Do you want to know how long it takes to reach your weight loss goal? One of the biggest questions you must answer before starting a weight loss journey is how long it will take to reach your goal. The answer to this question will help you to plan your diet, exercise, and natural activities. You must know some basic facts and perform simple math to answer this question.
To lose weight, you will need to be in a calorie deficit. A calorie deficit can be found by taking the total calories used and subtracting the total calories eaten. If you burn more calories than you eat, you have a calorie deficit. Use this calorie calculator to determine the total daily expenditure of calories you burn.
It takes 3500 calories to lose one pound of body fat. This depends on your ability to count calories correctly. While this may seem easy many people fail to count calories correctly as they forget to count small items that add up quickly, such as coffee creamer, condiments, and other toppings that make food and drinks taste delicious.
In addition to creating a calorie deficit, it is best to eat healthy foods that will prevent hunger, and cravings, making it easier to eat the right amount of food to burn stomach fat for energy. The right contribution of calories from your diet, exercise, and natural activities will also ensure you feel energetic and motivated to complete your weight loss goal.
So Let’s explore how you can determine how long it will take for you to reach your weight loss goals.
Level of Intensity
The first step of any weight loss plan is to determine the level of weight loss intensity. The level of intensity will determine how hungry you will be, how hard you will workout, and how active you must be during the day.
There are three weight loss plan intensity levels: conservative, intermediate, and aggressive. The conservative weight loss play requires you to aim for a 500-calorie deficit daily, resulting in a weight loss of one pound most weeks. Strive for 1000 calorie deficit daily for an intermediate level of intensity. In contrast, those who wish to be aggressive aim for a 1500 or greater calorie deficit.
Experts recommend an intensity level ranging from conservative to intermediate. This will help you lose 1 to 2 pounds safely each week. So here is the math behind these numbers
- Conservative Intensity: 500 calories daily x 7 days = 3500 calories. Don’t forget it takes 3500 calories to lose one pound of body fat. Therefore you can expect to lose one pound a week on a conservative plan.
- Intermediate Intensity: 1000 calories daily x 7 days = 7000 calories. If you divide 7000 calories by the 3500 calories needed to lose one pound of body fat, you can expect to lose 2 pounds weekly.
- Aggressive Intensity: 1500 calories daily or more x 7 = 10,500 calories. Now divide 10,500 calories by 3500 calories, resulting in a 3-pound or more weight loss.
Here is how to create a 500-calorie deficit each day using diet, exercise, and natural activities:
Diet – Cut 200 Calories
- Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. These foods are low in calories and high in nutrients, which will help you feel full and satisfied.
- Choose lean protein sources, such as chicken, fish, and beans. These foods are high in protein and low in saturated fat, which can help you build muscle and burn more calories.
- Limit unhealthy fats, such as saturated and trans fats. These fats are high in calories and can contribute to weight gain.
- Cut back on added sugar. Added sugar is a significant source of empty calories and can contribute to weight gain and other health problems.
- You can expect hunger once or twice a day with some cravings, but it can be reduced when you drink water with or without lemons for flavor and eat foods high in fiber and protein.
Exercise – Add 200 Calories
- Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week. This can include exercises such as walking at a quick pace, swimming, or biking.
- If you’re new to exercise, gradually increase your workouts’ intensity and duration.
- Choose activities that you enjoy and that you’ll stick with.
Natural Activities – Add 100 Calories
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Park further away from your destination and walk the rest of the way.
- Get up and move around every 20-30 minutes during the day.
- Do yard work or other chores around the house.
- Play with your kids or pets.
Following these tips, you can create a 500-calorie deficit daily and lose weight safely and effectively.
It’s important to note that everyone is different, so the amount of calories you need to eat to lose weight will vary. Talking to your doctor before starting any new diet or exercise program is also important.
Here is how to create a 1000-calorie deficit each day using diet, exercise, and natural activities:
Diet – Cut 500 Calories
- Eat plenty of vegetables and some fruits and whole grains. These foods are low in calories and high in nutrients, which will help you feel full and satisfied.
- Choose lean protein sources, such as chicken, fish, and beans. These foods are high in protein and low in saturated fat, which can help you build muscle and burn more calories.
- Eat unhealthy fats, such as saturated and trans fats, once or twice weekly. These fats are high in calories and can contribute to weight gain.
- Occasionally eat added sugar. Added sugar is a significant source of empty calories and can contribute to weight gain and other health problems.
- You can expect hunger three to five times a day with cravings, but it can be reduced when you drink water with or without lemons for flavor, plan your fasting around sleep, and eat breakfast foods high in fiber and protein.
Exercise – Add 400 Calories
- Aim for at least 60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week.
- If you’re new to exercise, gradually increase your workouts’ intensity and duration.
- Choose activities that you enjoy and that you’ll stick with.
- Add strength training to your routine. Strength training can help you build muscle and burn more calories at rest.
Natural Activities – Add 100 Calories
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Park further away from your destination and walk the rest of the way.
