Losing weight has many benefits and that’s why many people want to drop a few pounds. The desire to lose weight usually intensifies during the months leading up to summer as everyone wants to have their summer body ready by then.
What most people fail to realize is that weight loss doesn’t work like that – it needs time, it needs you to invest a lot of energy, and it requires hard work and discipline.
In this read, we’ll look at the notion of losing 50 pounds in 3 months. Is it safe? Is it possible?
Can I Realistically Lose 50 Pounds in 3 Months?
Most people can’t realistically lose 50 pounds in 3 months without facing significant health risks. Weight loss should be approached in a healthy and sustainable manner, rather than focusing on quick fixes or crash diets.
Losing weight quickly may seem appealing, but it can have negative effects on your body and overall well-being. Crash dieting or extreme exercise regimens can lead to nutrient deficiencies, muscle loss, and even damage to your organs (1).
Rather than aiming for a specific number on the scale, focus on making long-term lifestyle changes that promote overall health and well-being. This includes regular exercise, eating a balanced and nutritious diet, managing stress levels, and getting enough sleep.
What this does is set you up for success in the long run, rather than short-term weight loss that may not be sustainable.
How Much Weight Can I Realistically Lose in 3 Months?
You may lose 8-24 pounds in 3 months through healthy and sustainable weight loss methods. Experts (such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommend aiming for a weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week. This means that in 3 months, you can expect to lose 12-24 pounds (11).
This number may vary depending on individual factors such as age, sex, starting weight, and overall health.
- Age: As we age, our metabolism tends to slow down, which makes it more challenging to lose weight (7).
- Sex: Men generally have a higher muscle mass and burn more calories than women at rest. This can affect the rate of weight loss (7).
- Starting Weight: People who are overweight or obese may experience quicker weight loss in the beginning than those who are already at or close to a healthy weight.
- Overall Health: Certain medical conditions or medications may affect the body’s ability to lose weight, which makes it important to consult a healthcare professional before you start any weight loss journey.
One underrated factor that determines how much weight you can realistically lose in 3 months is consistency. Consistently following a healthy diet and exercise routine will yield better results than an inconsistent approach (11).
Consistency ties in with sustainable habits, as crash diets or extreme exercise routines aren’t sustainable in the long term. You’re more likely to stick with a plan that is manageable and enjoyable rather than one that feels like torture.
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How Long Does It Take to Lose 50 Pounds?
It takes approximately 6-12 months to lose 50 pounds through healthy and sustainable methods. As per the recommended 1-2 pounds per week weight loss guideline (11), it would take approximately 25-50 weeks to lose 50 pounds.
This is a general estimate and may vary based on individual factors such as age, sex, starting weight, and overall health. Furthermore, weight loss is not linear and you may experience plateaus or fluctuations in weight along the way.
Is Losing 50 Pounds in 3 Months Safe?
No, it’s not safe to lose 50 pounds in 3 months. The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends losing no more than 1 to 2 pounds weekly (11, 20).
Theoretically, to lose 1 pound of fat, you need to burn approximately 3,500 calories weekly, which translates to burning off or cutting 500 calories from your diet daily.
To lose 2 pounds of fat, you need to burn 7,000 calories weekly, which translates to burning off or cutting 1,000 calories from your diet daily.
The recommended weight a person could lose in a month is 4 – 8 pounds (14,000 – 28,000 calories). Therefore, the healthy amount of weight a person should lose in 3 months is 12 to 24 pounds which equals 42,000 to 84,000 calories.
Depending on your starting point, even the higher end of that range could be difficult to achieve.
What Trying to Lose 50 Pounds in 3 Months Looks Like
50 pounds is equivalent to 175,000 calories, which means you need to burn all those calories in 3 months. Breaking it down to monthly installments, this means you would need to lose approximately 16.67 pounds every month.
16.67 pounds is equivalent to 58,345 calories. Breaking it down even more, this means that you need to burn approximately 4.16 pounds every week, which is equivalent to 14,586 calories.
This means that you need to cut or burn 2,084 extra calories every day, which is too many calories to burn in a single day in a healthy manner.
Aiming to burn over 2,000 additional calories is not sustainable. There’s no way most people can burn an extra 2,000 calories every single day for a long period of time. Remember that 2,000 calories is what you would need to burn over and above your normal maintenance energy expenditure.
Having such unrealistic weight goals may lead you to try different fad diets, which is not recommended. Fad diets promise fast weight loss by using methods that are neither healthy nor recommended.
