It's not 3,500kcal/pound!!!

Lift_hard_eat_big
Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
edited December 21 in Health and Weight Loss
So Pu_239 and I have been discussing, you need to burn almost 3,700 of FAT kcals to lose a pound of fat.

1 pound = 454 grams
1 gram of fat = 9 kcals
Therefore, one must burn 4,086 FAT kcals to lose a pound of fat. EDIT: Multiply by .9(correction factor) = 3,677kcal
However, our bodies constantly burn a mixture of fuel sources, i.e. carbs, fat and fat simultaneously.

Just some food for thought.
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Replies

  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    Oh kay.
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
    Thank you for doing math for everyone.
  • SofaKingRad
    SofaKingRad Posts: 1,592 Member
    I'm so....enlightened!
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    Seems like there's something you're missing.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    WAT in humans is composed primarily (anywhere from 80 to 95%) of lipid. By lipid, I
    mean stored triglycerides (TG) which are simply a glycerol molecule bound to three free
    fatty acid (FFA) chains. The remaining part of the fat cell is comprised of a little bit of
    water as well as all of the cellular machinery needed to produce the various enzymes,
    proteins, and products that fat cells need to do their duty. As it’s turning out, fat cells
    produce quite a bit of stuff, some good, some bad, that affects your overall metabolism.

    For the record, one pound of fat is 454 grams and let’s assume 90% lipid on average. So
    about 400 or so grams are actual stored TG. When burned by the body, one gram of fat
    provides 9 calories so 400 grams of fat contains about 3600 calories of stored energy. Now
    you know where the old axiom of ~3,500 calories to lose a pound of fat comes from.[/quot]

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-energy-balance-equation.html
  • AFitJamie
    AFitJamie Posts: 172 Member
    I believe you are confusing "Fat" as found on a Nutritional Label and "Fat" as we commonly refer to it in our bodies - e.g. non-lean tissue. These are not the same.


    OOps ACG Beat me to it :)
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    WAT in humans is composed primarily (anywhere from 80 to 95%) of lipid. By lipid, I
    mean stored triglycerides (TG) which are simply a glycerol molecule bound to three free
    fatty acid (FFA) chains. The remaining part of the fat cell is comprised of a little bit of
    water as well as all of the cellular machinery needed to produce the various enzymes,
    proteins, and products that fat cells need to do their duty. As it’s turning out, fat cells
    produce quite a bit of stuff, some good, some bad, that affects your overall metabolism.

    For the record, one pound of fat is 454 grams and let’s assume 90% lipid on average. So
    about 400 or so grams are actual stored TG. When burned by the body, one gram of fat
    provides 9 calories so 400 grams of fat contains about 3600 calories of stored energy. Now
    you know where the old axiom of ~3,500 calories to lose a pound of fat comes from
    .

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-energy-balance-equation.html

    Oh sorry we're off by 11.89%
    Which brings us down to the 3500 that you were disputing. So what was your point again?
  • SLally
    SLally Posts: 33
    if someone wants to tell me how many calories to be burning to lose 15lbs of fat that'd be greatt, need all the help i can get!
  • onedayillbeamilf
    onedayillbeamilf Posts: 966 Member
    WAT in humans is composed primarily (anywhere from 80 to 95%) of lipid. By lipid, I
    mean stored triglycerides (TG) which are simply a glycerol molecule bound to three free
    fatty acid (FFA) chains. The remaining part of the fat cell is comprised of a little bit of
    water as well as all of the cellular machinery needed to produce the various enzymes,
    proteins, and products that fat cells need to do their duty. As it’s turning out, fat cells
    produce quite a bit of stuff, some good, some bad, that affects your overall metabolism.

    For the record, one pound of fat is 454 grams and let’s assume 90% lipid on average. So
    about 400 or so grams are actual stored TG. When burned by the body, one gram of fat
    provides 9 calories so 400 grams of fat contains about 3600 calories of stored energy. Now
    you know where the old axiom of ~3,500 calories to lose a pound of fat comes from
    .

