Need to Lose 4% of weight in a month

Hey all!

I have to lose 4 % of my body fat in a month. Please help! I would appreciate any and all of your suggestions!

Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • pstegman888
    pstegman888 Posts: 286 Member
    Some stats would be helpful. We have no way of knowing if 4% is 3 pounds or 300.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Hey all!

    I have to lose 4 % of my body fat in a month. Please help! I would appreciate any and all of your suggestions!

    You mean reduce your body fat from say 44 to 40% or something else ?
  • DivineLotus
    DivineLotus Posts: 93 Member
    What does 4% mean to your exact weight? Are you just starting out or having you been at this for a long time?

    I am just curious as to how realistic it is. The best advice I've seen on here is that weightloss isn't linear or predictable. Good luck though.
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,630 Member
    1% a week is reasonable so slightly under 4 should be too if you are overweight.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    How oddly specific

    If you're 100lbs that's a lb a week, 200lbs, 2lbs a week, 300lbs, 3 lbs a week in weight

    In body fat % I would doubt that is possible in the slightest

  • RachaelClukey
    RachaelClukey Posts: 2 Member
    It's 6 pounds for me in a month.
  • Ladiebug710
    Ladiebug710 Posts: 133 Member
    6lbs of weight loss will not be 6lbs if fat loss.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Hey all!

    I have to lose 4 % of my body fat in a month. Please help! I would appreciate any and all of your suggestions!

    Thanks in advance!

    Why? What will happen if you fail?
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
    6lbs of weight loss will not be 6lbs if fat loss.

    says who? If we adjust for water weight flucations the OP could easily lose 6lb of fat in 1 month if the OP is big enough already.

    Anyways, OP, if you want to lose 6lb in 1 month, then eat at a 700 calorie/day deficit. Do that and resistance training and you'll lose 6lb of fat. Without more information I can't tell you if that is a good idea or not though. You don't want to eat less than 1200 calories/day to achieve this, and you don't want to lose over 1% of your bodyweight per week.
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
    How long have you known you need to lose this much by next month?
  • Ladiebug710
    Ladiebug710 Posts: 133 Member
    6lbs of weight loss will not be 6lbs if fat loss.

    says who? If we adjust for water weight flucations the OP could easily lose 6lb of fat in 1 month if the OP is big enough already.

    Anyways, OP, if you want to lose 6lb in 1 month, then eat at a 700 calorie/day deficit. Do that and resistance training and you'll lose 6lb of fat. Without more information I can't tell you if that is a good idea or not though. You don't want to eat less than 1200 calories/day to achieve this, and you don't want to lose over 1% of your bodyweight per week.

    I don't disagree that it is possible to lose 6lb of fat in a month, but you have to lose more than 6lb on the scale to do it. Every lb lost will be some fat, some water,and yes even some lean. You can minimize but not eliminate lean tissue loss with slow losses, adequate protein intake, and resistance training but you can never avoid it. Water losses and retention are highly variable and can shift rapidly with glycogen stores and dietary salt intake. Too many variables to say how many scale lbs would equal six fat lbs, and I have no idea why the OP is on such a strict deadline anyway. What happens at midnight on Feb 1st?
  • nutmegmace
    nutmegmace Posts: 2 Member
    If I had to guess, I'd say this may be related to a DietBet...their 4 week challenges are to lose 4% of your starting weight...if you do, you split the pot that you paid into with all the others who managed to lose 4% or more. I'm doing one right now which puts my goal at 6 pounds lost in 28 days. Last one I did I paid $25 into and got about $44 at the end when I met my 4% goal.
  • ashliedelgado
    ashliedelgado Posts: 814 Member
    Sounds like someone is participating in a dietbet... they are almost always 3-4% with in 30 days. You buy in for a $25 or so bet, and everyone who hits their goal splits the pot.
  • jessmessmfp
    jessmessmfp Posts: 38 Member
    This is clearly linked to a dietbet (dietbet.com) - lose 4% in one month. So she/he signed up for dietbet and needs to lose 4% of total weight in 4 weeks.
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    6lbs of weight loss will not be 6lbs if fat loss.

    This. If you are truly interested in fat loss, reduce your goal.

    If you are simply interested in WEIGHT loss, 6lbs in a month is doable, though maybe not advisable depending on your current size. Set MFP up to lose 1.5 lb a week, follow the calories it gives you, log everything. Again, that's really too aggressive of a goal for a lot of people, though.
  • jessmessmfp
    jessmessmfp Posts: 38 Member
    Eating at a deficit is really the only way to go. There are "tricks" to help you eat at a deficit, but at the end of the day deficit is the winning factor. Eating more vegetables, drinking tons of water will make you feel fuller with the restricted calories. Be careful with exercising - sometimes that can increase your appetite and you'll eat more than you burn off. I try to start off with gentle exercises - yoga, walking...keeping with my deficit. If I start running 5x a week -I'll not be able to control my hunger (Im weak?) and will forage the cabinet. Best thing to do is set yourself up for success. Know you will be tempted - so set it up so its hard to "cheat". Dont keep things you'll binge on in the house (like for me, I wont buy cookies/chips etc). If I want one, and it within my calorie limit for the day - I'll buy ONE. Not a family size bag, not multiples. Drinking lots of water make you feel full (and super good for skin/organs) - so that helps temptation subside at times. Eating large, waterfilled/fiber-filled vegetables (broccolli, cauliflower, bell peppers, cucumbers) will help you fill full with little calories.

    You need to find what fits for you. Plan ahead.