A fad diet may have goals such as losing 50 pounds in 3 months. Fad diets are also likely to cause nutrient deficiencies or malnutrition (8). This is mainly because they recommend eating fewer than 1,200 calories in a day or only eating only one food such as eggs.
When choosing a weight loss diet, it is advisable to choose a diet you can sustain for a long period of time.
In addition, such extreme weight goals may lead to over-exercising. This is where you spend too many hours in the gym doing extreme workouts.
Our Meal Plans to Lose Weight blog has effective weight loss diet plans you can try.
Rest is essential for workout programs and working out this hard doesn’t leave room for rest. Apart from rest, working out this much is also likely to cause injuries due to wear and tear. Such working out is not advised.
The National Institute of Health recommends setting realistic weight goals, and losing 50 pounds in 3 months is neither a realistic nor an achievable weight goal (16).
The National Institute of Health recommends trying to lose approximately 5% to 10% of your total body weight in a period of six months (6). This is a more realistic goal that won’t have you trying weight loss approaches that may cause more harm than gain (16).
Read more: How To Lose 3 Pounds a Week According To Experts
Effects of Rapid Weight Loss
Rapid weight loss is not recommended. This is because rapid weight loss comes with many serious dangers and potential side effects to your health. Here are some of the dangers and side effects of rapid weight loss:
1. Harmful Weight Loss Methods
If you use any of these weight loss approaches, you put your health in danger. Here are some of these dangerous rapid weight loss approaches:
Starvation Diets
These are extreme diets that don’t support the body’s normal functioning and put you on a slippery slope to nutrient deficiency (13).
Any diet that recommends consuming less than 1,200 calories in a day belongs in this category and should be avoided by all means, unless under strict medical supervision.
Diet Pills and Supplements
There are many diet pills and supplements on the market that promise rapid weight loss. They either claim to block the absorption of nutrients, increase metabolism, or burn fat (13).
Some people who want to lose weight fall for these diet pills and supplements and end up putting their health in danger.
What’s even more shocking is the fact that various medicine regulatory bodies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) don’t regulate or evaluate the claims made by over-the-counter weight loss products. Producers of these pills don’t even need to prove that their products are safe or effective before selling them to the public.
2. Rapid Weight Loss May Cause Dehydration
This is one of the most common side effects of losing weight too quickly. When you lose too much weight too fast, there is a high chance that you’re losing mostly water weight (18). Various studies have shown that even losing 2% of body water can lead to things such as increased mental fatigue, nausea, dizziness, and apathy. In cases of extreme dehydration, there’s an increased risk of various cardiovascular conditions, which can lead to hospitalization or even death (17).
3. Lack of nutrients
As pointed out earlier, this can be caused by going on incredibly restrictive diets. Over time, restrictive diets can lead to deficiencies of important nutrients, which can result in a number of side effects such as fatigue, lack of energy, and a weakened immune system (1).
4. May Cause A Loss Of Muscles
If you don’t eat enough to get the required amount of nutrients, you’re likely to lose some of the muscles you currently have (1). Your body needs energy when you’re working out or doing your regular daily activities
Most of the time, this energy is generally provided by the food you eat and as you’re not eating enough, your body will have to break down the muscles you currently have for energy.
Losing muscles slows down your metabolism as muscles are metabolically active tissues, which means they burn calories even while you are resting. Slowing down your metabolism affects your efforts to lose weight (1).
5. May lead to loose skin
Loose skin is likely to occur on your abdomen, hands, and legs. The reason you’re likely to have skin hanging is because rapid weight loss doesn’t give the skin enough time to shrink with the rest of the body and this makes it lose its elasticity (13).
While this may not cause long-term health consequences, it can cause mental distress, as well as uncomfortable chafing. If after two years your skin hasn’t gone back to how it was, the only way to fix it could be through surgery.
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How to Realistically Lose 50 Pounds? Healthy Ways to Lose Fat
We’ve seen all the side effects of losing weight at a rapid rate, so here are some ways to lose weight at a healthy pace.
Cutting Calories Moderately
The concept of losing weight is pretty simple on paper – consume fewer calories than your body needs. Taking in fewer calories than your body needs creates a calorie deficit and forces the body to use the stored fat for energy, which leads to weight loss.
