Do you understand this?

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eddiegirll
eddiegirll Posts: 113
in Health and Weight Loss
To lose one pound each week, you need to create a daily 500-calorie deficit through a combination of eating less and burning more calories with exercise.

I need this explained clearly so that I can understand it, sorry!
Thanks.

Replies

  • pauljsolie
    pauljsolie Posts: 1,024 Member
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    It takes 3500 calories to burn off 1 pound of fat. A calorie is a measurement of heat that causes fat to literally burn (I think). So 500 calories a day times 7 days is 3500 calories or one pound of fat.
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
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    The idea is that one pound is roughly equal to 3500 calories. By eating 500 calories less than what your body burns through living and exercise every day, your weekly deficit adds up to 3500. (7*500=3500)
  • dannylives
    dannylives Posts: 611
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    One pound of fat consists of 3,500 calories. 500(calories) multiplied by 7(days in a week) equals 3,500.
  • MisterDubs303
    MisterDubs303 Posts: 1,216 Member
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    In order to calculate it properly, you must determine an estimate of how many calories your body burns on a typical day. The setup in MFP helps with that estimate as long as you answer everything honestly. Next, you MUST LOG EVERYTHING or you won't know if you are really hitting your target calorie range. Don't go under or over the net calorie target on any given day.
  • MochaMixAZ
    MochaMixAZ Posts: 844 Member
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    Everything the other posters said.

    Another way to think about it like a bank.

    To maintain your bank account, you need a certain dollar balance = the calories your body needs to just exist. This means that if what you eat in calories and what you burn in daily activities is equal, the account stays the same.

    To INCREASE your bank account, you would need to add money = to gain weight, you would need to add more calories OR lose less calories through burning them up during exercise.

    To DECREASE your bank account, you would need to subtract/spend money = to lose weight, you would need to lose calories from your normal intake or lose calories through increased activity

    On average, about 3500 calories equals a pound. So if you eat 3500 calories more than usual, you'd gain. If you lose more than 3500 calories, you'd lose weight. You can gain or lose those calories by eating more/less or by exercising/burning calories.

    So to lose 1 pound in a week, each day, you want to "lose" 500 calories more than usual. You can do that by cutting back on calories that you would normally consume or by exercising and burning calories... or both. A good way is to do both. So, eat 250 less calories in a day AND do an exercise that burns 250 calories. . . this would make a calorie deficit of 500 calories. If you do that 7 times in the week... it should equal about a pound of loss.

    Hope that helps.
  • _Ben
    _Ben Posts: 1,608 Member
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    It takes 3500 calories to burn off 1 pound of fat. A calorie is a measurement of heat that causes fat to literally burn (I think). So 500 calories a day times 7 days is 3500 calories or one pound of fat.

    This exactly
  • manjingirl
    manjingirl Posts: 188 Member
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    It takes 3500 calories to burn off 1 pound of fat. A calorie is a measurement of heat that causes fat to literally burn (I think). So 500 calories a day times 7 days is 3500 calories or one pound of fat.

    Not quite.

    A calorie or more correctly a kilo-calorie is a measure of energy. So is a kilojoule, in the same way that degrees Celsius/Centigrade and Fahrenheit are measures of temperature.

    Food is the form of energy we need to make our bodies do work.The more work (activity) we do, the more energy our body will use.

    If we take in too much food energy (eat too many calories) then our body stores that energy in the form of fat. Our muscles also need energy to grow and we store a little energy as glycogen in our muscles as well. If we take in less food energy than we need, we start using our body's store of energy.

    If we reduce our food energy drastically, then the energy will come from all sources, that is fat stores and muscles. If we reduce our food energy just a little, then fat stores will mainly be used.

    The calorie is a measure of energy. 3500 calories of energy is approximately equal to the energy available in 1 lb (or about 500gm) of fat.
  • shakybabe
    shakybabe Posts: 1,578 Member
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    I get that you need to burn 500 extra a day but where I get confused is.. if MFP tells me I need 1200 and I take 500 from that I'm gonna be starving?... unless I manage to do 500 cals in exercise and eat the full 1200?

    Is it cos I selected 2lb a week loss? Other sites estimate me about 1670 cals. Would I get an higher cals per day if I go back and choose 1lb a week loss?
  • manjingirl
    manjingirl Posts: 188 Member
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    I get that you need to burn 500 extra a day but where I get confused is.. if MFP tells me I need 1200 and I take 500 from that I'm gonna be starving?... unless I manage to do 500 cals in exercise and eat the full 1200?

    Is it cos I selected 2lb a week loss? Other sites estimate me about 1670 cals. Would I get an higher cals per day if I go back and choose 1lb a week loss?

    No you don't need to take anymore off the 1200 recommended by MFP. 1200 calories will be the calculation to give a you a calorie deficit to lose weight each week. MFP will never recommend less than 1200 calories per day as anything lower may mess with your metabolism.
    Hope this helps.

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