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-energy-balance-equation.html

    Oh sorry we're off by 11.89%

    ::calculatorforyou::
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    if someone wants to tell me how many calories to be burning to lose 15lbs of fat that'd be greatt, need all the help i can get!
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided
  • futuremalestripper
    futuremalestripper Posts: 467 Member
    WAT in humans is composed primarily (anywhere from 80 to 95%) of lipid. By lipid, I
    mean stored triglycerides (TG) which are simply a glycerol molecule bound to three free
    fatty acid (FFA) chains. The remaining part of the fat cell is comprised of a little bit of
    water as well as all of the cellular machinery needed to produce the various enzymes,
    proteins, and products that fat cells need to do their duty. As it’s turning out, fat cells
    produce quite a bit of stuff, some good, some bad, that affects your overall metabolism.

    For the record, one pound of fat is 454 grams and let’s assume 90% lipid on average. So
    about 400 or so grams are actual stored TG. When burned by the body, one gram of fat
    provides 9 calories so 400 grams of fat contains about 3600 calories of stored energy. Now
    you know where the old axiom of ~3,500 calories to lose a pound of fat comes from
    .

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-energy-balance-equation.html

    Oh sorry we're off by 11.89%

    ::calculatorforyou::

    I think it was operator error.
  • 12by311
    12by311 Posts: 1,716 Member
    ...tagging this post...

    just to see where it ends up.
  • LabRat529
    LabRat529 Posts: 1,323 Member
    It never works out exactly anyway. Weight loss isn't linear and... well... we're usually guestimating calorie burns and calorie intakes and so on and so forth, so a 3500 kcal deficit each week might make you lose 1 lb a week or it might not.
  • victoria4321
    victoria4321 Posts: 1,719 Member
    Good talk!

    Now let's go eat a goddamn snack
  • RonSwanson66
    RonSwanson66 Posts: 1,150 Member
    WAT in humans is composed primarily (anywhere from 80 to 95%) of lipid. By lipid, I
    mean stored triglycerides (TG) which are simply a glycerol molecule bound to three free
    fatty acid (FFA) chains. The remaining part of the fat cell is comprised of a little bit of
    water as well as all of the cellular machinery needed to produce the various enzymes,
    proteins, and products that fat cells need to do their duty. As it’s turning out, fat cells
    produce quite a bit of stuff, some good, some bad, that affects your overall metabolism.

    For the record, one pound of fat is 454 grams and let’s assume 90% lipid on average. So
    about 400 or so grams are actual stored TG. When burned by the body, one gram of fat
    provides 9 calories so 400 grams of fat contains about 3600 calories of stored energy. Now
    you know where the old axiom of ~3,500 calories to lose a pound of fat comes from
    .

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-energy-balance-equation.html

    Oh sorry we're off by 11.89%

    ::calculatorforyou::

    I think it was operator error.

    PEBCAK
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
    WAT in humans is composed primarily (anywhere from 80 to 95%) of lipid. By lipid, I
    mean stored triglycerides (TG) which are simply a glycerol molecule bound to three free
    fatty acid (FFA) chains. The remaining part of the fat cell is comprised of a little bit of
    water as well as all of the cellular machinery needed to produce the various enzymes,
    proteins, and products that fat cells need to do their duty. As it’s turning out, fat cells
    produce quite a bit of stuff, some good, some bad, that affects your overall metabolism.

    For the record, one pound of fat is 454 grams and let’s assume 90% lipid on average. So
    about 400 or so grams are actual stored TG. When burned by the body, one gram of fat
    provides 9 calories so 400 grams of fat contains about 3600 calories of stored energy. Now
    you know where the old axiom of ~3,500 calories to lose a pound of fat comes from.

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-energy-balance-equation.html

    Acg, thanks for the link, that makes much more sense. But even if we assume 90% lipids on average, that's closer to 3,700kcal than 3,500kcal. So someone who only has a 400kcal daily deficit would lose weight half a quickly as planned
  • cmurray234
    cmurray234 Posts: 112 Member
    This thread is GREAT! :D
  • AFitJamie
    AFitJamie Posts: 172 Member
    if someone wants to tell me how many calories to be burning to lose 15lbs of fat that'd be greatt, need all the help i can get!

    A simple answer to your question in line with this thread might be : 15Lbs X 3500 = 52,500 calories..... approximately

    This is what you will need to burn off....

