How many calories does it take to lose one pound?
Dear Countin’ Cal , Theoretically, about 3500 calories equals one pound of body weight. This means that you’d have to take in 3500 fewer calories than you usually do, over a period of time, to lose one pound. Keep in mind, this is in theory; what happens in the real world can be very different. Often, as we eat less, our bodies expend calories at a slower rate (that is, our metabolism decreases). Perhaps this occurs to ensure our survival, or just to defend a comfortable body weight. In any event, 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. So, while it’s nice to have an equation that works in the lab, the 3500-calorie figure may not play out so tidily in reality. However, it can serve as a goal if
