How Much Weight Can I Lose in 3 Weeks?

By resorting to hard-to-maintain, unhealthy measures, such as fad diets, you can lose a lot of weight in three weeks. However, it's often muscle tissue and water weight that you lose instead of fat. Rather than feeling sluggish and risking your well-being and sanity, lose weight at a gradual rate that's easy to maintain. Doing this can still result in significant weight loss in three weeks.

Safe Weight-Loss Rate

Safe weight loss means losing no more than 2 pounds per week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2. This means that you can lose up to 6 pounds in three weeks. Losing weight at this rate requires that you make changes that are easy to incorporate into your lifestyle. Start by creating a deficit of 500 to 1,000 calories every day. You can achieve this through diet and exercise.

Effective Exercise and a Healthy Diet

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To lose weight, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends performing moderate cardiovascular exercise for 150 to 250 minutes per week. After losing the excess weight, exercising for more than 250 minutes a week might be required to prevent regaining it. To cut calories from food, eat smaller portions and compare food labels so you can choose nutrient-rich, low-calorie foods over high-calorie foods. Lean protein, whole grains, veggies, fruits and low-fat or nonfat dairy should be staples in your diet.