- Get up and move around every 20-30 minutes during the day.
- Do yard work or other chores around the house.
- Play with your kids or pets.
Following these tips, you can create a 1000-calorie deficit daily and lose weight safely and effectively.
It’s important to note that everyone is different, so the amount of calories you need to eat to lose weight will vary. Talking to your doctor before starting any new diet or exercise program is also important.
Here is how to create a 1500-calorie deficit each day using diet, exercise, and natural activities:
Diet – Cut 500 Calories or More
- Eat plenty of vegetables while occasionally eating fruits and whole grains. These foods are low in calories and high in nutrients, which will help you feel full and satisfied. Some examples include apples, oranges, bananas, broccoli, carrots, brown rice, and quinoa.
- Choose lean protein sources, such as chicken, fish, and beans. These foods are high in protein and low in saturated fat, which can help you build muscle and burn more calories. Some examples include grilled chicken breast, salmon, tofu, and black beans.
- Eliminate unhealthy fats, such as saturated and trans fats. These fats are high in calories and can contribute to weight gain. Some unhealthy fats include butter, lard, shortening, and coconut oil.
- Eliminate added sugar. Added sugar is a significant source of empty calories and can contribute to weight gain and other health problems. Some examples of added sugar include soda, candy, and baked goods.
- You can expect hunger throughout the day with cravings that can be reduced when you drink water with or without lemons for flavor, plan your fasting and diet around sleep, and eat foods high in fiber and protein.
Exercise – Add 500 Calories or More
- Aim for at least 60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week. Moderate to high-intensity exercise means you can talk in complete sentences, but it is difficult. Some moderate to high-intensity exercise examples include running, cycling, Zuma, and high-intensity interval training.
- If you’re new to exercise, gradually increase your workouts’ intensity and duration.
- Choose activities that you enjoy and that you’ll stick with. This will help you make exercise a part of your lifestyle.
- Add strength training to your routine. Strength training can help you build muscle and burn more calories at rest. Some examples of strength training include lifting weights, using resistance bands, and doing bodyweight exercises.
Natural Activities – Add 500 Calories or More
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Park further away from your destination and walk the rest of the way. Walk at least 10,000 steps daily.
- Get up and move around every 3-5 hours during the day.
- Do yard work or other chores around the house.
- Play with your kids or pets.
Following these tips, you can create a 1500-calorie deficit daily and lose weight safely and effectively.
Example of How to Determine How Long It Takes to Reach Your Weight Loss Goals
To determine how long it takes to reach your weight loss goals, you must convert the weight you want to lose to calories. To convert the weight you want to lose to calories, you must multiply it by 3500 calories because that is how many calories it takes to lose a pound of body fat. Therefore, if you want to lose 25 pounds, multiply it by 3500 calories, requiring you to burn 87,500 calories (25 pounds x 3500 calories).
You can always use 3500 calories to convert pounds to calories or to convert calories to pounds. However, you would need to use division instead of multiplication to convert calories back to pounds. Therefore the same 87,500 calories divided by 3500 calories would bring you back to 25 pounds (87,5000 calories / 3500 calories).
Third, divide your calories to lose weight by the calorie deficit you intend to create. Let’s say you don’t tolerate hunger pains or cravings, but you are very patient. You would select the conservative weight loss intensity plan. This means you would attempt to create a 500-calorie deficit daily. Therefore if you needed to lose 25 pounds, equal to 87,500 calories (25 pounds x 3500), you would divide the 87,500 calories by a 500-calorie deficit to get the days it would take to lose the weight.
According to the conservative weight loss intensity plan, it would take 175 days (87,500 total calories / 500 calorie deficit). You could then divide the 175 days by seven days to determine how many weeks it would take. The number of weeks would be 25 ( 175 days / 7 days). Since there are 52 weeks a year, you could expect to take about half a year (52 weeks / 2 = 26 weeks) to reach your goal.
The Final Word on How Long It Takes to Reach Your Weight Loss Goal
You must know a few facts when determining how long it takes to reach your weight loss goal. While some are personal, others or factual. Here is a list of the facts you must know:
- Discipline and Patience Level
- Desire to Reach Goal
- Support System and Environment
- How to Convert Pounds to Calories
- How many Days it Takes to Reach the Weight Loss Goal
- Foods, Exercises, and Activities to Use
- Personal Biometrics such as weight, BMI, metabolism, and physical performance
While weight loss is as easy as eating less and moving more, how you do it is up to you. Your long-term success is determined by how well you know yourself. It takes discipline, sacrifice, and motivation to stay and complete a weight loss journey.
If you eat less and move more, you will lose weight. This rule is based on the laws of thermodynamics. Therefore start your journal by slowly eating less and moving more each day. You can do this by reducing or eliminating your favorite snacks or drinks and walking more or standing during the day. The more you do, the faster you will lose the weight.
If you are on a weight loss journey, share this article on Facebook or Twitter to help others learn more about losing weight.
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