How long does it take to lose 20 pounds?

Walking is a great way to lose 20 pounds for many reasons, and knowing how to do it effectively will help you reach your goal weight in no time. Walking is enjoyable for most people, easy on your joints, and one of the safest forms of exercise. Many people find they can stick to a walking program long term which is essential for weight maintenance. The key to losing 20 pounds by walking is to set appropriate goals and understand the fundamentals of weight loss.

How Long Will it Take Me to Lose 20 Pounds?

At a weight loss rate of ½ -1 pound per week, it will likely take you at least 20 weeks to lose 20 pounds. Losing weight at this pace is safe and will help you keep the weight off long term. To accomplish a weight loss of ½ - 1 pound per week, try to burn an extra 250-500 calories per day by walking. If you find you're not burning this many calories by walking alone, simply reduce your calorie intake through diet in addition to walking.

How Often Should I Walk?

If you're a beginner, start by walking 3 days per week for at least 15-20 minutes. Gradually increase the frequency and duration of your walks until you are walking 30-60 minutes per day, most days of the week. To help keep your walks enjoyable try alternate walking indoors with walking outdoors, watching television during your walks (using a treadmill), or listening to music or a book on tape with headphones. For most people it's not walking they dislike, but becoming bored during the walk. Work walking into your regular routine and make it a priority.

How Many Calories Can I Burn By Walking?

The number of calories per minute you can burn by walking is determined by your body weight and walking pace. If you walk at a pace of 4 miles per hour (a common pace) you can burn the following amount of calories per minute: 120 lb. person = 4.7 calories; 140 lb. person = 5.5 calories; 160 lb. person = 6.3 calories; 180 lb. person = 7.1 calories; 200 lb. person = 7.8 calories; and 220 lb. person = 8.6 calories. If you plan to lose 20 pounds by walking alone, try to burn at least 250 extra calories during your walk per day. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds you'd have to walk at least 40 minutes per day at a pace of 4 miles per hour to lose ½ pound per week. If you're unsure of your pace, try walking on a treadmill to give you a better idea.

How Can I Lose Weight and Stay Toned?

Walking alone will definitely help you lose weight, however adding resistance exercise to your routine will help keep you tight and toned during your weight loss. Try walking with arm or ankle weights some days or interval train a few days per week (alternate power walking with moderately paced walks). On the days you don't walk, try lifting weights, Pilates or strength band training to stay toned while losing 20 pounds.

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It's human nature to compare ourselves to others (although, this isn't always best for us). We want to know exactly how someone else achieved the goal that we're looking to achieve so that we can follow in their footsteps. And this includes the time that it takes other people to achieve said goal.

The same goes for weight loss. Today, I'm sharing the truth on how long it actually takes to lose 20 pounds and 5 strategies for how you can ramp up your weight loss progress.

Related: 20 Simple Ways To Lose Belly Fat In One Week

As a Nutritionist, it's not an uncommon question that I get asked: "how long will it take me to lose 20 pounds?"

Traditional Nutrition knowledge will give you a very mathematical answer. It will go along the lines of this: "If you are in a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day, then you will achieve one pound weight loss per week. At this rate, you will achieve 20 pounds of weight loss in 20 weeks."

But guess what? They're wrong.

How quickly you can expect to lose weight depends on factors such as:

1. How much weight you have to lose

Generally, the bigger your weight loss goal is, the faster your body will utilize fat as a fuel source.

2. The types of meals you're eating.

Even if you're eating a "low-calorie" diet, you may still be eating foods that spike your storing hormone insulin, making it impossible to turn on the fat burning process called lipolysis.

3. The quality of sleep you're getting.

Sleep is almost equally as important as the food you're eating when it comes to weight loss. In fact, studies show that poor quality sleep significantly increases your risk of weight gain and obesity.(1)

The body is not this simple, and in all truth of the matter, there's no real way to determine exactly how fast you will lose weight. There are many factors outside of exercise and the food you eat that have a major impact on how quickly you will reduce your body fat percentage. (Note that I said "body fat percentage" and not "lose weight". This is a crucial difference and one that measures REAL results.)

Related: How To Measure Body Fat Percentage.

