The Ultimate 30-Day Fat Loss Challenge

Your one month transformation.

Lose Up to 10 Pounds in 30 Days with the 4-Step Weight Loss Challenge

WARNING:  This 30-day fat loss challenge could result in any or all of the following:

  • Weight loss of up to 10 pounds
  • Feeling and looking fabulous
  • More restful sleep
  • Self-confidence boost
  • Extra energy
  • Improved mood
  • Could be habit forming

It takes a lot of time and work to burn fat, and it may be extremely daunting at times to design a plan, food prep, and calculate calories. People frequently abandon their efforts halfway through because they either set unreasonable goals or just lack motivation. People leave whatever they are doing in pursuit of their goal and revert to their prior habit, which was the same cause of the excess weight in the first place due to unrealistic promises and vague deadlines. With our 30-day fat loss challenge, we’ve made the process simple! 

30-Day Fat Loss Challenge

30-day fat loss challenge

This 30-day fat loss challenge is precisely that. This program gives you immediate results and recognizes that anything you achieve in life is entirely up to you.

Try our 4 Step Weight Loss Challenge for 30 days and transform your body for a lifetime. These steps are easy to understand, free of charge and accessible to all ages & fitness levels.

Step 1 – Water

30-day fat loss challenge

1. Drink approximately 2 liters, or 8 eight ounce glasses, of water each day. Feel free to add sliced fruit to your water for added flavor.

2. Flush The Fat Away Drink recipes are great alternatives to plain water. Since processed fruit drinks are high in sugar content, it’s recommended that this type of drinks be limited or avoided completely over the next 30 days. If you do choose to drink fruit-flavored drinks, read the ingredients label and avoid any beverages that contain sugar or other added sweeteners.

3. Water flushes toxins out of vital organs and carries nutrients to your cells. Even mild dehydration can zap energy. Water is vital for optimal health!

Step 2 – Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners

Lose Up to 10 Pounds in 30 Days with the 4-Step Weight Loss Challenge

1. Avoid all refined sugar and artificial sweeteners.

2. Read ingredient labels on packaged foods to eliminate any foods that contain these. Almost all processed foods have some form of added sugar. This means that whole foods will be the biggest part of your diet over the next 30 days. To understand in full what is meant by no added sugar, read our 30-Day No Sugar Challenge.

3. Limit unrefined sweeteners to less than four teaspoons, per day. Read our list of 10 Alternatives to Refined Sugar which can count toward the 4 teaspoons. In addition to the 4 daily teaspoons of unrefined sweetener, stevia is also permitted during this weight loss challenge.

4. If there is a food product with an unrefined sugar in the ingredients label, i.e. honey, maple syrup, etc., there is no way to know how much has been added. Therefore, these food items should not be consumed during this weight loss challenge. The only way to know that you have had the allotted 4 teaspoons of unrefined sweetener in one day is to measure them yourself.

5. Review Other Names for Sugar which will help you to become better informed when reading ingredient labels.

Step 3 – Portion Control

30-day fat loss challenge

1. All meals should be eaten on salad size plates instead of traditional dinner plates. These plates are approximately 7-inches in diameter.

2. When eating at a restaurant, ask that your meal be served on a salad plate.

3. When eating soups or stews, follow the 1 serving size, which is typically 1 to 1 1/2 cups. 

4. Read the Skinny Plate Challenge for more information on portion sizes.

5. Portion sizes of foods must be no larger than the palm of your hand. That means that ‘normal’ restaurant portions have to be cut down in size in order to fit on your salad plate. (This is one of my best tips for losing weight.)

