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What is a Reasonable Timeframe for Fat Loss? Ask a PT

In last week’s email, we talked about whether the use of free weights rather than resistance machines would lead to greater increases in testosterone. My opinion is that it will, based on a review of the literature, but that using a combination of both free weights and resistance machines makes more sense.

This week, we’re talking about realistic timeframes for fat loss.

What is a Reasonable Timeframe for Fat Loss?

Question: I’m looking to lose some fat in time for a holiday in July*. What is a reasonable timeframe for fat loss?

Answer: There is a bit of a gap between what is possible, and what is safe when it comes to fat loss.

The record for most fat lost in a certain timeframe is held by a Scottish man named Angus Barbieri [1], who dropped 125 kg in just under 55 weeks (from 1965 to 1966). This works out at an average of 2.27kg per week.

He went from 207 kg (456 lbs) to 82 kg (180 lbs), and actually managed to keep the weight off afterwards. An incredible achievement, but one that would be deemed reckless for 99% of the population.

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There are reasons why this is unsafe for most people but was safe for Angus:

* He started off at 207kg, meaning that fat loss was proportionate to his size
* He had medical help for the first few weeks
* The risks of massive weight loss were mitigated due to the high risk of death from his original weight.
* He may have been an outlier. Nobody else has managed to equal his record

So, why am I talking about a Scottish man in the 1960s? Well, the part I want to focus on is his weight loss per week (2.27kg). This is an example of what is possible with weight loss. But what is a realistic and safe target?

The answer is 0.5kg per week (1.1 lbs).

So, if you want to lose 10 kg (22 lbs), a realistic timeframe would be 20 weeks. It is possible to do this in a shorter period; Angus would have done it in 10 weeks, but this method would only work for people who weigh 150 kg or more.

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July is in 8 weeks*, so in that time, you could realistically lose 4 kg, but you could push yourself slightly harder and get 6kg of fat loss while remaining safe.

You would need to do something like this:

* Walk 8-10k steps per day (fast pace)
* Gym 3-4 times per week
* Sport/run/jog 1-2 times per week
* Sleep 8 hours each night
* Increase protein intake
* Create a calorie deficit (you would need a deficit of 825 cals per day to lose 6kg in 8 weeks)
* Support yourself with supplementation

But in my experience, the people who get the best results tend to focus on long-term goals rather than short-term ones. If Angus had been trying to lose weight for just 8 weeks, he would have failed.

Instead, he didn’t set an end date and continued until he’d reached his goal, just over one year later. I’d say, look to lose 4-5kg for July, and then have a great time. After that, get back into game mode, and you can lose the remaining weight.

People seem to treat fat loss like it’s a sprint, but the fastest fat loss results in history took over a year. It really is a marathon.