Easy Diet Plan to Lose 40 Pounds
Are you wondering how to lose 40 pounds in 2 months? The search for quick weight loss tips and tricks is something that most people do especially if there is a big event coming up. The event could be anything from a wedding, a school reunion, a birthday or even a simple meet-up with friends after lockdown restrictions.
In this article, we will be tackling how to lose weight fast and naturally, diets that can help with this, exercises that can push your efforts into high gear as well as exploring whether it is possible to lose 40 pounds in just 2 months.
What Is The Fastest Way To Lose 40 Pounds In 2 Months?
Losing weight is never and will probably never be an easy thing. Trying to lose a large amount of weight in a very short timeframe makes the process that much harder. For proper, safe, and sustainable weight loss you must eat well, workout, and exercise patience. When it comes to how to lose 40 pounds in 2 months male or female, this number might be a little too high for what is possible and even healthy for you and your body.
Remember that the healthy amount of weight to lose per week is anywhere between 1 to 2 pounds, which translates into 4 to 8 pounds a week and 8 to 16 pounds in two months ( 12 ); which is still much lower that your goal of 40 pounds in 2 months. Even if you were losing water weight instead of fat (or even water weight and fat), you would still not be able to achieve this goal.
Read More: Lose 50 Pounds In 5 Months: Is 10 Pounds A Month A Healthy Weight Loss Pace?
Is It Healthy To Lose 40 Pounds In 2 Months?
No, it is not healthy to lose 40 pounds in 2 months. In fact, trying to do this is most likely going to cause you more harm than good, not only in the short-term but also possibly in the long run as well. If you were to look up quick weight loss tips, some websites and videos promising quick results will probably advise you to try some pretty unhealthy weight loss methods in a bid to help you shed this large amount of kilograms.
Some of these unhealthy weight loss tips could include options such as ( 1 ):
- Over-exercising
- Cutting out certain food groups, most probably carbs
- Diet pills and supplements
- To try crash diets such as doing a juice cleanse, the cabbage soup diet , celery juice diet , the grapefruit or even the military diet
- Taking laxative teas or purging after your meals
- Smoking to suppress your appetite, etc.
Side Effects Of Unhealthy Weight Loss
Such advice is not only unhealthy but also extremely dangerous to your mental and overall health. Some side effects of these methods can include:
- Cancer. Smoking cigarettes has been linked to several types of cancers including mouth and throat, esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, liver, pancreas, larynx, trachea, bronchus, kidney and renal pelvis, urinary bladder, and cervix cancer. It has also been known to be related to acute myeloid leukemia – cancer of the blood and bone marrow ( 13 ).
- Diet pills are known to potentially cause negative side effects such as increased blood pressure and heart rate, insomnia, nervousness, headache, nausea, cough, dizziness, fatigue, dry mouth, constipation, tremors, hot flushes, anxiety, as well as a dependence on the drugs that can cause withdrawal symptoms if you chose to stop using them ( 9 ).
- Laxative teas aka detox teas cause stress to your digestive system and lead to issues such as abdominal pain and discomfort, cramps, bloating, gas, and nausea. In worse cases, they can lead to heart attacks, strokes, seizures, and even death ( 15 ).
- Crash dieting and cutting out food groups can lead to nutritional deficiencies
- Over-exercising/overtraining for the purpose of losing weight can lead to negative hormonal changes and imbalances, reduced immunity, kidney failure from rhabdomyolysis, fertility issues and amenorrhea among other issues.
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How To Lose 40 Pounds In 2 Months Without Exercise?
As we have seen above, there is no healthy way to lose 40 pounds in 2 months. Some unhealthy diet methods such as cutting out carbs, healthy fats, or even using diet pills or detox teas will probably have you in hospital long before you achieve this goal.
If you were to adjust your goals to something more achievable, you could lose up to 16 pounds in a month. The best weight loss plan often involves both exercise and a proper diet. However, if you cannot workout due to one reason or the other, diet alone can go a long way in helping you achieve your goal. Here are some diet-related tips and tricks to help you lose a significant amount of weight in 2 months:
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Visualize It As A Long-Term Plan
As previously stated, weight loss is not an easy thing; however, many people tend to see it as the opposite. If you are wondering 'how to lose 40 pounds in 2 months' chances are that you are looking at weight loss as a short plan.
Doing this is what causes many people to fall off the wagon. Visualizing your goals as a long-term plan, adjusting your goals, making proper and healthy food and dietary choices is the only thing that will help you achieve your goals.
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Make A Commitment
Whether to yourself or to someone close to you, making a commitment helps you stick to your goals and see them through as it makes you accountable to yourself and those around you who know what your plans are.
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Decrease Your Daily Energy Intake
There is no easier way to lose 40 pounds without exercise than through reducing your calorie intake. Reducing your calorie intake by 500 to 1000 kcal a day will help you do this overtime, preferably longer than just 2 months.
