Is It Possible to Lose 30 Pounds in 3 Months?
It is, but it’ll require a significant decrease in how many calories you consume every day over that three-month period, warns Lena Beal, RDN, a national media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, where she specializes in weight management.
“It’s possible, but it’s an aggressive target that often comes with trade-offs in health, energy, and sustainability. It’ll typically require extreme, unhealthy calorie restriction or intense exercise, both approaches that most people cannot maintain without negative side effects,” she says.
Weight loss happens when you reduce your calorie intake below what you burn. To lose 1 pound, you need a calorie deficit of about 3,500 calories. And to lose 30 pounds in three months, you would have to create a calorie deficit of 8,750 calories per week — or about 1,250 calories per day.
Whether that’s realistic for you depends on your current caloric intake. Bear in mind, adults need an estimated 1,600 to 2,400 calories per day for women and 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day for men, according to guidelines from the USDA.
Calorie intake should not fall below 1,200 a day in women or 1,500 a day in men, except under the supervision of a health professional. If subtracting 1,250 calories from what you consume currently puts you below these levels, it’s not a safe approach to weight loss for you. If you’re already eating just 1,600 calories per day, for example, that would limit you to an unrealistic, unsustainable 350 calories per day.
A deficit of 500 to 1,000 calories per day is much safer to achieve a weight loss of about 1 to 2 pounds per week, according to Theresa Gentile, RD, who runs a Brooklyn-based private practice focused on healthy weight loss in women.
“This reduces the risk of deficiencies, gallstones, and other complications. It also increases your likelihood of long-term maintenance, because it’s not a quick-fix diet,” she says.
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