Step 4Exercise

Lose Up to 10 Pounds with steady goals

1. Exercise a minimum of 30 minutes, six days per week.

2. Exercise can be broken into increments of 15 minute blocks or completed at one time.

3. Exercise can consist of weight training or cardio, or a combination of the two.

4. Find workouts that are appropriate for your fitness level, while still challenging yourself.

Any of the following routines will work perfectly for this challenge:

Top Weight Loss Tips for Success:

recipe for success
  • Avoid processed, packaged foods that are often found on the inside aisles of grocery stores.
  • Shop the outer parameter of the grocery store. Here you will find fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats and low-fat dairy.
  • Eat or drink low-fat dairy consisting of 0% – 1% fat.
  • Eat lean cuts of meat, or better yet, eat wild-caught salmon, rainbow trout, and halibut.
  • Avoid all battered and deep fried foods.
  • Eat 3 small meals and 2-3 healthy snacks each day.
  • Eat one treat meal each week. What’s a treat meal? Whatever you like.
  • Refrain from consuming alcohol, in order to avoid it’s high sugar content.
  • Keep going after the 30 days. Write down your long-term goals.

For an effective guided workout program, check out:

If you enjoyed this post, check out:

Don’t miss a thing! Subscribe to our newsletter and Youtube channel, like our Facebook page and follow our Pinterest and Instagram for clean eating tips, workout challenges, and healthy lifestyle tips!

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published March 19, 2013 and has been updated. 

This post may include affiliate links.

Gale Compton

Gale co-founded SkinnyMs. with a goal to provide women with delicious recipes, fitness routines, and ways to reach their ideal weight. Gale has been featured on the Today Show in which she won a cook off for the best Lasagna. Be sure to search for her winning recipe, Skinny Lasagna Rolls.

Guided by her firm belief in healthy eating and the power of exercise, Gale has written two cookbooks and several fitness ebooks. She earned her Fitness Training Certification from, National Exercise & Sports Trainers Association. Gale loves to run with her dog Maggie and has completed numerous half-marathons.

More by Gale

88 Comments

  1. I am at a stand still with my weight loss goals. I have use your challenges before and ha great results, sign me up again.

  2. Ok…Im doing it! And I signed up for 30 day yoga challenge. So by May 1st I shall have shed 10lbs FAT yes? Oh please be true….

  3. I want to try out this challenge, but was wondering if there are substitutes to my coffee mate coffee creamer too? I absolutely have to have my coffee in the morning. I usually end up drinking about 16oz with 2 tsp of sugar and 4 tsp of the creamer… I'm sure that's way too much!

  4. Switched to Fat free half and half and added a bit of cinnamon instead of any sort of sugar… in just the week I have been following the suggestions I have lost a whopping 13lbs! My dietician said that sounds about right for the first stages of weight loss and to expect to see less of a decrease in weight after the first month, just wanted to thank you so much for putting this together. And the food isn't bad either!

  5. I have followed this religiously for 24 days now…drinking only water or tea, not a drop of alcohol, NO sugar, and doing kickboxing for 30-40 minutes 6 days a week. I haven't lost a single pound! All I have to show for my effort is a whole lot of soreness and jeans that still don't fit. Any tips?? I'm ready to quit.

    1. Kelly,

      Without being there and monitoring what you're doing, I can't say for sure. How often are you eating and what are your portions sizes?

    2. Check your thyroid… It is probably hashimoto .
      I was there for almost 5 years. Now losing a bit of weight with thyroid medication and Yoga.
      Ask youphsysician to make a ultrasonography, sometimes Hashimoto shows normal blood test results as mine.

  6. Started this challenge today! Thanks for the challenge! I appreciate that you have so much information for free!

  7. i am 36 years old woman. i am hypothyroid and take 125mg tablet regularly. i want to loose weight , but i am not able to do so. please help me as i even go to gym .

    1. Celestina, I would definitely recommend talking to your family doctor about the best way to go about losing weight, considering you are hypothyroid. Maybe take this post to your doctor and see what he or she thinks. 🙂

    1. Hi, This was designed for adults. You definitely will have to check with the pediatrician or family doctor first to see if this is safe for a child.

    1. Jack, Teens grow so fast, so you would need more calories. You should check with your doctor first.

    1. Rhonda, Yes, your doctor should be able to refer you to a physical therapist who could give you modifications. Print out the workout for the physical therapist.

