How Much Weight Can You Lose on a Treadmill After Six Weeks?

Ideally you should lose weight steadily, so you’re more likely to keep it off -- about 1 to 2 pounds per week. Getting on the treadmill each day can certainly help you keep that pace. So by the end of the six-week span, you may be able to drop a dress or pant size. Just don’t forget to do a little strength training here and there too. Working with the weights further ups the calories you burn, helping you quickly meet your weight-loss goal.

Calories for Weight Loss

To lose a pound of body weight, you have to burn 3,500 calories, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So if your goal is to shed 2 pounds per week, you’ll need to burn off 7,000 calories each week, or 1,000 calories daily. Sounds like a lot, but you can also throw diet into the mix. Rather than spending several grueling hours at the gym each day, get in for a solid hour-long workout, so you burn around 600 calories. Then you’ll just have to trim the remaining 400 calories from your diet -- or some kind of combination like that.

Calories on the Treadmill

The exact number of calories you’ll melt off on the treadmill depends on two things: Your weight and how hard you exert yourself. So if you weigh 130 pounds and can keep a pace of 5 mph, you’ll shed roughly 475 calories in an hour. But if you’re at 150 pounds, you’ll use up 545 calories, and at 170 pounds, you’ll trim away nearly 620 calories per hour. If you run faster, like 7.5 mph, you’ll expend 740 calories an hour at a weight of 130 pounds. At 150 pounds, you’ll use up 850 calories and then around 965 calories, if you are at 170 pounds.

Putting It All Together

So if you can burn 500 calories a day on your treadmill, by the end of the six-week period, you’ll be about 6 pounds lighter without having to do anything else. Burning off 750 calories every day on the treadmill means you can lose as much as 9 pounds in a six-week time frame. But if you’re a vigorous runner and run until you burn 1,000 calories a day, after six weeks, you could be up to 12 pounds lighter.

Other Considerations

You should also incorporate some strength training into your workout regimen. Working with weights tones your muscles, making you look taut while shedding those few extra pounds. Set aside at least two days a week for strength training, Mayoclinic.com suggests. Spending 30 minutes vigorously working with weights melts off 180 calories if you weigh 130 pounds; around 205 calories if you are at 150 pounds; and over 230 calories at 170 pounds. You can lose an extra pound or two if you work out with weights two to three days a week, for six weeks, on top of your treadmill routine.