Remember that in order for you to lose weight, you must burn more calories than you consume. Cutting down your food energy intake, even without working out can help you do this. After all, we burn calories even without even working out. Simple bodily functions like breathing, blinking or even chewing burn calories; the same as simple household chores or even typing at your computer.
Please take note that your daily calorie deficit should not be more than 1000. Doing this could lead to nutritional deficiencies and other physical and mental problems. While the recommended calorie intake differs from person to person, women are advised to not consume less than 1200 kcal a day while men should not go below 1500 kcal a day ( 4 ).
To determine what your food energy intake should be, you can use a reliable and reputable calorie counting app like BetterMe Health & Fitness app to do this.
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Add More Protein To Your Diet
Reducing your food energy intake will most likely have you feeling hungrier than normal, especially in the first few days/weeks. This could lead you to snacking excessively which cancels out your calorie deficit. A quick fix to this is by increasing your daily protein intake.
This macronutrient has been shown to help increase your satiety hormones while reducing the hunger hormones which keeps you fuller for longer, helps you eat less through the day and puts you on a calorie deficit. Your body also uses more energy to digest proteins which goes a step further in increasing how much calories you burn in a day.
Remember to always get your protein from healthy sources such as salmon, chicken, beans and legumes, tofu, eggs etc. instead of unhealthy sources such as processed meats, cheese, red meat, and more ( 10 ).
Read More: When To Eat Protein: Answering The Most Commonly Asked Questions About Protein Consumption
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Up Your Fiber Intake
Like protein, increasing the amount of fiber you consume in a day will help you lose weight as it helps reduce your daily food intake. When consumed, it takes a while to be digested and thus keeps you feeling fuller for longer.
Some high-protein foods that you should add to your diet include ( 3 ):
- Fruits such as berries, pears, apples, and bananas
- Vegetables like carrots, beets, broccoli, kale, and spinach
- Other foods like lentils, beans, chickpeas, quinoa, oats, almond, and chia seeds, among others
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Sleep More
With our busy schedules today and everyone trying to win in the rat race that is life, many people have started foregoing sleep. While working hard is great, getting enough sleep is also quite important and not just because of your mental health,
For those who may be unaware, there is a close relationship between sleep and weight. Not getting enough sleep has been linked to higher risks of obesity. When you do not sleep enough, you are more likely to feel more hungry and higher chances are that you will forgo your carefully meal-prepped healthy meals in favor of high-fat high-carb foods that are full of unhealthy fats, refined carbs and empty calories.
To avoid this, always aim to get anywhere between 7 to 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night ( 5 ).
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Avoid Overly-Processed Foods And Refined Carbs
Unlike popular belief, not all processed foods and carbs are bad for you. Only those that have been overly processed and refined are discouraged. The reason is because these kinds of foods are often stripped of their nutrients and eating them only gives you empty calories and no nutrients.
Such foods are also often full of added sugar and salt which only serve to increase water weight and fat in your body, especially around your abdomen. Excessive abdominal fat does not just create a muffin top, it has also been scientifically linked to chronic illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and dementia ( 11 ).
What Are The Best Diets To Lose 40 Pounds In 2 Months?
If you are looking for a 'how to lose 40 pounds in 2 months diet plan' then you are out of luck as no such plan exists.
As seen above, a healthy, calorie deficit diet is one of the best ways to lose weight. However, it is important to note that such a diet will not help you lose 40 pounds in 2 months. Consuming healthy wholesome foods at a calorie deficit of 500 to 1000 calories a day will help you lose 1 to 2 pounds a week, which with patience and consistency could translate into 8 to 16 pounds in 2 months.
Even with such information at hand, the temptation to try diets that promise quick and easy weight loss is high. Examples of such dangerous fad diets include options such as the smoothie diet , a juice diet, the soup diet , and more. While the promise of quick weight loss could make you want to try such eating plans please be aware that you could be putting yourself at risk of the following:
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Constantly Thinking About Food
Thinking about your next meal or snack is quite normal. However, if you find yourself spending minutes or even hours fantasizing about your next meal, then your diet could be doing more harm than good to you.
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Lowered Immunity
Reducing your caloric intake too much means that you are not consuming as many minerals and nutrients as your body needs. When you lack enough nutrients in the body your body becomes more vulnerable to illness; what's worse is that if you become ill, the disease could knock you down more than it would previously have because your body does not have the necessary 'tools' to fight against it.
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Hair Loss
According to one 2013 study, lack of proteins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and vitamins in your diet and body can lead to decreased hair quality, changes in hair color, or even hair loss in worse cases ( 7 ).
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Feeling Cold More Often
According to the findings of one 2011 study, calorie restriction drops the core body temperature in humans. Excessively restricting your calories will have you bundling up more even on warmer days/months ( 6 ).
