To wear beautiful skirts and have a perfect figure in summer, many women will choose to lose weight. So how many pounds do you want to lose? 5 pounds, 10 pounds, or 20 pounds? This number may be very simple for most people, but the fact is that because everyone’s situation and physique are different, the speed and degree of weight loss are completely different for everyone.
Even so, if we go online to search, we will see that many Internet celebrities give weight loss guides saying that we can lose one or two pounds a week. If your goal is to lose 20 pounds, then you may need 10-20 weeks to achieve your goal. This seems to take a long time, but it doesn’t matter, losing weight takes time and process.
Nevertheless, YES! In this process, we need to know that how long it takes to lose 20 pounds depends on many factors, such as our weight, health, sleep conditions, eating habits, and stress. Remember: the longer we lose weight, the more likely we are to stay the same. But if we want to lose fat quickly, it means we need strict strenuous exercise or a controlled diet, but this situation is not only difficult to stick to but also harmful to our body.
So before losing weight, we need to set a goal for ourselves, such as losing 20 pounds, and then see how our body changes after a while. If the body allows, we can lose another 20 pounds. To lose 20 pounds is not a difficult number for us, but if you set a high goal at the beginning, it may not be conducive to our weight loss progress.
So how do we record our weight loss progress? In this process, we try not to compare with others’ progress, because each of us has different goals and weight loss methods, so the progress will be different. Or you see that other people’s abdomens are getting flatter and flatter, or their clothes are getting more and more fit, but you may need to spend more time to get the same results. So we need to record daily data according to our actual situation, and then complete the goal to lose 20 pounds.
Related: Healthy Weight Loss Plan: How to Lose 30 Pounds in a Month
So, Can You Lose 20 Pounds Fast?
There’s no magic formula that will help you lose 20 pounds quickly, but setting a goal can help. Losing 20 pounds quickly can be challenging and may not always be healthy or sustainable.
First of all, in terms of diet. Avoid processed foods, sugary snacks, and excessive amounts of fats and carbs.
In addition, professionals also recommend: Creating a calorie deficit by consuming fewer calories than you burn.
Hydration is also an important aspect. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day is also a must to lose 20 pounds.
If we want to pursue a healthy body while losing weight, sleep is essential. Ensure you’re getting adequate sleep each night and managing stress effectively.
The Best Ways to Lose 20 Pounds
To help you lose weight quickly and healthily, we have listed the following suggestions on nutrition and fitness.
Count Calories
Counting calories can be an effective way for most people to start losing weight, as it helps you monitor your food intake and create a calorie deficit.
Determine your total daily energy expenditure by counting calories. Your TDEE accounts for your daily activity level. Multiply your BMR by an activity factor (sedentary, lightly active, moderately active, very active) to estimate how many calories you burn each day. Cutting 500 to 1,000 calories per day will typically result in a 1-2 pound weight loss per week. This will put you on track to lose 20 pounds in no time.
SUMMARY
While counting calories can be helpful, it’s essential to focus on overall health and well-being. Balance your diet with a variety of foods and ensure you’re getting enough nutrients to support your body’s needs.
Make Veggies Your Main Course
Vegetables are low in calories and are one of the most nutritious foods. Making vegetables the main focus of your meals can be a fantastic strategy for weight loss and overall health.
Aim to include a diverse range of vegetables in your meals. Different colors often signify different nutrients, so mix it up with greens like spinach and kale, colorful peppers, carrots, tomatoes, and cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cauliflower.
Replace high-calorie ingredients with vegetables where possible. For example, swap pasta with zucchini noodles (zoodles), use lettuce wraps instead of tortillas or bread or add extra veggies to soups and stews to bulk them up.
SUMMARY
By making vegetables the star of your meals, you can increase your nutrient intake, control your calorie intake more effectively, and support your weight loss goals healthily and sustainably.
Increase Your Protein Intake
Increasing your protein intake is an effective way to lose weight safely. Increasing your protein intake has a variety of benefits, including muscle building, weight management, and overall health. Safe and healthy eating habits are an important way to lose 20 pounds.
Opt for lean meats such as chicken, turkey, and lean cuts of beef or pork. For plant-based options, consider tofu, tempeh, lentils, beans, and legumes.
Dairy products like Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and milk are protein-rich. Keep protein-rich snacks on hand, such as nuts, seeds, protein bars, or jerky. These are convenient options to help meet your daily protein needs.
SUMMARY
Reasonably increasing the amount of protein is very beneficial for our weight loss. If you are not sure how much protein you need to consume every day, you can work with a professional nutritionist to determine how much protein your body needs every day.
Drink More Water
You will find that drinking a glass of water before eating will increase our sense of fullness and thus reduce eating. Staying hydrated helps regulate body temperature, facilitates digestion, and lubricates joints.
Drinking enough water can improve skin hydration and elasticity, potentially reducing dryness and promoting a healthy complexion.
Drinking water before meals can help reduce appetite and calorie intake, potentially aiding in weight management efforts. Water helps flush toxins and waste products from your body through urine, supporting healthy kidney function.
SUMMARY
Reducing the intake of beverages and increasing the amount of water you drink can quickly help us achieve our goal of losing 20 pounds.
Follow a Sleep Schedule
There is no doubt that good sleep also plays a role in weight loss. Following a consistent sleep schedule is crucial for maintaining good sleep hygiene and overall health. Following a consistent sleep schedule helps synchronize this circadian rhythm, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up naturally.
Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day helps improve the quality of your sleep. It allows your body to establish a regular pattern of rest, which promotes deeper, more restorative sleep.
SUMMARY
Adequate sleep quality can help us lose weight to a certain extent. During weight loss, we can use some methods to improve sleep quality, such as going to bed on time, reducing noise, etc. To achieve the goal of losing 20 pounds, good sleep is also essential.
Add Cardio to Your Routine
Incorporating cardio into your routine can offer numerous health benefits, including improved cardiovascular fitness, increased endurance, better mood, and enhanced overall health. You can choose aerobic exercise such as running, brisk walking, or cycling. Running is a great way to get your heart rate up and build endurance. If you don’t want to go running outdoors, you can choose a fold up treadmill and run freely at home.
Brisk walking is a low-impact form of cardio that can still provide significant health benefits, especially for beginners or those with joint issues. Whether indoors on a stationary bike or outdoors, cycling is excellent for cardiovascular health and leg strength.
SUMMARY
Aerobic exercise not only helps you get in shape, but it is also an effective way to help you lose 20 pounds.
Monitor Whether You are Overtraining
Although we want to lose weight quickly, we must also be careful not to overtrain. Monitoring whether you are overtraining is crucial to prevent injuries, burnout, and setbacks in your fitness journey.
So what is overtraining? It is when we continue to feel physically and mentally fatigued despite adequate rest.
If we overtrain, we may notice a decrease in our usual strength, endurance, or speed during a workout. We may have trouble falling or staying asleep even when we feel physically tired. A higher-than-normal resting heart rate may be a sign that your body is under stress.
SUMMARY
So we need to regularly check whether we have overtrained to avoid over-exerting the body, which may lead to side effects.
Bottom Line
Although losing 20 pounds is a difficult task, we can achieve it by changing our exercise, diet, and daily routine. However, we cannot rush for success in this process. If you want to lose 20 pounds in a month, it is not advisable. We should first set a small goal, such as losing 5 pounds this month and 5 pounds next month. In this way, we may be able to achieve the goal of losing 20 pounds better. Losing weight is a continuous process, so we must be patient and determined, and find a safe way to lose weight.