    Now, to do so you need to establish what you should be eating each day that will slowly have you burn off a bit more each day than take in... and before you know it you will have burned off 52,500 calories. This thread isn't the place to hijack for a discussion of targets for you, but friend me if you like and I am happy to help you through the details...
  • fatchiick
    fatchiick Posts: 105
    I'm so....enlightened!
    LMAO

    Anyone have a picture of a dingbat? just curious lol
  • cantjustcant
    cantjustcant Posts: 1,027 Member
    sorry....my ten year old just informed me that school is officially out for the summer and cannot be expected to do math until September.
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    So Pu_239 and I have been discussing...

    This is where you lost me.
  • AFitJamie
    AFitJamie Posts: 172 Member
    WAT in humans is composed primarily (anywhere from 80 to 95%) of lipid. By lipid, I
    mean stored triglycerides (TG) which are simply a glycerol molecule bound to three free
    fatty acid (FFA) chains. The remaining part of the fat cell is comprised of a little bit of
    water as well as all of the cellular machinery needed to produce the various enzymes,
    proteins, and products that fat cells need to do their duty. As it’s turning out, fat cells
    produce quite a bit of stuff, some good, some bad, that affects your overall metabolism.

    For the record, one pound of fat is 454 grams and let’s assume 90% lipid on average. So
    about 400 or so grams are actual stored TG. When burned by the body, one gram of fat
    provides 9 calories so 400 grams of fat contains about 3600 calories of stored energy. Now
    you know where the old axiom of ~3,500 calories to lose a pound of fat comes from.[/quot]

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-energy-balance-equation.html

    Acg, thanks for the link, that makes much more sense. But even if we assume 90% lipids on average, that's closer to 3,700kcal than 3,500kcal. So someone who only has a 400kcal daily deficit would lose weight half a quickly as planned.

    One minor comment I'd make is that even if we can be incredibly precise on the calorie burn required to lose a pound - the actual tracking of calories is based on estimates.... Someone's TDEE is only an estimate - Daily consumption is generally estimated - even for those who are disciplined (most people are not weighing every food item). And calorie nutritional labels are based on estimates and may or may not reflect that "serving" you just had... There is a risk in thinking we can make this too precise when we are using estimates of a person's daily burn to start with...

    just my $0.02
  • wickedcricket
    wickedcricket Posts: 1,246 Member
    will this affect my relative distance to the sun at all? if I lose enough weight, will I spin off the planet?
  • Trail_Addict
    Trail_Addict Posts: 1,340 Member

    I think it was operator error.

    PEBCAK

    LOL... I thought I was the only one who knew what that meant. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • BrettPGH
    BrettPGH Posts: 4,716 Member

    Oh sorry we're off by 11.89%

    ::calculatorforyou::

    80085
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member


    One minor comment I'd make is that even if we can be incredibly precise on the calorie burn required to lose a pound - the actual tracking of calories is based on estimates.... Someone's TDEE is only an estimate - Daily consumption is generally estimated - even for those who are disciplined (most people are not weighing every food item). And calorie nutritional labels are based on estimates and may or may not reflect that "serving" you just had... There is a risk in thinking we can make this too precise when we are using estimates of a person's daily burn to start with...

    just my $0.02

    Very true, the average person isn't accurate or precise when it comes to measuring their caloric intake or burn. Which is why so many people spin their wheels when attempting to lose weight. Then they create threads like "what am I doing wrong, I'm not losing any weight".
  • yo_andi
    yo_andi Posts: 2,178 Member
    So Pu_239 and I have been discussing...

    This is where you lost me.

    I LOL'd.
  • MissingMyOldSelf
    MissingMyOldSelf Posts: 689 Member
    My cat's breath smells like cat food.
  • StarkLark
    StarkLark Posts: 476 Member

    Oh sorry we're off by 11.89%

    ::calculatorforyou::

    80085
    Thank you for this haha
  • JoolieW68
    JoolieW68 Posts: 1,879 Member
    sorry....my ten year old just informed me that school is officially out for the summer and cannot be expected to do math until September.

    I gave up math for Lent. 3 years ago.
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