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Fertility Issues, Especially In Women
Underweight women have been known to suffer from amenorrhea – the disappearance of periods and have a harder time getting pregnant. Men are also not exempt from this. Lack of enough core minerals and nutrients can hinder the production of the main male sexual hormone, testosterone, which can cause side effects low sperm production and quality, decreased sex drive and more.
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Chronic Fatigue
When you eat, your body, through its metabolism, turns any food consumed into energy that it uses to help you get on with your daily activities. When you eat too much, the body just takes what it needs and the rest is turned into fat and stored in the body. In case you do the opposite and severely restrict your calories, the body has nowhere to get its energy for you and thus you will end up being tired all the time.
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Starvation Mode
Also known as metabolic damage, is the body's natural and physiological response to long-term calorie restriction. When you eat too little for too long your body responds to this restriction by reducing how many calories you expend throughout the day. It does this to help maintain the energy balance between calories in and calories out in order to prevent death from starvation.
If you are looking for the best diets to lose 40 pounds – and you have increased your timeline to more than 2 months – some great eating plan options to include the Mediterranean diet, plant-based diets such as veganism and vegetarian diets, and the WW diet. You could also try intermittent fasting to accompany your diet of choice ( 2 ).
How To Lose 40 Pounds In 2 Months With Exercise?
As previously stated, while a healthy calorie deficit diet will help with weight loss, adding regular exercise to your routine will help you kick your results into high gear. So what are the exercises to 40 pounds in 2 months?
Sadly, there are no workouts that can help you burn that many calories in a day or a week to help you figure out how to lose 40 pounds in 2 months. Not even when you combine this with a healthy diet or even workout several times a day.
Working out several times a day, or for hours on end will not lead you to burning extra calories, instead it will only lead to overtraining which is accompanied with undesirable symptoms such as decreased performance during your sessions, plateaued progress, a loss of appetite, insomnia, lack of energy, lowered immunity, increased injury and pain in muscles and joints, irritability and unexplained mood swings, depression, insatiable thirst, as well as chronic fatigue ( 8 ).
The best exercises for weight loss include:
- Cardio workouts like running, walking, hiking, and swimming
- Calisthenics such as pushups, crunches, jump rope, chin-ups, pullups, lunges, squats, bear crawls, mountain climbers and sit-ups
- Weight lifting
All these types of exercise help burn calories during and even after the workout, help build muscle (which also contributes to burning calories), lead to weight loss and make you stronger. With that said, you will still need more than 2 months to lose 40 pounds.
How Many Calories Do I Need To Lose 40 Pounds In 2 Months?
The recommended calorie deficit for both men and women is 500 to 1000 calories a day (or 3,500 to 7,000 calories a week). Anything more than this could lead to the above-mentioned side effects like lowered immunity, hair loss, fatigue and weakness and more. While this deficit will not help you lose 40 pounds in 2 months, it is healthier and sustainable. Anyone who promises a deficit that can help you achieve this goal is lying to you and probably using it as a gimmick to take your money.
The Bottom Line: Is There Any Possible Way To Lose 40 Pounds In 2 Months?
No, there isn't. The answer to 'how to lose 40 pounds in 2 months' remains scientifically impossible, unless you were to do it through some form of weight loss surgery and a healthy diet afterwards. Please remember that weight loss calls for patience and dedication and that quick fixes never truly work especially in the long-term.
DISCLAIMER:
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any medical conditions. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!
SOURCES:
- 7 Things Never to Do to Lose Weight (2014, webmd.com)
- 8 Best Diets for Weight Loss in 2021, According to Experts (2020, prevention.com)
- 22 High Fiber Foods You Should Eat (2019, healthline.com)
- Calorie counting made easy (2020, health.harvard.edu)
- Insufficient sleep undermines dietary efforts to reduce adiposity (2010, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- Long-term calorie restriction, but not endurance exercise, lowers core body temperature in humans (2011, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- Nutrition and hair: deficiencies and supplements (2013, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- Overtraining | 9 Signs of Overtraining to Look Out For (2017, acefitness.org)
- Side Effects of Weight Loss Drugs (Diet Pills) (2019, drugs.com)
- The Best and Worst Protein Sources to Eat for Your Health, According to Dietitians (2019, eatingwell.com)
- The Risks of Belly Fat — and How to Beat Them (2015, webmd.com)
- Weight loss: 6 strategies for success (2019, mayoclinic.org)
- What Are the Risk Factors for Lung Cancer? (2020, cdc.gov)
- What Is Water Weight and How Do You Lose it? (2020, menshealth.com)
- What You Need to Know About the Purported Benefits and Side Effects of Detox Teas (2019, healthline.com)
Source: https://betterme.world/articles/lose-40-pounds-in-2-months/
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