How Much Weight Can I Lose In 5 Weeks? (Tips Included!)

If you’ve ever tried to lose weight in the past, you know it’s not easy. Knowing what to eat, how much to eat, what exercises help the most, is enough to make most people give up. The journey to weight loss brings a lot of questions, like how much weight can I lose in a week? In 2 weeks? In 5 weeks? Can you estimate your weight loss for a set period?

A healthy weight loss is considered a loss of an average of 1-2 pounds per week. Following this rule, you can lose an average of 5-10 pounds in 5 weeks. It is important to note that the amount of weight you lose depends on many different variables, including your current height, weight, age, gender, activity level, and genetics.

Although it may be frustrating not to be able to quantify your weight loss for a set period, especially if you have a special event coming up you were hoping to slim down for, you can help to control your loss on some levels. Let’s take a deeper look at some common things that impact weight loss and other common questions people have.

What is a Healthy Rate of Weight Loss?

A general healthy rate of weight loss is an average loss of 1-2 pounds per week. Keep in mind that this will fluctuate from week to week.

For example, one week you may lose 2 pounds, the next maybe only half a pound or none. Even if you are doing all the right things, you cannot control or predict the exact amount of weight you will lose and when.

There are ways to estimate weight loss. For example, a calorie deficit of 3,500 per week is equal to about 1 pound of fat loss. However, our bodies are a little more complicated than that. A calorie deficit is important in weight loss, but research tells us that not all calories are equal and that quality plays an important role in how that energy is used.

More research is still needed to fully understand how our body uses different types of food as fuel and how that can impact weight loss.

Can I Lose 20 Pounds in 5 weeks?

Yes, losing 20 pounds in 5 weeks possible. However, is losing 20 pounds in 5 weeks likely? For most, the answer is no.

Again, weight loss cannot be predicted for a certain period. Further, rapid weight loss, such as 20 pounds in 5 weeks can happen, but is often rare. Typically this would require a person who first begins their weight loss journey to make some very large adjustments in their diet and exercise routine.

If you are looking to work on losing weight and want to do so by creating a calorie deficit and tracking your calorie intake, you may be able to estimate your weight loss more closely, but it is not guaranteed.

With this, you just need to consider the 3,500-calorie rule. A 3,500-calorie deficit = 1 pound of fat burned. If you consume 500 calories less per day, that should equal 1-pound lost per week.

Daily Calorie Intake Before	Daily Calorie Intake After	Estimated Weight Lost per Week
3,000	2,000	2 pounds
2,500	2,000	1 pound
2,000	1,500	1 pound

Is It Healthy to Lose Weight Fast?

If you are looking to lose weight fast, the bad news is that rapid weight loss is not good for you. Rapid weight loss means going on a restrictive diet and losing excessive amounts of weight in a very short time. For example, losing 20 pounds in 1 week or 50 pounds in 1 month. This type of weight loss is hard on our body systems and is often a result of excessive restriction.

Another reason to avoid crash dieting to lose weight fast is that the results are hardly ever sustainable and will cause you to regain the weight and often more.

This type of “yo-yo” dieting approach can cause serious harm to your metabolism. This can make future weight loss, even when done in a healthy way, more challenging.

Not only that, but it can also increase your risk for various chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

How Can I Speed Up My Weight Loss?

The best way to speed up your weight loss in a healthy way is to incorporate a healthy diet with regular physical activity. The combination of both diet and exercise is the most successful, long-term, and healthy way to lose weight.

When incorporating exercise, be sure to include a mixture of strength training and aerobic exercises to get the most benefit. This is most effective for weight loss and general health because it incorporates exercises that help to burn more calories. Additionally, it creates a larger deficit for weight loss while also building lean muscle mass.

The more lean muscle mass you have, the more calories your body will burn at rest.

How Do Calories Impact My Weight Loss?

Although you do not have to count calories to lose weight, calories do play an important role in weight loss.

Overeating, meaning consuming excessive amounts of calories that our body is not burning each day, leads to overweight and obesity. You want to make sure you are consuming enough calories to meet your requirements daily but not to go overboard.

You can count calories to better keep track of your intake, or you can practice portion control and choose more nourishing foods to build your plate. A bag of chips, although tasty, is a lot less filling than a portion of fruit because fruit has fiber.

Choosing calorie quality over quantity can be another successful way to lose weight that doesn’t require you to count everything you eat.

How Does Exercise Impact My Weight Loss?

Exercise can be great for increasing your calorie deficit during weight loss. This allows you to burn more calories during the day.

Strength training exercises can also help to build lean muscle mass.

Not only does this make us stronger and feel more confident, but it also helps to rev up our calorie burn at rest which can make it easier to lose weight. 

What is The Most Effect Diet to Lose Weight Fast?

There are many different popular diets out there right now, including the keto diet, paleo diet, Whole30 diet, and the carnivore diet to name a few. Unfortunately, none of these diets are sustainable and some of them eliminate entire nutrient groups that can result in deficiencies.

Some are only meant for short periods, such as the Whole30 diet, and weren’t necessarily created for weight loss but noticed it was a byproduct.

One of the most popular of all these diet trends right now is keto. Many who have tried the keto diet do see significant results with weight loss quickly. Although that may sound promising, a lot of the weight lost initially is a result of water weight from our body releasing stored glycogen from our liver to make up for the lack of carbohydrates in our diet.

With that said, many still believe keto is the best diet around for quick weight loss. It can be said this diet is effective. However, it needs to be emphasized that it is not sustainable for most individuals and its long-term effects have not been clearly studied.

The most effective diet to lose weight will always be a healthy balanced diet, rich in whole foods and variety combined with a regular exercise routine. For those who really want a diet to follow that has research to back it up, consider trying a low-carb diet or the Mediterranean diet, which both have adequate research to support the positive health effects, including weight loss, and efficacy for long-term sustainability.

Which Foods Can Help You Lose Weight Fast?

Despite what magazines and Pinterest may tell you, there are no specific “fat-burning” or “superfoods” that can help you to lose weight fast.

With that said, there are foods to include more of that can help boost your weight loss. These foods include fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds.

In short, incorporate more nutritious foods for weight loss and general healthy eating. Incorporating more of these foods in and less processed snack foods or fast foods can help to reduce your overall calories without having to track, as well as increase your energy and make you feel good.

Should I Use Diet Pills to Lose Weight Fast?

There are many different diet pills on the market right now, including prescription diet pills that require doctor’s approval. Additionally, you can also purchase some of these pills over the counter.

The efficacy of diet pills is still being researched and, although it is tempting to find something that can help boost weight loss, often the risks outweigh the benefits.

Diet pills come with side effects and the potential to interact with certain medications.

Unless specifically prescribed by your physician, it is encouraged to avoid diet pills and instead focus on making healthy sustainable habits that will lead to a healthy weight loss.

Break the endless “dieting” cycle and focus on choosing healthy foods and moving more. You will be surprised how much easier it is to stick with than doing a keto diet or only drinking juice.