How Much Weight Can You Lose in a Year?

Trying to lose a lot of weight in a short period of time is a bad idea. It's not a healthy approach to weight loss. Worse, if you lose weight fast, the odds are very high that you will simply gain back the pounds you lost.

So if you are thinking of weight loss in terms of a year, you are on the right track. Slow weight loss (i.e., 1 to 2 pounds per week) can be achieved in a healthy manner, and you'll build habits that will help you keep the weight off permanently.

Before you start, get to know an ideal weight for your body, and always talk to your doctor before starting a weight-loss plan to make sure it's the right decision for you and to discuss any health issues you should keep in mind during your journey.

Here are some tips to help you get started.

To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit, meaning you're burning more calories than you're taking in.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests aiming to lose between 1 and 2 pounds per week, which means you'd need to create a calorie deficit of 500 to 1,000 calories per day, or 3,500 per week.

(Note: This is just an estimate. Not everyone will lose 1 to 2 pounds per week; weight loss depends on other factors like your body composition, genetics, metabolism and level of physical activity.)

Here's a calorie deficit breakdown:

Keep in mind, though, that you shouldn't dip below a minimum amount of calories. People assigned male at birth (AMAB) shouldn't eat fewer than about 1,500 calories a day, while people assigned female at birth (AFAB) generally should eat at least 1,200 calories a day.

Anything less than that is considered a low-calorie diet, which can cause you to lose weight too fast (i.e., more than 2 pounds per week). This is unsafe and can slow your metabolism, leading to weight gain and health issues in the long run.

Other side effects of a low-calorie diet include the following, per the National Library of Medicine (NLM):

• Muscle loss
• Fatigue
• Constipation
• Gallstones
• Gout
• Nausea
• Vitamin deficiencies

Many other factors influence how your body burns and stores calories or energy. That said, your body may need more time to adjust to losing weight. If it's been over three months and you've lost fewer than 5 pounds, or your weight loss isn't as expected, consider seeing a weight-loss expert, per Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Losing 50 to 100 pounds in a healthy way is not only possible, but this slow, steady rate of weight loss in a year is actually the best approach. To be successful, you'll need to make a commitment to long-term changes in your eating and exercise routine.

Beyond focusing on your ideal caloric intake for weight loss, you should also try to eat more nutritious foods. Try to:

Protein helps with weight loss because it helps you feel full and helps you build and maintain muscle, which supports a healthy metabolism.

Choose lean, protein-rich foods like:

• Chicken breast
• Ground turkey
• Salmon
• Tofu
• Lentils
• Nonfat yogurt
• Eggs

Fiber is the MVP of weight loss because it helps you feel full and supports your metabolic and gut health.

Indeed, one February 2015 study in the ‌Annals of Internal Medicine‌ found that simply aiming to eat 30 grams of fiber per day can help you lose weight as effectively as a more complicated diet (on average, adults aren't getting nearly that much).

Foods high in fiber include:

• Beans, peas and lentils
• Avocado
• Chia and flaxseeds
• Squash
• Sweet potatoes
• Edamame
• Berries
• Firm tofu
• Kale
• Oatmeal

Unfortunately, the amount of weight you ‌gain‌ in a year may be due to eating ultra-processed foods.

In fact, a November 2019 review in ‌Current Treatment Options in Gastroenterology‌ found that the following processed foods most contribute to weight gain:

• Potato chips
• Sugary drinks (think: soda, flavored coffees and teas)
• Refined grains (think: white rice, white bread, white pasta)
• Sweets and desserts
• Red and processed meats

To lose weight in one year without over-restricting your diet, add more exercise to your days and weeks.

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity like walking, biking or jogging, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity like running each week. If you break that down, it's about 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

These cardiovascular exercises can help burn belly fat, which has been found to increase heart disease risk, per the American Heart Association.

The guidelines also recommend doing strength training at least two days a week, including moves that work all your major muscle groups (think: your arms, legs, back and chest).

If you're not keen on weight-training, consider this: Muscle burns more calories than fat, so adding muscle to your frame will help you burn through more calories on a daily basis, per the Mayo Clinic.

There's no "best" exercise to achieve weight loss in a year. Rather, the key is to find movement that you enjoy and can incorporate into your life long-term. You'll need to stick to a regular exercise routine to continue losing weight over a year.

We all know it takes mental strength to continue on the path of a weight-loss journey. Thankfully, there are some things you can do to keep yourself accountable and on track. One is weighing yourself often.

Indeed, a small April 2015 study in the ‌Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics‌ found that weighing yourself every day led to greater adoption of weight-control behaviors.

(A helpful tip: Purchase a smart scale that connects to an app on your phone, which can track your weight and body fat over periods of time. This can be an important part of your yearly weight transformation.)

Weighing yourself daily may not be the best for everyone, though, per a March 2016 review in ‌Current Obesity Reports,‌ so other ways to stay accountable include keeping a food journal or fitness journal/tracker and partnering with a "weight loss buddy," or a friend who has similar year-long weight-loss goals.

You can even join an online weight loss community to get motivated and to share your weight-loss progress over 12 months.

Proper hydration is not only beneficial for overall health, but it can aid your weight-loss efforts, too.

Staying hydrated throughout the day can help you diffuse cravings and prevent hunger confusion — when you eat because you ‌think‌ you are hungry, but you're actually thirsty.

In fact, the more hydrated you are, the better your body is at burning fat, per Johns Hopkins University.

Healthful weight reduction over a year can also be achieved with the help of proper sleep.

It's true: Besides feeling energized for your day, quality sleep may also help you eat fewer calories.

A February 2022 randomized clinical trial in ‌JAMA Internal Medicine‌ followed 80 participants with overweight who slept fewer than 6.5 hours per night. After undergoing an intervention to help them sleep longer, participants also ended up eating an average of 270 fewer calories per day.

That means getting an adequate seven to nine hours of sleep per night may help you eat fewer calories. Just make sure to follow a nightly routine that helps you relax and get to bed on time.

Stress is linked to higher levels of belly fat because of the way it affects hormones, and it can also lead to emotional eating for some people. While it may not be possible to eliminate stress from your life altogether, aim to find healthy ways to manage it and lessen its effects.

Difficulty controlling your stress may also be a sign of an untreated mental health condition such as depression or anxiety. Reaching out to a professional can be helpful.

Exercise helps with stress management for many people, as does yoga and meditation.

Incorporating these stress-relieving practices into your life can help you on your quest to lose 50 pounds or more, or support your yearly weight-management goals.

When in doubt, it's never a bad idea to ask for help.

Losing weight can be challenging. But there are several experts who can help you on your journey, including doctors trained in weight loss who can help you discover the root cause of your weight issues and registered dietitians, who can make a personalized meal plan for you, so you can feel confident in the food choices you make to lose weight in a year.

Lastly, if you are struggling with motivation, a health coach or therapist can encourage you and help set realistic weight-loss goals for the year.

Losing weight in a healthy and sustainable way over the course of a year can increase the likelihood of keeping it off, too.

To make sure you're on track with your goals, check in with each of the above habits, and reach out for help if you're feeling stuck.

And try to avoid crash dieting, which can cause you to gain weight back and then some, according to the Obesity Action Coalition.