By Mark J. Nazzal
What you first need to realize is that there is a considerable difference between simply "losing weight" and "losing fat". Most people use the two terms interchangeably, though what they are really going for (or at least what they should be going for) is the latter.
The reason you want to lose fat in particular, and not just weight in general, is because fat is the only type of tissue that, generally speaking, your body can do without. On the other hand, you don't want to lose any of your muscle mass for example - this will make you weaker, could cause back pain, lead to saggy breasts in women
due to weaker pectoral muscles, and so on. What I'm trying to tell you here is that you should focus all of your efforts specifically on losing fat only, while avoiding losing other types of tissues.
With this intro behind us, let me tell you how many calories you need to burn to lose 1 pound of fat.
Exactly 3,500 calories.
Keep in mind, however, that you should never be losing more than 2 pounds of fat per week. The body is simply not physically capable of burning fat at a quicker rate than that, so if you are going faster than this then you are quite likely losing a lot of muscle in the process. An exception applies if you are highly overweight or even obese - in that case, your body is capable of burning 3, 4, 5 or even 6 pounds of pure fat per week.
Please remember though that this will only apply to people with severe weight issues. So if you are just looking to lose those 5-10 pounds of extra fat on you, you should not exceed a rate of 2 pounds per week.
Considering all of the above, the best way to lose one pound of fat is to create a daily calorie deficit (either through exercising, or reducing the amount of food you consume) of 500 calories. If you burn 500 calories a day, this amounts to exactly 3500 calories per week (500 x 7). If you were to stick to this type of deficit, you would see a steady, unwavering fat loss rate of 1 lb/week.
Just remember that there are always two ways to create that calorie deficit. You can either burn the 500 calories a day through exercise by, for example, running at moderate speed for 45-60 minutes a day. Or you could simply reduce the amount of calories you eat by 500 a day. It's up to you to decide which approach is more convenient for you. Just be aware that the result will be the same regardless of which of the two approaches you choose - a loss of 1 pound of fat per week.
What you first need to realize is that there is a considerable difference between simply "losing weight" and "losing fat". Most people use the two terms interchangeably, though what they are really going for (or at least what they should be going for) is the latter.The reason you want to lose fat in particular, and not just weight in general, is because fat is the only type of tissue that, generally speaking, your body can do without. On the other hand, you don't want to lose any of your muscle mass for example - this will make you weaker, could cause back pain, lead to saggy breasts in women
due to weaker pectoral muscles, and so on. What I'm trying to tell you here is that you should focus all of your efforts specifically on losing fat only, while avoiding losing other types of tissues.
With this intro behind us, let me tell you how many calories you need to burn to lose 1 pound of fat.
Exactly 3,500 calories.
Keep in mind, however, that you should never be losing more than 2 pounds of fat per week. The body is simply not physically capable of burning fat at a quicker rate than that, so if you are going faster than this then you are quite likely losing a lot of muscle in the process. An exception applies if you are highly overweight or even obese - in that case, your body is capable of burning 3, 4, 5 or even 6 pounds of pure fat per week.
Please remember though that this will only apply to people with severe weight issues. So if you are just looking to lose those 5-10 pounds of extra fat on you, you should not exceed a rate of 2 pounds per week.
Considering all of the above, the best way to lose one pound of fat is to create a daily calorie deficit (either through exercising, or reducing the amount of food you consume) of 500 calories. If you burn 500 calories a day, this amounts to exactly 3500 calories per week (500 x 7). If you were to stick to this type of deficit, you would see a steady, unwavering fat loss rate of 1 lb/week.
Just remember that there are always two ways to create that calorie deficit. You can either burn the 500 calories a day through exercise by, for example, running at moderate speed for 45-60 minutes a day. Or you could simply reduce the amount of calories you eat by 500 a day. It's up to you to decide which approach is more convenient for you. Just be aware that the result will be the same regardless of which of the two approaches you choose - a loss of 1 pound of fat per week.
About the author: Mark Nazzal specializes in 1 on 1 online weight loss and fitness coaching. You can contact him for help with your specific dieting or exercising issue through his website, where a large number of helpful articles are also available: Help Me Lose Weight
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