This content has been Fact-Checked by a Certified Nutritionist in our Publishing Team. Learn more here. Always consult a medical professional before commencing any diet.
Is it possible to lose 60 pounds in 3 months? The answer is yes, but you need to be careful about it, this is a true transformation!
This is a rapid weight loss that can be achieved through rigorous dieting. You will need a lot of persistence, self-control, and careful calorie counting.
This is not a lifestyle change you can do lightly. Make sure to consult your doctor before starting this diet.
Your doctor can advise you on the best and healthiest ways to lose weight.
This diet works best for those people who are obese and have a huge amount of weight to lose.
For these people, losing 60 pounds in around 3 months is an achievable goal.
Do not start this diet if you don’t have so much excess weight to lose. It is best to use this time to develop a new, healthier attitude towards food.
This should be a time to redefine your dietary regime and adopt a healthier lifestyle.
How to Lose 60 Pounds in 3 Months Diet Plan
In a nutshell, weight loss is all about a simple equation: you lose weight when you consume fewer calories than you burn.
In order to lose 60 pounds in 3 months, you will need to burn a lot more calories than you currently do or/and cut a lot of your calorie consumption.
One pound of fat equals about 3,500 calories. In order to lose 60 pounds in 3 months, you should target to lose about 20 pounds per month.
This is about 5 pounds less per week.
Please note this approach is best for obese individuals who need to lose weight fast in order to improve their health.
How to lose about 5 pounds per week?
If you currently consume around 3,500 calories per day, you will have to cut this consumption in half. That means a 1,750 calorie deficit per day. Which should be a combined effort of workout and diet.
Calculating Calorie Consumption
To follow How to Lose 60 Pounds in 3 Months Diet Plan, you need to make a personal calculation that will take into account your present calorie consumption, present calorie burn and potential calorie deficit per day.
Target your calorie consumption at 1200 calories per day and see how much of a calorie deficit that produces.
Generally speaking, to achieve your goals, you should target each of the main meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) to be around 300-350 calories max.
This leaves you with 150-300 calories for snacks.
Of course, you don’t have to make all of your meals equal in calories.
For example, if you prefer a light breakfast and a stronger dinner, you can make a 150-200 calorie breakfast so you can have a 500 calorie dinner.
Those who need a stronger breakfast to start their day can make their other meals lighter.
In many ways, you are the creator of your own dietary regime.
As long as you don’t go over (or much under) 1200 calories per day, you should lose weight consistently. The way you divide this calorie consumption per meals is up to you.
You will also need to engage in some sort of exercise. However, if you are consuming 3000+ calories per day, just cutting this calorie consumption down to 1200 calories can make you achieve your weight loss goal.
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Smart Food Choices
Some foods are just not good for weight loss because they are simply empty calories. Meaning, no nutrition value to the body.
This is why it’s important to make all the calories you consume truly matter.
Make sure to eat food rich in healthy protein (fish, eggs, poultry or low-fat meat), vegetables and fruits, healthy fats (vegetable oils) and healthy carbs (complex carbs, mainly found in whole grain foods).
Avoid processed foods, foods rich in animal fat and simple carbs.
Examples of foods you should avoid or minimize on this diet include breakfast cereal, sausage, cold meats, soft drinks, cakes, cookies, white bread, frozen meals, alcohol, and canned foods.
Focus on protein and vegetables, with a smaller side serving of carbs.
If you get a sugar craving, opt for a serving of fruits or just one cookie.
One cookie will not ruin you, but make sure to include those only rarely on your diet. Remember: one cookie itself can have 100 calories or more. This calorie count is better spent on healthier food.
Here is a sample Lose 60 Pounds in 3 Months meal plan:
Breakfast
For most people, a breakfast that is around 200 calories is enough to start the day.
Morning snack
Depending on your calorie allowance, you can have a small (50-100 calories) snack at this time. Check out 50 best snacks under 50 calories.
Lunch
A lunch that is around 350-400 calories is big enough to provide you with major nutrients, while still being light enough in calories.
Afternoon snack
Depending on your calorie consumption, you can have a snack at around 100 calories during the afternoon. Most fruit and veggies will be under 100 calories.
Dinner
You can prepare your dinner at around 350-500 calories, depending on how many calories you have left on your daily meal plan.
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What are Some Tips to Lose 60 Pounds in 3 Months?
