How to Lose 1 lb of Fat in a Week
How to Lose Weight
There are many ways to lose weight, however, many people have a hard time keeping it off. If you weigh yourself every night before going to bed and then weigh yourself when you wake up, you’ll notice that you indeed did lose weight. This is however just spent energy leaving the body in terms of heat, moisture, and metabolic processes, not fat. As you eat your 3 meals for the day, you’ll gain the weight back. If you want to lose the weight and keep it off, it’s easiest to understand the link between food intake and calories.
How many Calories are in 1 lb?
There are a whopping 3,500 calories* in a pound of fat! Since the average human diet is based off of a 2,000 calorie intake, this makes it incredibly hard to lose weight consistently. There are of course 2 ways to lose calories. You can either burn it off through exercise, or you can simply not eat it. If you break it down, if you can cut out or lose 500 extra calories everyday of the week, by the end of the week, your work would have summed up to 3,500 calories and you would have lost a pound.
If you are planning on eliminating calories from the diet, remember not to go overboard. Eating under 1,200 calories per day is considered fasting and is not healthy, especially on a prolonged basis. Eating too few calories can lead to binge eating similar to people who are bulemic, causing large fluctuations in weight and is also not good for the body.
Calories Burnt Through Exercise
Here are a list of activities you can do for an hour and the amount of calories burnt according to the Mayo Clinic based off of an article by Ainsworth BE et al. Remember that the body doesn’t usually begin burning fat until after at least 30 minutes of working out.
| Activity (1-hour duration) | Weight of person and calories burned | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 160 pounds (73 kilograms) | 200 pounds (91 kilograms) | 240 pounds (109 kilograms) | |
| Aerobics, high impact | 511 | 637 | 763 |
| Aerobics, low impact | 365 | 455 | 545 |
| Aerobics, water | 292 | 364 | 436 |
| Backpacking | 511 | 637 | 763 |
| Basketball game | 584 | 728 | 872 |
| Bicycling, < 10 mph, leisure | 292 | 364 | 436 |
| Bowling | 219 | 273 | 327 |
| Canoeing | 256 | 319 | 382 |
| Dancing, ballroom | 219 | 273 | 327 |
| Football, touch, flag, general | 584 | 728 | 872 |
| Golfing, carrying clubs | 329 | 410 | 491 |
| Hiking | 438 | 546 | 654 |
| Ice skating | 511 | 637 | 763 |
| Jogging, 5 mph | 584 | 728 | 872 |
| Racquetball, casual, general | 511 | 637 | 763 |
| Rollerblading | 913 | 1,138 | 1,363 |
| Rope jumping | 730 | 910 | 1,090 |
| Rowing, stationary | 511 | 637 | 763 |
| Running, 8 mph | 986 | 1,229 | 1,472 |
| Skiing, cross-country | 511 | 637 | 763 |
| Skiing, downhill | 365 | 455 | 545 |
| Skiing, water | 438 | 546 | 654 |
| Softball or baseball | 365 | 455 | 545 |
| Stair treadmill | 657 | 819 | 981 |
| Swimming, laps | 511 | 637 | 763 |
| Tae kwon do | 730 | 910 | 1,090 |
| Tai chi | 292 | 364 | 436 |
| Tennis, singles | 584 | 728 | 872 |
| Volleyball | 292 | 364 | 436 |
| Walking, 2 mph | 183 | 228 | 273 |
| Walking, 3.5 mph | 277 | 346 | 414 |
| Weightlifting, free weight, Nautilus or universal type | 219 | 273 | 327 |
Calories Eliminated through Diet
If exercise is not your cup of tea, there are many foods that many people can cut out of their diet in an effort to take out at least 500 calories per day.
- Starbucks Grande Caffe Mocha – 260 calories
- 21 oz Coke (Medium Extra Value Meal size) – 210 calories
- Medium McDonalds French Fries – 380 calories
- Glazed Dunkin Donuts Donut – 220 calories
- Creme Cheese on a Bagel – about 80 calories
- Bagel w/ Creme Cheese – 436 calories (keep in mind a bagel is the equivalent of 4 slices of bread!)
Notice you or someone you know may consume some of these very often, maybe even daily. Most of these are probably not considered necessary and are the results of a hectic, busy life. Cutting them out shouldn’t be too hard though if you can take the extra 15 minutes per day to make your own breakfast or snacks bought from the grocery store. You never know, your wallet may also benefit from this act, not only your waist!
For more ideas on how to limit the amount of food you eat and lose weight, check out the 9 Inch Diet book!
*The type of “calories” referenced in this article are actually kcal or Calories