What It Takes to Lose One Pound of Fat

We all know that if you eat more calories than your body uses, the extra calories will be stored as body excess fat.

A pound of fat is about 3,500 calories. To lose 1 pound of fat in a week, you have to eat 3,500 fewer calories (that is 500 fewer calories a day), or you have to "burn off" an extra 3,500 calories. Keep in mind, this is in theory; what happens in the real world can be very different.

Often, as we eat less, our bodies burn calories at a slower rate which sends our metabolisms plummeting. This happens because our bodies are protecting themselves by going into this "survival mode," thus hanging onto any fat cells that you might have to keep you alive and for energy support.

This slowdown is a real phenomenon, and has been shown in many laboratory studies — it's called diet induced adaptive thermogenesis. If your calorie expenditure falls, it can be increasingly difficult to take in few enough calories to lose weight. This can be quite a frustration and challenge to the person trying to shed some pounds.

While simple math might suggest that one could cut thousands of calories per day and shed pounds in the blink of any eye, more realistic and lasting weight change happens gradually.

Do not skip meals. This is the primary reason why we tell you not to! To keep your metabolism speeding along, consider having 4 or 5 smaller meals and snacks throughout the day. In addition to providing consistent energy and maintaining your metabolism, you may be more likely to resist those "snack attacks" that happen with extreme hunger. Finally, an important factor in keeping your metabolism moving is participating in regular exercise, which is good for you regardless of whether you're trying to lose weight or just curious about calories.

The good news? Your body burns energy just by staying alive (each person's amount varies), so cutting a few hundred calories through diet and exercise will be enough to push most people toward a slimmer size.

We broke it down a little simpler for you:

0.1 lbs = Burning 350 Calories...
0.2 lbs = Burning 700 Calories...
0.3 lbs = Burning 1,050 Calories...
0.4 lbs = Burning 1,400 Calories...
0.5 lbs = Burning 1,750 Calories...
0.6 lbs = Burning 2,100 Calories...
0.7 lbs = Burning 2,450 Calories...
0.8 lbs = Burning 2,800 Calories..
0.9 lbs =Burning 3,150 Calories...
1 lbs = Burning 3,500 Calories...

Always keep in mind: No matter how slow you go, you are still lapping everyone sitting on the couch.