Here are the top 10 tips on how to lose 60 pounds in 3 months:
1. Track Calories
The success of this diet includes simple yet effective calorie tracking. You have around 1200 calories per day to consume, so make sure not to go above this number.
You need to divide these calories into at least 3 meals (with snacks) or 4-5 smaller meals. It is important not to go over this calorie consumption.
Also, make sure not to go under 1200 calories, either. While you can do that from time to time (have days with around 1000 calories), make sure not to do that often.
Consuming fewer than 1200 calories sends your body in a starvation mode. This can endanger your health and actually make it more difficult to lose body fat.
Make careful preparations for each day so you know you are not going over 1200 calories.
This requires some organization, but it is an effort that brings success. If possible, plan your weekly meals in advance so you always know how many calories you will consume per meal.
This is key to success with this diet and the most important thing that will help you lose a large amount of weight fast.
2. Calorie Deficit + Exercise
The key to a success with this diet is a rapid calorie deficit to achieve body fat loss. You can achieve this through a combination of consuming fewer calories and burning more calories through exercise.
While it might be possible for some people do achieve their goal through lower calorie consumption alone, many people will need to include at least some form of workout in order to achieve their weight loss goals quickly.
You are the only one who can build the best food + workout ratio.
Start by counting your present calorie intake per day. If it is more than 3000 calories per day, you might achieve your weight goal by lowering calorie consumption alone.
Remember, you should never go lower than 1200 calories per day. It means you need a calorie deficit of around 1500 to 1750 calories per day.
For most people, it will mean including some exercise.
To calculate how much you need, see how much of a calorie deficit you have with a 1200 calorie per day diet.
Once you get that number you will know how many additional calories you need to burn per day through the exercise to reach the target calorie deficit.
For example, if you presently consume 2500 calories per day, once you switch to this diet you will have a 2500-1200=1300 calorie deficit.
In order to reach the goal of 1500-1750 calorie deficit per day, you need to engage in an activity that will help you burn additional 200-450 calories.
If your present calorie intake is 2000 calories per day, with a 1200 calorie diet you will need to burn additional 700-950 calories through exercise to meet your goal of losing 60 pounds in 3 months.
Check out this calorie burned and activity calculator.
3. Focus on Healthy Eating Options
In order to lose weight and improve your overall well-being, it is important to eat only healthy foods. With a limited calorie consumption per day, you need to make every calorie count.
The best thing to achieve this is to focus on healthy foods alone. These calories are the ones that keep you healthy and provide your body with all the nutrients it needs.
You should stay away from processed foods, frozen foods, foods rich in sugars and simple carbs.
If you need something more filling, eat low-calorie, high-volume foods such as light soups or vegetable smoothies. These will fill you up without using too much calories.
For your regular meals, focus on low-fat protein foods such as fish, eggs, poultry, mushrooms, low-fat red meat, and protein-heavy vegetables.
Eat a lot of veggies and low-sugar fruits. Your diet should also contain healthy fats (vegetable oils, fats from fish) and a selected percentage of healthy carbs (whole grains, complex carbs from veggies).
Limit your sugar consumption, although you can have a sweet snack once in a while.
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4. Meals/Food Habits
Part of a successful diet is to find out what time of the day you like to eat and how much.
Are you typically hungry early in the morning? Late at night? Do you normally eat every 3-4 hours?
In order to develop an effective diet plan, you need to learn your food habits and weakness too!
A diet plan is about simple calorie counting, so make sure to leave most of your calorie consumption for the time of day when you are most hungry.
For example, if you need a strong breakfast to start your day, spend more calories on it.
If you get late-night food cravings, make sure to leave at least 50-100 calories on your daily consumption so you can have a quick night snack.
You need to organize this properly, so you always have calories left on your daily meal plan when you get hungry.
5. Include Many Smaller Meals
Since 1200 calories per day is not much, particularly if you are also exercising, chances are that you will be hungry on this diet.
To minimize hunger and to speed up the weight-loss process, it is best to consume many smaller meals per day. This is a much better option than eating 1-2 large meals, even if the overall calorie consumption is the same.
Studies have shown that eating small healthy snacks frequently may assist in weight loss.
This may help maintain an active metabolism, decrease overall food intake and chances of overeating because you won’t be feeling extremely hungry at lunchtime if you had a few snacks in the morning.
Eating fiber rich foods will help you stay full for longer (eg. oats, vegetables, beans, fruits and nuts).
