Drop 10 pounds in 30 days..the math behind it :)

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  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
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    The idea that 1 lb = 3,500 calories is flawed on a very basic level. Yes, 1 lb of pure adipose fat is approximately 3,500 calories. However, when we are losing weight, we're not just losing fat. We're losing some lean body mass. We're losing water weight. The bigger you begin, the larger the % of that 1 lb lost is fat. Lean people tend to lose more lean body mass and retain more fat. Very aggressive low calorie diets tend to erode lean body mass to a greater degree than more conservative diets.

    Additionally, you have to modify the deficit to account for the lower BMR as the month goes on; this is especially true for longer plans. That is why it is a good idea to have MFP recalculate your daily calorie goals every 5-10 lbs you lose. When I first started on MFP at the end of Feb 2014, it told me I could have 1560 calories a day and lose weight at a rate of 1-1.5 lbs/week. It is now telling me to eat 1410 calories a day.

    By the very very basic calculation, if I wanted to lost 10 lbs in 30 days eating 1,410 calories a day with a BMR of 1,718, I would need to burn 858 calories every day. To burn that, I would have to:

    1. Jog (moderate pace) for 72 minutes.
    2. Do zumba for an hour and a half
    3. Walk for over two hours uphill.

    Is that really doable every day? No. Is it extremely discouraging? Yes. That's because you don't need the deficit to be 3,500 per lb loss. You also shouldn't try to lose 10 lbs in one month; that's 2.5 lbs per week. It's not sustainable.
  • mildammm
    mildammm Posts: 67 Member
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    The idea that 1 lb = 3,500 calories is flawed on a very basic level. Yes, 1 lb of pure adipose fat is approximately 3,500 calories. However, when we are losing weight, we're not just losing fat. We're losing some lean body mass. We're losing water weight. The bigger you begin, the larger the % of that 1 lb lost is fat. Lean people tend to lose more lean body mass and retain more fat. Very aggressive low calorie diets tend to erode lean body mass to a greater degree than more conservative diets.

    Additionally, you have to modify the deficit to account for the lower BMR as the month goes on; this is especially true for longer plans. That is why it is a good idea to have MFP recalculate your daily calorie goals every 5-10 lbs you lose. When I first started on MFP at the end of Feb 2014, it told me I could have 1560 calories a day and lose weight at a rate of 1-1.5 lbs/week. It is now telling me to eat 1410 calories a day.

    By the very very basic calculation, if I wanted to lost 10 lbs in 30 days eating 1,410 calories a day with a BMR of 1,718, I would need to burn 858 calories every day. To burn that, I would have to:

    1. Jog (moderate pace) for 72 minutes.
    2. Do zumba for an hour and a half
    3. Walk for over two hours uphill.

    Is that really doable every day? No. Is it extremely discouraging? Yes. That's because you don't need the deficit to be 3,500 per lb loss. You also shouldn't try to lose 10 lbs in one month; that's 2.5 lbs per week. It's not sustainable.

    I think this is more of an informational post for people to understand what is happening math-wise in your body. It is an oversimplication, absolutely, yet the math isn't that far off, at least in people that have a lot to lose.

    When I first found out that a pound of fat is 3500 calories, it all just clicked in my head. It's not bad luck, genetics, metabolism, what-have-you... It was very freeing, in a way, to know that this weight is just a numbers game.

    I would not suggest trying to lose 10 pounds in 30 days, but it puts all of those magic pill/this one simple trick advertising promises in perspective (just makes you think about it in a realistic way, that maybe those shake advertisers are full of ****).
  • jilly1130
    jilly1130 Posts: 52 Member
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    bump
  • elartigue
    elartigue Posts: 12 Member
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    hello, Im just seeing this post. I myself have struggled with the scale system. the thought is this. 1. you lose 300 calories today then tomorrow the scale is going to hurt you. is not fair. but imagining that you need to buy a car 30,000 dlls right ? and you save today 300 dlls. then that is good right ? nobody is going to tell you having 300 in the bank towards your car is bad. at the end EVERYONE gets their car. and in reality very low percentage of people can really achieve their dream of losing weight. 30,000 dlls ---> 32,500 calories. then It clicked me. i read somewhere that for a guy 15 pounds is the amount needed to change a size of pants. soooooo I setup a goal for 52,500 calories deficit. (deficit of food + workout) and started to track accumulative amounts towards 15 3,500 goals and 1 big goal of 52,500...... no more scale, I know that when I finish my project the result (whatever it is) will be satisfactory.
  • 5stringjeff
    5stringjeff Posts: 790 Member
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    Holy resurrected thread, Batman!
  • bpetrosky
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
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    thread_necro_zps92d0acb7.gif

    Yowza! The zombie thread apocalypse is upon us!

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