{"id":6819,"date":"2022-05-28T13:45:45","date_gmt":"2022-05-28T19:45:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/howtobefit.com\/coach-blog\/?p=6819"},"modified":"2022-05-30T14:07:38","modified_gmt":"2022-05-30T20:07:38","slug":"3500-calories-to-lose-1-pound","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/howtobefit.com\/coach-blog\/2022\/05\/28\/3500-calories-to-lose-1-pound\/","title":{"rendered":"3500 Calories to Lose 1 Pound?"},"content":{"rendered":"

How Many Calories Does It Take to Lose a Pound?<\/h2>\n

\"3,500
\nThe \u201c3500 calories to lose 1 pound\u201d rule is appealing because it sounds simple \u2014 if you want to lose a pound per week, just aim for a 500-calorie-per-day deficit.<\/p>\n

But weight loss is more dynamic than that.<\/p>\n

\u201cWeight loss is more than a math equation,\u201d says Sonya Angelone, M.S., R.D.N., and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor most people, 500 calories is a modest reduction and one that is realistic to maintain. However, it doesn\u2019t naturally translate to a one-pound weight loss per week,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n

In fact, the 3500-calorie rule can significantly overestimate<\/a>\u00a0the amount of expected weight loss, because it doesn\u2019t account for important factors like the way\u00a0energy expenditure can decrease<\/a>\u00a0as you lose weight.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs those pounds come off, your metabolic rate goes down because there\u2019s less of you,\u201d says Andrea N. Giancoli, M.P.H., R.D.<\/p>\n

Another problem with the 3500-calorie rule: If you approach weight loss as a simple \u201ccalories in, calories out\u201d equation, you may be tempted to severely restrict your calorie intake to create a bigger deficit.<\/p>\n

But that can backfire by slowing down your metabolism, Angelone says: \u201cThen you don\u2019t require as many calories, so weight loss will slow down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dietary restriction can also lead to\u00a0decreased muscle mass<\/a>, which further hinders your weight-loss efforts.<\/p>\n

Rather than trying to calculate how many calories it takes to lose a pound, focus on eating a\u00a0healthful, balanced diet.<\/p>\n

What Are Calories?<\/h2>\n

Short answer:\u00a0Calories<\/a>\u00a0are the amount of energy a food or drink provides.<\/p>\n

One calorie\u00a0is the amount of energy it takes to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius.<\/p>\n

But the calories we see listed on nutrition labels actually refer to kilocalories \u2014 the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1 degree Celsius.<\/p>\n

Historically, researchers used a tool called the\u00a0bomb calorimeter\u00a0to determine how many calories a food contained.<\/p>\n

Now, scientists and manufacturers typically rely on the\u00a0Atwater system<\/a>, which calculates the calories in a food based on the calorie values of its macronutrients:<\/p>\n