Friday, February 14, 2020
Trying to lose 30 pounds in 3 months is a pretty ambitious goal, and for many people this can represent a significant amount of their overall body mass. But when you analyze the goal, and time frame, it becomes very achievable.
Ten pounds per month? Not unreasonable. 2.5 pounds per week? Again, not an unreasonable goal. This goal isn’t just wishful thinking, it’s well within the reach of anyone and everyone.
The following weight loss plan to lose 30 pounds in 3 months addresses four primary concepts to achieve your body weight goal:
1) Calorie Deficit
2) Diet Content
3) Intermittent Fasting
4) Exercise
Calorie Deficit
The most basic, and fundamental rule, of weight loss is creating a calorie deficit. There are hundreds of different diets for you to choose from, but one thing they will all have in common is the need to create a caloric deficit to influence weight loss.
It’s a math problem we can’t escape, lol.
Your body needs a certain amount of calories to maintain its body weight, and should you reduce calories enough it will no longer have the resources to maintain the current mass resulting in weight loss.
So, how much of a calorie deficit is needed? Not as much as you’d think.
You don’t need, and it’s definitely not recommended, to reduce your current calories by more than 30%. Trying a crash diet that slashes your calorie budget by up to fifty percent is insane, and not even remotely sustainable.
Making such drastic changes also results in a “yo-yo” type diet where you put the weight back on in subsequent weeks as your calories normalize.
A simple 10-15% reduction is a good starting point for your first month, with minor changes in month two and three.
Diet Content Changes
You can experience significant, and noticeable, changes to your body composition simply by changing what you eat. Without eating less, or exercising more. You can reduce body fat just by changing the foods you choose each day.
Your body fat percentage, and overall mass, are heavily influenced by the following foods:
1. Sugar
Nothing will wreck your body weight goals faster than sugar. Not fat, not protein, nothing. It has a direct influence on your insulin, and the role this hormone plays in converting glucose into fat.
2. Simple Carbohydrates
There’s a reason why fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods are considered so healthy. And it’s not just the vitamins and nutrients. The speed of digestion and how quickly those calories are released into your system play a pivotal role in weight management.
The faster something digests the greater influence it can have on body weight. Protein, vegetables, and foods high in fiber will digest slowly. Foods loaded with sugar, or lacking fiber, will digest much faster.
Foods To Reduce:
- Juice
- Sweetened Drinks
- White Flour
- White Bread/White Rice
- Refined Grains
- Cereal
- Potatoes (Sweet Potatoes are ok)
Need to Lose 10 Pounds Fast?
Try this three week diet. It has detailed meal and exercise plans to help you lose 5-7 pounds in the first week, and up to 20 pounds after three weeks.
Intermittent Fasting
One of the easiest, and most effective, weight loss concepts to implement is an intermittent fast. It’s a daily fast, lasting 12-16 consecutive hours each day.
During a short term fast you’ll experience increased growth hormone secretion, greater insulin sensitivity, and better blood sugar levels. All incredibly helpful for weight loss.
Exercise
Exercise, while good for your heart, isn’t as influential when it comes to weight loss as many believe. The amount of exercise needed to offset eating a pizza is comical.
Running full speed on a treadmill for twenty minutes straight, would barely equate the calories in one slice of that pizza.
So, when you’re trying to shed body fat, exercise isn’t the 500 lb gorilla that’s going to make or break your weight loss goal.
Calories, and diet content, will always be far more important, but exercise does have value when trying to change your body composition.
Prioritize your exercise choices with the following goals while dieting:
1) Preserve current muscle mass
2) Build new muscle mass
3) High Intensity Cardio
Something like exercising with light dumbbells can help you preserve your current muscle mass and metabolic rate. A more intense resistance training regimen, with barbells and a gym membership, will help build new muscle mass.
If you have time, and the inclination for cardio, choose something like high intensity interval training as studies have shown a greater calorie burn compared to more conventional exercises like jogging.
Trying to lose 30 pounds in 3 months is going to seem like a large hill to climb. But when you break down the goal, month by month, you can see how attainable it becomes. Below is an explanation of your per month goals.
Month 1
Calorie Deficit: Reduce Calories By 10%
As mentioned above you don’t need to reduce your daily calories to a bare “near death” minimum. This can lead to both mental and physical fatigue, and will have an adverse effect on your metabolism in the coming weeks.
Reducing your calories by 10% is a good starting point, with 15% being in the higher range of calorie reduction.
Calorie Example:
Calories prior to diet: 2,000/day
Starting calories for month 1: 1,800/day
Don’t obsess too much about needing to cut a high amount of calories, as you’ll experience strong weight loss effects through carb restriction and daily intermittent fasting.