Also, eating smaller meals make it easier to track calories. If you eat 1-2 large meals, chances are that you will be hungry between those meals, or late at night.
However, with larger meals, there will be no additional calories you can spend per day. This makes you more likely to go over the allowed calorie consumption or will keep you hungry.
Targeting 4-5 smaller meals over the course of the day is a better option. With this regime, each of the meals can be around 250-300 calories. This is more than enough to have a proper meal and not just a snack.
Of course, you can divide this into 3 larger meals (around 300 calories each) and a few smaller snacks (around 100 calories each). This is a good regime that will help you go through the day without much hunger.
6. Drink Lots of Water
It is important to stay hydrated while dieting. Water is important for your health, and it also promotes detox. This is the quickest and easiest way to get rid of toxins and other harmful things from the body.
Another great thing about water is that it’s filling. It can help you in moments when you feel hungry but it’s not time to eat yet or you have spent all the allowed daily calories.
If you can’t drink large amounts of plain water, you can squeeze a lemon (17 calories) into a pitcher and drink it like that. Tea and coffee are also calorie-free!
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7. Include Vitamin Supplements
In order to stay healthy on this restrictive diet, you will need to try certain supplements. Supplements give your body additional vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that your body needs.
You can find these supplements in various forms, from multivitamin gummies to powders. Just keep an eye on how much calories these supplements have so you can include those calories on your daily consumption.
For this diet, it is best to focus on vitamin and mineral supplements only. Consuming protein supplements or other types of supplements might not be safe.
Limit yourself to vitamin and mineral supplements to improve your health while you are dieting.
If you are also planning on working out, it is worth to check out our article about BCAA For Weight Loss. But generally, you should consult your doctor first before consuming any supplements.
8. Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is important for your well-being and overall health. It can also help you lose weight. There are numerous research results showing the importance of proper night sleep for weight loss.
If you want to promote health and lose weight faster, make sure to get enough sleep.
Make sure to sleep at least 6 hours per night. Ideally, you should sleep around 8 hours, if possible. This regime promotes health and it will help you lose weight.
Also: when you sleep you are not hungry. A longer sleep will help you eat less.
9. Track Results
Lose 60 Pounds in 3 Months is an intense, rigorous dietary regime. It is important to track your results regularly to see how you are going.
Make sure to note your weight changes about once per week. You can also measure your waist and hips to notice changes.
However, make sure not to obsess about results. Do not weigh yourself to often and don’t measure your waist once per day. Doing this can lead to an obsession.
Keep in mind that your weight fluctuates slightly during the day, and on some days, you can simply be a bit more bloated.
This can easily add a pound or even more to your result, which can make you believe that you are not losing weight properly. To avoid this problem, resist constant weighting.
Get into a habit of tracking your results once per week.
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10. Speak to Doctor
In order to stay healthy while dieting, it is important to have an initial consultation with your doctor. Your doctor can give you helpful tips on what to do and how to stay healthy while dieting. They can also give you advice and warnings on what not to do while dieting.
Remember, to lose 60 lbs in 3 months is an extremely rapid weight loss. It is best recommended to those who are obese and need to lose a lot of weight quickly. Make sure to consult your doctor before you start any rigorous diet.
Foods to Avoid
What are the foods to avoid on Lose 60 Pounds in 3 Months diet?
It is important to know that no food group is absolutely forbidden. It is crucial to consume balanced foods and to have a healthy diet while you are working towards your weight-loss goals.
That being said, here are certain types of foods you should minimize, or, ideally, avoid altogether on this diet:
Processed foods
These foods are full of additives, sugars and other things your body doesn’t need. Many of these foods are made using a process that adds a lot of carbs, sugars, and unhealthy things into foods.
These foods are made to look good and to taste in addictive ways. You should avoid these foods whenever possible. These foods include packaged meals, frozen foods, junk food, fast food, and commercial desserts.
While you can eat a bit of sugar, make sure to minimize its use.
Stay away from cookies, donuts, ice-cream, cakes, and commercial desserts. If you need something sweet, eat a low-sugar fruit or limit yourself to a very small piece of a sugary dessert once a week.
Soft drinks
Soft drinks are super sugary and don’t offer any nutrients, they are empty calories. Avoid them as much as possible. It is best to completely cut all soft drinks and energy drinks from your menu
Carb-heavy foods
While you should not avoid carbs altogether, stay away from foods rich in simple carbs. White bread, white rice, pasta, crackers – all of these are not a good choice. Opt for whole-grain foods, brown rice, and other whole-grain products.