As previously mentioned, the recommended weight loss rate is 1 to 2 pounds per week, which is 3,500 to 7,000 calories. To cut calories, you need to find your basal metabolic rate (BMR). There are many online calculators that can help with this. You can also do the math yourself using the formulas below (1):
- For men, BMR = 66.47 + (13.75 * your weight in kgs) + (5.003 * size in cms [height] ) – (6.755 * your age)
- For women, BMR = 655.1 + (9.563 * weight in kgs) + (1.85 * size in cms [height]) – (4.676 * your age)
Once you get your BMR, you need to multiply it by an activity factor to get your total energy requirements to maintain your current weight (1):
If you’re mostly sedentary, multiply your BMR by 1.2
If you’re lightly active, multiply your BMR by 1.375
If you’re moderately active (exercise 3-5 days per week), multiply your BMR by 1.55
If you’re very active (exercise 6-7 days per week), multiply your BMR by 1.725
If you’re extremely active (exercise + have a physical job), multiply your BMR by 1.9
Once you know your total energy needs, if you want to lose 1 pound every week, you need to cut your daily calorie intake by 500 calories, and if you want to lose 2 pounds every week you need to cut your daily calorie intake by 1,000 calories. When doing this, you should make sure your daily calorie intake doesn’t go below 1,200-1,500 calories.
Further insight on this is provided in our Intermittent Fasting Macros article.
Working Out
This is yet another way of creating a calorie deficit. Working out helps burn calories and the body ends up using the stored fat masses to provide the body with the necessary energy. Different exercises are known for different things and this is why if your aim is to lose weight, you should include some cardiovascular exercises (2).
Cardio exercises burn the most calories. Examples of cardio exercises that burn a lot of calories include cycling, rowing, swimming, and sprinting. When doing these exercises, it’s important to warm up first as warming up reduces the chances of becoming injured (21).
Building Muscles
As discussed earlier, muscles are metabolically active tissues, which is why building muscles helps with weight loss. Just as cardiovascular exercises are known for burning calories, strength-training exercises are known for building muscles and strength.
Building muscles increases your body’s metabolism and promotes weight loss (9). Strength training exercises are an important piece of the puzzle for weight loss and should be included in any routine. Make sure to include more protein in your diet to support muscle building.
Choosing the Right Weight Loss Diet
There are good diets that can help with weight loss. Those that are most often successful are not too restrictive, which reduces the chances of them causing malnutrition. A good way of finding a diet that works best for you is to consult a registered dietitian.
Years of research on diets such as plant-based diets, low-carb diets, and low-fat diets have shown they can be quite effective when it comes to weight loss, so they may be diets to consider for your weight loss journey (12). Any diet you can stick to that helps you create a calorie deficit should work for weight loss. Usually, the less restrictive a diet is, the safer and healthier it is. Two of the most recommended diets by healthcare professionals are the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet.
You may even find that a non-diet or intuitive eating approach is better for you, which a dietitian can also help you with.
Reducing Your Alcohol Intake
Alcohol may deter your efforts to shed a few pounds. Alcohol contains what most people call empty calories. Empty calories are calories that have no nutritional benefit to the body, but they’re still calories.
Drinking alcohol increases your daily calorie intake and this can promote weight gain. In addition, it often increases your appetite, which can lead to taking in more calories and result in weight gain (3).
Drinking a Lot of Water
You should reduce your alcohol intake and increase your water intake. Water helps increase your metabolism, which helps with weight loss as you can burn slightly more calories. Water also reduces the intake of food (10).
If you drink water before eating a meal, you’re likely to eat less than you would without drinking water. This reduces your daily calorie intake and helps with your weight loss journey.
Increasing Your Fiber Intake
Foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains have a high fiber content and you should add them to your diet. Fiber promotes satiety, helping you feel full faster and for longer and reducing your calorie intake (6). Reducing your daily calorie intake helps create a calorie deficit, which leads to weight loss.
Not Skipping Meals
Although skipping meals may seem like a good strategy for reducing your food intake, it can actually hinder your efforts to lose a few pounds. Most people eat 3 main meals and a snack while others choose to eat 5 to 6 small meals, which is also fine as long as you don’t skip meals.
Skipping meals can increase your hunger and when you finally get to eat, you may end up eating more than you would have eaten before (20).
Read more: Lose 20 Pounds In 2 Months With This Expert-Approved Guide
FAQs
How much do I need to walk every day to lose 50 pounds?
The amount of calories a person burns by walking varies based on individual factors, as does the amount of time it takes to lose 50 pounds.
Aiming for 10,000 steps per day is a good starting point for weight loss. This recommendation is based on the concept of taking 10,000 steps per day to maintain overall health and prevent weight gain.
However, to lose 50 pounds through walking alone requires consistency and a significant time commitment each day. Incorporating strength training and other forms of exercise can significantly help with your weight loss efforts.