Diet Content: Less than 60 g Carbs Per Day
Carb restriction, and low carb diets, are more than just trying to avoid all the sweets and goodies loaded with calories. It also influences your body to change its primary fuel source. Your body’s preferred energy is through carbs. It’s quick, and usually abundant.
Progressively restricting this source over the next three months will influence your body to tap into fat stores for energy, which is definitely what we want.
Start with 60 grams per day for the first month, and adjust a little lower as explained in the following months.
Good Carb Choices:
- Brown Rice
- Oatmeal
- Fresh Low Carb Vegetables
- Quinoa
- Fresh Berries
Good Protein Choices:
- Fresh Fish
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Lean Beef
Low Carb Vegetables:
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Zucchini
- Cucumber
- Asparagus
Intermittent Fasting: 12 Hours Per Day
Daily fasting will cause metabolic changes to speed up weight loss and help manage calories. Known, and well studied, effects of an intermittent fast include increased insulin sensitivity, better blood sugar levels, and increased cellular repair.
A twelve hour fast is the minimum recommended fast for weight loss. Fasting for shorter amounts of time are unlikely to cause meaningful metabolic changes.
Example Fasting Schedule:
- 8am – 8 pm (12 hours): Consume all daily calories during this time frame.
- 8pm – 8am (next day): Fasting. Avoid eating any calories.
Exercise: 2 Days Per Week
Need to lose 10 pounds fast?
Try this three week diet. It has detailed meal and exercise plans to help you lose 5-7 pounds in the first week, and up to 20 pounds after three weeks.
Month 2
Calorie Deficit: Reduce Calories By 10%
Example:
- Calories Before Diet: 2000/day
- First Month Calories: 1800/day
- Second Month Calories: 1620/day
Diet Content: Less Than 40 g Carbs Per Day
Reduce your daily consumption of carbohydrates by another 20 grams. This will likely eliminate most fruit and grains, as the portion size isn’t worth the carb content. Eat more low carb vegetables and lean cuts of protein to help feel full.
Eliminate As Much As Possible:
- Fried Food
- Fast Food
- Processed Food
Recommended snacks:
- Pickles
- Jello
- Sugar Free Popsicles
- Lunch Meat Rollups
- Lettuce Wraps
- Boiled Eggs
Intermittent Fasting: 14 Hours Per Day
While 12 hours is often considered the minimum fasting time frame for weight loss, a longer 14 hour fast will begin to provide very powerful metabolic effects. As you approach the later stages of this daily fast you’ll experience increased secretion of natural growth hormone.
This is incredibly helpful for both fat loss and preserving your lean muscle mass.
Example Fasting Schedule:
- 8 am – 6 pm (10 hours): Consume all calories.
- 6 pm – 8 am (14 hours): Fasting. Drink plenty of water or unsweetened drinks.
Exercise: 3 Days Per Week
Month 3
Calorie Deficit: Reduce Calories By 5%
You’ve likely reached a point in your weight loss journey where you’ve lost considerable weight, and body fat, but you have more weight you’d like to lose. The logical assumption is to reduce calories further, to lose more weight, but that isn’t always the best choice.
Most men shouldn’t reduce daily calories below 1500 calories, and most women shouldn’t reduce daily calories below 1200. If you’re nearing these thresholds it’s better to adjust other aspects of your routine like carbs, diet content, and fasting length rather than calories.
Example:
- Calories Before Diet: 2000/day
- First Month Calories: 1800/day
- Second Month Calories: 1620/day
- Third Month Calories: 1540/day
Diet Content: Less Than 20 g Carbs
As your body switches to using body fat as its primary source be mindful of trace carbs found in condiments and avoid artificial sweeteners as much as possible.
Some studies have shown consuming artificial sweeteners can influence insulin in much the same way as real sugar. It can also influence your appetite and sugar cravings.
Intermittent Fasting: 16 Hours Per Day
A daily fast of 16 hours is considered a high level fast, and optimal for fat reduction. If you’ve done well, and adjusted to the 14 hour fast, you’re ready to advance to the next level.
Example Fasting Schedule:
- 10 am – 6 pm (8 hours): Consume all calories in this time block.
- 6 pm – 10 am (16 hours): Fasting, no calories.
Exercise: 3 Days Per Week
Conclusion:
Combining the synergy of four weight loss concepts (calorie deficit, diet content, intermittent fasting, and exercise) has an incredibly powerful effect on body composition.
You can lose a few pounds if you simply reduce calories, or exercise a little more, but to lose 30 pounds in 3 months you’ll need to utilize multiple solutions to reduce body fat at a rapid rate.
Need to lose 10 pounds fast?
Try this three week diet. It has detailed meal and exercise plans to help you lose 5-7 pounds in the first week, and up to 20 pounds after three weeks.
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