If You Have 60 Days To Get Lean…

…then this is how:

Getting it right

If you have 60 days in which to get lean… Then probably you don’t, really. There will be more time following those 60 days. Unless you’re going to die in 60 days, in which case, is getting lean really your priority?

But let’s say that, in 60 days, you pressingly want to look a certain way in a bikini, or slide under a certain body metric to access a certain gatekept-by-size medical treatment, that kind of thing.

How to do it?

First, understand that your expected rate of fat loss depends on how much body fat you currently have, with higher body fat allowing faster loss and lower body fat needing slower, smaller deficits.

On that note: since since 1 lb of fat ≈ 3,500 calories, a daily deficit of 500 calories typically leads to 1 lb/week loss, with smaller or larger deficits scaling proportionally, up to a point.

You reasonably might, for example, aim to lose around 0.5–1% of your body weight per week, with 0.75% being a good balance for preserving muscle while losing fat.

With that in mind, set a rough 12-week goal (e.g: 8–12 lb for a moderate starting point) but stay flexible if you reach a body composition you’re happy with earlier.

Some considerations as you go:

• Protein and food quality: base meals around protein (0.75–1 g per lb body weight) and include plenty of fruits and vegetables to improve fullness, fiber intake, and hunger control.
• Movement in general: fat loss comes from a calorie deficit, but adding activity like walking reduces how much you need to cut from food and thus improves sustainability.
• Cardio specifically: prioritize low-impact, consistent cardio, choosing forms you can realistically stick to (i.e. whether that’s HIIT or longer cardio; HIIT is technically better, but only if you actually do it!).
• Resistance training: include strength training to maintain or build muscle, which improves your metabolism overall and prevents a “skinny fat” situation.
• Track your progress: monitor changes using daily weigh-ins (averaged weekly), progress photos, measurements, and/or how your clothes fit to get a clearer picture than weight alone.
• Expect fluctuations: expect normal weight changes (e.g. due to hormonal cycles or water retention), so rely on looking at the bigger picture of your data trends, rather than day-to-day scale readings.

Speaking of the bigger picture: do note that if your goal weight isn’t maintainable, it’s better to settle at a slightly higher, sustainable weight than to rebound and stressfully despair.

Lastly, remember that effective fat loss should improve your health and quality of life, not come at the cost of it.

For more on all of this, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

You might also like:

How To Lose Weight (Healthily!) ← our own main feature on this topic

Take care!