Examples Of How Long It Takes To Lose 20 Pounds

I do find that it's important to get an idea of what you can expect for how long it takes to achieve your weight loss goal. While following strategies that focus on the fat storing hormone insulin and reducing the frequency that it's secreted, here are some example results:

At age 54, Ron lost over 70 pounds in 6 months, which averages out to be a weight loss of 20 pounds in slightly less than 2 months.

Related: How Ron Lost Over 70 Pounds In 6 Months At Age 54

Monica, a first grade teacher lost around 25 pounds in just 4 months.

Related: How Monica Lost Nearly 25 POUNDS In 4 Months On ACCIDENT

Karola, a scientist in Canada, lost over 33 pounds in 6 months, which averages out to be a weight loss of 20 pounds in a little over 3 months.

Related: How Scientist Karola Lost Over 33 Pounds In 6 Months With Intermittent Fasting

So how do you lose 20 pounds and achieve your weight loss goal? Scroll down for my top 5 tips. (hint: counting calories is not involved.)

1. Up Your Magnesium Intake.

Chances are, you aren't getting enough magnesium. As a result, your sleep quality is likely suffering. Low quality sleep is strongly linked with weight gain and obesity... but why?(1) Sleep is the time where your body rests and repairs. If this process doesn't occur or if it doesn't occur the way it should (ex: poor sleep quality), then this can increase your body's stress hormone cortisol the next day. This up-tick in cortisol leads to fat burning mechanisms being shut off and increased weight storage around the belly.

Magnesium supplements and magnesium rich foods - such as almonds and pumpkin seeds - help to naturally boost your sleep hormone melatonin, which allows for deep, restful sleep.(2)

Related: 5 Intermittent Fasting Recipes To RAMP UP Fat Loss

2. Switch From Running To Walking.

Remember how increased cortisol can lead to weight gain around the belly? Too much running or even too much exercise in general can lead to excessive amounts of cortisol and therefore weight gain. Yup - your workout routine may just be working against your goals. Walking, on the other hand, can help reduce your cortisol levels and tap into fat burning mechanisms (especially if you can take your walk outside).(3) Get the science-y deets with the video below.

Related: How To Create Your Fat Burning Workout Schedule

3. Stop Counting Calories.

The theory of counting calories relies on the assumption that we KNOW how much we're burning everyday... which we don't. It also relies on the assumption that our body's are simple machines that equivocally burn energy on any given day... which it doesn't. Stressing yourself over trying to juggle these assumptions and continuously make stab in the dark guesses at how many calories you should be consuming is likely just going to increase your cortisol levels. And as we know, that's not a good thing.

Get the details on why counting calories doesn't work with my video on YouTube HERE.

4. Eat Avocado, Olives And Nuts/Seeds.

For a very long time, most of America was terrified of eating any fats for fear of gaining weight or developing heart disease. As we know now, fats have not only been found to not cause heart disease, (4) it's also a key aspect to weight loss! Fat acts on your satiety hormones - namely CCK - by turning them on and reducing your appetite. This helps to keep cravings in check and reduce the urge to snack on weight gain promoting sugar.

Try topping your salads or egg scrambles with avocado and pumpkin seeds. You'll even get that sleep inducing magnesium in, too!

Related: Fat Burning Cauliflower Rice Burrito Bowl Recipe.

5. Shift Into Fat Burning With Intermittent Fasting.

Intermittent Fasting increases fat burning without having to reduce your calorie intake. It does this via a variety of pathways, including naturally reducing the frequency that your body is secreting the storing hormone insulin.(5) This allows your body to turn on the fat burning process called lipolysis. With typical calorie restriction, you run the risk of breaking down your muscles at the same time as fat, which could lead to a reduced metabolism as a result. With Intermittent Fasting, the goal is to eat until fully satiated during your window to protect you against muscle breakdown while still reaping the benefits of increasing fat burning. That's a win, win!

Pssst - wondering what type of fasting is best for your goals? Click below for my free Intermittent Fasting Schedule quiz to find out!

Related: [QUIZ!] Find Out The BEST Intermittent Fasting Schedule For YOUR Goals!

Get the step-by-step, meal-by-meal details on how to achieve your weight loss goals with The Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle!

Get meal-by-meal guidance, 100+ recipes, 3 week workout plan, restaurant guide and MORE - all designed to help YOU achieve your goals!

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Your Nutritionist,

Autumn

Autumn Elle Nutrition