Fat-heavy foods
You should consume only healthy fats, such as vegetable oils and fats available in fish. Stay away from lard, bacon and fat-heavy meat. Also, you should switch to low-fat dairy products.
It is unhealthy for your body and it’s packed with calories. You should avoid alcohol on this diet.
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Is it Possible to Lose 60 Pounds in 3 Months Without Exercise?
If you want to lose 60 pounds in 3 months, you will need to develop a careful calorie deficit.
Remember, you need a 1500-1750 calorie deficit per day in order to reach this goal. It is up to you to organize this calorie deficit through lower calorie intake and exercise.
It might be possible for some people to lose this much weight in such a short time without exercise.
This is particularly true for those people who typically eat large quantities of food on a daily basis.
If your daily calorie consumption is larger than 3000 calories per day, if you cut that to 1200 calories per day, you can reach your goal. This is enough calorie deficit per day, so you don’t need to exercise.
However, for most people, cutting their calorie intake will not be enough. Remember, you should not go under 1200 calories per day.
Going less than that will put your body in a starvation mode and is not healthy for the body. It can actually set your progress way back. In order to prevent that, make sure to consume at least 1200 calories per day.
This means that the rest of the calorie deficit (to reach 1500-1750 calorie deficit per day) has to be achieved through exercise.
Luckily, there are many exercise options that allow you to reach your goals without becoming exhausted. Even simple walking for 1h can burn anywhere from 200 to 400 calories.
Low Calories Recipes and Snacks
Here are some low-calorie recipes and snack ideas you can use for your daily diet plan:
Breakfast
Cheese and Herb Omelette
Total calories: 225
Ingredients:
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 tablespoon parmesan, grated
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon parsley, minced
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
- In a bowl, combine eggs, garlic, thyme, parsley, parmesan, salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan.
- Pour the mixture and cook until done. Serve.
Note: You can combine this breakfast with 1 piece of whole-grain bread (additional 90 calories).
Lunch
Roasted Veggies Salad
Total calories: 280
Ingredients:
- 2 bell peppers, small, chopped
- 1 cucumber (301g)
- 1 medium tomato, chopped (123g)
- 1 small red onion, sliced (70g)
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon parsley, minced
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 lemon, juiced
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 395 degrees F.
- Cut peppers, tomato, onions and cucumber into small pieces.
- Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil to a baking tray.
- Place vegetables onto the tray and add garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Bake for about 20 minutes and leave to cool.
- Place baked veggies into a bowl and add the remaining oil, lemon juice, and parsley. Serve.
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Dinner
Turkey Meatballs with Vegetables
Total calories: 700
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup turkey breast, minced
- 1 small bell pepper, diced
- 1 small red onion, sliced
- 1/2 cup black beans
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (149g)
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1/4 cup plain oats
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ lime juice (44g)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
- Make the meatballs: In a bowl, combine meat, oats, lime juice, coriander, and parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste. Lightly knead the ingredients together until well mixed. Shape into small balls.
- In a frying pan, heat oil. Cook meatballs until golden. Remove from the pan.
- In the same pan, add onion and garlic. Fry until softened.
- Put meatballs back into the pan and add pepper, beans, and tomatoes. Cook until done. Serve.
Snacks
Here are some low-calorie snack ideas you can use throughout the day:
- 1 cup celery sticks (20 calories)
- 5 small strawberries (11 calories)
- 3 baby carrots (12 calories)
- 1/2 cup blueberries (43 calories)
- 1 small apple (77.5 calories)
- ¼ cup cottage cheese (75 calories)
- 100g low-fat Greek yogurt (73 calories)
- ½ cup raspberries (32 calories)
- 1 cup air-popped popcorn (31 calories)
Warnings
This regime is best for those obese people who need to lose weight quickly because of health reasons.
However, it is important to consult your doctor before you start dieting, even if you do not fall under this category.
Low-calorie diets are not recommended as a long term lifestyle. Check out Dr. Rhonda Patrick Diet as a sustainable diet option.
It is best not to go longer than 12 weeks (3 months) on a low-calorie diet.
Make sure not to go under 1200 calories per day (on selected days, you may go as low as 1000 calories, but not often).
Stay healthy while dieting!
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This content has been Fact-Checked by a Certified Nutritionist in our Publishing Team. Learn more here.