Will losing 50 pounds be noticeable?
Losing 50 pounds will be noticeable, but the degree of visibility may vary based on individual factors such as height and body composition. Someone who is taller or has more muscle mass may not appear to have lost as much weight as someone who is shorter or has less muscle mass.
In addition, weight loss can impact how your clothes fit and how you feel in your own skin. You may notice a difference in energy levels, mood, and overall confidence with a 50-pound weight loss.
Regarding which body parts will see the most significant changes, this is largely dependent on your individual body composition. Some may notice a reduction in belly fat, while others may see changes in their face or limbs.
Will losing 50 lbs leave loose skin?
Loose skin is a possible side effect of significant weight loss, but the extent to which it occurs varies from person to person. Factors such as age, genetics, and rate of weight loss can play a role in how much loose skin you may have.
Losing weight gradually and incorporating strength training into your routine can help minimize loose skin. Younger individuals may also have more elastic skin, which makes it less likely to sag after weight loss.
To minimize the chance of excess skin, it’s essential to lose weight at a slow and steady pace while also incorporating strength training into your exercise routine. Building muscle can help fill in any areas where fat has been lost, which will give your skin a smoother appearance. In addition, staying hydrated and maintaining good nutrition can help keep your skin healthy and elastic during weight loss (15).
Loose skin is a possible side effect of significant weight loss, but the extent to which it occurs varies from person to person. Factors such as age, genetics, and rate of weight loss can play a role in how much loose skin you may have.
Losing weight gradually and incorporating strength training into your routine can help minimize loose skin. Younger individuals may also have more elastic skin, which makes it less likely to sag after weight loss.
To minimize the chance of excess skin, it’s essential to lose weight at a slow and steady pace while also incorporating strength training into your exercise routine. Building muscle can help fill in any areas where fat has been lost, which will give your skin a smoother appearance. In addition, staying hydrated and maintaining good nutrition can help keep your skin healthy and elastic during weight loss (15).
Our caloric needs are highly individual and are dependent on factors such as age, sex, height, activity level, and metabolism. However, a general guideline for weight loss is to aim for a daily calorie deficit of 500-1,000 calories.
For example, if your estimated caloric needs to maintain your current weight is 2,500 calories per day, you need to consume 1,500-2,000 calories per day to lose 1-2 pounds per week. You should keep in mind that this is just a guideline, and it’s essential that you consult a healthcare professional or registered dietitian to determine your specific caloric needs for safe weight loss.
The Bottom Line
Losing 50 pounds in 3 months is not advisable and you should try to avoid such unrealistic weight loss goals. Make realistic weight goals and use the various methods highlighted in this article to lose weight in a healthy manner.
DISCLAIMER:
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circ*mstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!
SOURCES:
- 5 alarming dangers of extreme weight-loss you can’t afford to ignore (2023,activesgcircle.gov.sg)
- Aerobic exercise alone results in clinically significant weight loss for men and women: Midwest Exercise Trial-2 (2013,nih.gov)
- Alcohol and weight gain (2022,nih.gov)
- BMR Calculator (2019, diabetes.co.uk)
- Calories burned in 30 minutes for people of three different weights (2021,nih.gov)
- Dietary fiber and weight regulation (2001,nih.gov)
- Effect of Age and Gender on the Efficacy of a 12-Month Body Weight Reduction Program Conducted Online—A Prospective Cohort Study (2022,nih.gov)
- Fad diets (2023,dietitiansaustralia.org.au)
- Increasing muscle mass to improve metabolism (2013,nih.gov)
- Increased Hydration Can Be Associated with Weight Loss (2016,nih.gov)
- Losing Weight (2020, cdc.gov)
- Optimal Diet Strategies for Weight Loss and Weight Loss Maintenance (2021,nih.gov)
- Rapid Weight Loss (n.d., webmd.com)
- Risks of Losing Too Much Weight Too Quickly (n.d., livestrong.com)
- Skin health (bda.uk.com)
- Setting targets leads to greater long‐term weight losses and ‘unrealistic’ targets increase the effect in a large community‐based commercial weight management group (2016,nih.gov)
- The Hydration Equation: Update on Water Balance and Cognitive Performance (2014,nih.gov)
- The Potential Dangers of Using Rapid Weight Loss Techniques (2014, journals.lww.com)
- Weight-Loss and Maintenance Strategies (n.d., ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- What It Takes to Lose Weight (2003, aafp.org)
- Why Warming Up and Cooling Down is Important (2016,tricitymed.org)
