 30 Pounds In a Month (Or As Fast As Possible)
Restating the disclaimer that losing 30 pounds in 30 days is generally not safe for most people unless you have a ton of water weight to lose as well as additional fat and/or are guided by a medical professional, here are some tips for how to lose 30 lbs quickly yet sustainably and safely:
#1: Track Everything
If you want to lose 30 pounds in a month or as fast as possible, you have to be disciplined and know exactly how many calories you are eating and burning.
Track everything you eat and all of your activity with a good weight loss app.
The goal should be to achieve a caloric deficit of about 1000 calories a day if you want to lose 2 pounds per week.
#2: Cut Carbs
There’s a lot of debate about whether low-carb diets are better than low-fat diets or balanced macro diets for weight loss, but if you are looking into how to lose 30 pounds in 30 days, cutting carbs as much as possible will be the fastest way to shed excess water weight.
Each gram of glycogen in your body stores requires an additional 3 to 4 g of water.
Therefore, if you go on the keto diet or very low-carb diet, your body will burn through your glycogen stores and release all of the water along with it over the first week or so of your “30 pounds in 30 days weight loss plan.”
Note that this is not true fat loss, and if you eventually start eating more carbs, the water weight will come back.
However, if you need to know how to lose 30 pounds in a month or as quickly as possible for something more short-term, or you want to take advantage of some of the proven benefits of a low-carb diet, cutting carbs is certainly a great strategy for rapid weight loss (not fat loss).
#3: Eliminate Processed Foods
The best tip for how to lose 30 pounds as fast as possible is to cut out all processed food, sugar, alcohol, refined grains, fast food, high sodium foods, fried foods, and foods with chemical additives.
All of these “foods“ contain substances that are either addictive, increase appetite, alter hormones, provide empty calories, lead to cravings, or contribute to water retention.
#4: Change Your Portions
A good strategy for how to lose 30 pounds in a month is to rethink your plate and your portion sizes.
First, switch to smaller plates. Studies show that smaller plates can trick your brain into thinking you are getting more food than you are consuming, which may help you feel satisfied with fewer calories.
Then, change the composition of your plate, making at least 1/2 to 2/3 of the plate non-starchy vegetables like leafy greens or cruciferous vegetables. Make the remaining third lean protein and then add a tablespoon of healthy fats on top, such as avocados, nuts, or seeds.
Aim to eat as much fiber and protein as possible, as these nutrients contribute to satiety.
#5: Exercise At Least 30 Minutes Per Day
It is important to be as active as possible throughout the day, aiming for at least 8,000 to 10,000 steps. Additionally, try to get 30 minutes of aerobic exercise every day and try strength training twice a week to build muscle.
All of these activities will help burn calories, improve your hormonal profile, build muscle, and boost your metabolism.
Exercising will also improve your self-confidence and energy levels, helping you stick with your plan to lose 30 pounds.
#6: Get More Sleep
Getting at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night, which is the recommended amount for adults, is a good way to increase weight loss because studies suggest that insufficient or excessive sleep can contribute to weight gain.
#7: Drink More Water
According to research, proper hydration facilitates faster metabolism and can burn calories and control appetite.
Plus, drinking water will improve your overall health, which can decrease chronic inflammation and help your body shed excess water weight. Consider trying our 14 day weight loss challenge by drinking more water here.
