Can You Lose 15 Pounds in a Month? What to Know About Tips and Safety (2024)

Losing weight can be a long and complicated process. If you’re beginning to try to lose weight, it’s understandable to want to do what you can to speed the process along. Cue you searching online for advice on how to lose 15 pounds in a month.

Here’s the thing: The pace of weight loss matters can play a role in how well you’re able to keep off the pounds. “I always tell my patients and clients that your body wants to protect you,” says Jessica Cording, R.D., a nutritionist and the author of The Little Book of Game-Changers. “When you lose too much weight too quickly, your body thinks you’re in starvation mode.” Then, it takes steps to try to push you to gain that weight you lost back, she says.

But is it safe to lose 15 pounds in a month? And how long should it take for you to lose weight? Here’s what you need to know.

It’s not recommended. Going back to that whole bit about your body thinking it’s in starvation mode...when you lose weight too quickly, your body thinks you’re lost in the woods, foraging for food to survive, Cording says.

“When your body thinks that you’re not getting enough nourishment, it responds by slowing own your metabolism,” Cording says. As a result, you can end up gaining the weight back and possibly even gaining additional weight.

You also may not be losing weight where you want to lose it, says Gina Keatley, C.D.N., co-owner of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy. “When individuals lose this much weight in such a short period of time, they tend to have very low calorie intake which the body makes up for by burning fat and muscle,” she says. “This could be muscle from your arms, legs, liver, heart—the body isn’t specific on where it takes this from.” You can also lose glycogen stored by the muscles and water that was attracted to the glycogen, she says, noting that this is “not ‘real’ weight loss.”

It’s generally recommended that you lose anywhere from half a pound to two pounds a week when you’re trying to lose weight, Cording says. “Anything more than that runs the risk of going into survival mode,” she says.

It depends. If you’re planning to lose weight at the recommended pace, it could take anywhere from seven weeks to 30 weeks, depending on how aggressive you are about it, Cording says.

If you want a more concrete plan, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) has a body weight planner that allows you to input information about your weight, sex, age, and height, along with your physical activity level and goal weight. It can help you determine what your calorie intake should be to help get you where you want to be and at the pace you want.

Cutting back your daily calorie count will usually help if you don’t want to overthink things, says Albert Matheny, R.D., C.S.C.S., co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab and advisor to Promix Nutrition. “If you cut 500 calories daily, you will lose one pound a week,” he says. “That’s very reasonable—you’re not over-stressing your body.”

It’s important to pace yourself, says Keri Gans, R.D., author of The Small Change Diet. “Typically fast weight loss does not equate into long-lasting weight loss,” she says. “It takes time and patience to change and develop new healthier habits; It does not happen overnight.”

Experts say these methods can help you reach your goals:

• Be mindful of how many calories you have. Counting calories isn’t for everyone, but keeping track of how many you’re having vs. how many you’re burning can help create an efficient weight-loss plan, Cording says.
• Cut back on how much alcohol you have. “That can mean having a glass of water between drinks or just sticking to the recommended one drink a day for women or two drinks a day for men, and drinking less often,” Matheny says. “It doesn’t have to be major changes.”
• Fill your plate with fruits and vegetables. Starting your meals with fruits and vegetables, and adding protein and healthy carbohydrates like whole grains can be helpful, Cording says.
• Aim for a balance of macros. Every meal should have a mix of protein, healthy fat, and quality carbohydrates, Cording says.
• Revisit your activity levels. If you’re not exercising at all, Matheny recommends starting a walking routine and counting your steps. You can start with a goal of 3,000 steps a day and build yourself up to 5,000 and then 8,000 steps a day. Adding cardio and strength training to the mix can also help, he says.
• Try to drink more water. “Water is key because it helps to keep us hydrated,” Gans says. “Sometimes when we are dehydrated, we confuse it for hunger and eat instead of simply pouring ourselves a glass of water. Water also helps to fill us up at meal time.”
• Get the recommended seven hours of sleep. “Sleep is so important, as it gives your body time to repair itself,” Gans says. “A better night’s sleep will most likely aid in making better breakfast choices.”

If you want to lose a lot of weight and you’re unsure of how to reach your goals, Cording says it doesn’t hurt to check in with your primary care physician or a registered dietitian for help.

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