  8. I see that you can sign up & once you do 30 days of a challenge, you become a member?? I just can't find where you sign up at….. I want to do the plate & 30 days lose 10 pounds challenge.

    1. Lorri, There is no sign up or group. It's just sticking to the guidelines outlined. We hope you do it:)!! We will be offering some new group weight loss options coming this January 2015, or in the coming week:). Stay tuned!

  9. This advice is not sound at all. Eat from a salad plate? What? The best way to lose weight is to count calories. Plain and simple. When you count calories you tend towards the healthier foods because they more often than not have less calories. Which means you can eat more of them.

    Don't drink soda, don't drink coffee, don't drink juice. Drink tea. Artificial sweeteners are fine. Don't listen to that line of garbage. Sweets are out because they have a high calorie count and take away calories you can get with real food

    For me, I stuck to 1500 calories a day. That may not work for others. Find a good number that allows you to burn more calories than you are taking in. Exercise is optional.

    Get yourself a food scale. Figure out all the calories in every meal you eat. It is tedious, but very worth it. I wrote it all out on my computer and had it all for reference each time I ate. Weigh out exact portions. It is very important to keep track of all calories consumed.

    If you can stick to this, you will lose around 10 pounds a month. I lost 50 pounds in 6 months doing what I just described. It is doable. I have kept it off for over 2 years.

      1. While honey does contain more calories than white sugar, the calories are not created equal. Honey is more complex than white sugar so the body expends more energy (calories) to break it down. As with any sweetener, though, it should be used in moderation.

    1. There are no guarantees when it comes to weight loss, but this challenge will definitely leave you healthier and stronger, and because of that the pounds should start to fall off, too. If after taking part in this challenge, you do not experience any weight lost, you might want to speak with your doctor about any possible underlying issues.

  10. I’m going to start it tmrw hopefully it works. I’m not too fat but I have belly fat bcs of my pregnancy let’s see

  11. What meal plan would you suggest? Sounds like a great challenge but I love meal plans.
    Thanks
    Tracey

  12. I want to start this challenge .I pormise myself to be sucssessful .after 30days I will write about results . no junkfood ,no sugar no cake or pasta

  13. I would love to start this challenge because I have suffered from back pain approximately 2weeks now. And I am wondering if it’s got to do with my weight.. Any tips to get this started soon, I wanted to know if running daily every morning would help build my conditioning up again as well.

    1. Quintana, First, try to determine what’s causing your back pain. Once your backpain is gone, then think about starting this challenge. 🙂

    1. Beckie, Our readers start the program throughout the year, so there’s no actual start day…it’s up to you. 🙂

  14. Dear Gale, I recently began looking into ways to get fit and lose the 10 pounds I gained after I quit smoking last year. I’m so glad I stumbled onto your website, thank you so much for being here! This is just what I needed!

    1. Wendy, We’re so happy you found our site. And, congratulations on giving up smoking…HIGH FIVE! 🙂
      You’ll love the challenge, it really works.

    1. Tara, Please read the ingredients, that’s the only way to know for sure. I’m guessing it has refined sugar.

  15. All I read in the comments section was – I want to try it, I will start it, I’m ready to do it. Didn’t come across any comment that said I did it and have lost x kgs of weight! Is it even worth doing, I wonder?

  16. I’m in!!! Gonna start Day 1 tomorrow .. I always had commitment issues with various diet programs in the past but wish me Luck, this time i’m gonna strive hardest to make it .. I’m 30 & had a weight gain of being 50kg to 92kg in 2yrs .. ????

  17. Gale,
    What a great motivational article! So glad I found this! It is simple and doable!
    I’m 56 and 30lbs heavier since menopause. I will use this as my guide to losing those 30lbs and getting healthier, feeling better & looking better!
    Thank you!!! ?

    1. Kim, Yes, I definitely do believe in food journaling. I did food journaling for several years. Now, I don’t use a journal because eating the right foods are second nature. I highly recommend using a journal to stay on track. 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *