Let me try today to clear up the how many calories to lose a pound debate.
This post forms part of the how many calories to lose weight series you may also find the post on how many calories do I need to lose weight helpful.
How Many Calories To Lose a Pound
Let me first say that in this post I will talk about how many calories to lose a pound of fat, rather than just lose a pound. When we lose weight, we will usually lose water in addition to body fat. To lose one pound of fat we need to cut 3,500 calories from our maintenance calorie level. Many people make the mistake of thinking that if you save 3,500 calories in a week, then you should lose 1lb of fat, but this only true if that figure is below your current weekly calorie needs. My current weekly maintenance calorie total around 11,500 calories. If I was eating 16000 calories per week, and cut 3, 500 from that total, I would still not be losing weight. I know I repeat it through this series of posts, but it really does all start with you first understanding your current resting metabolic rate.
How Many Calories To Lose a Pound – Creating A Calorie Deficit
If you want to lose one pound of fat, you can create the calorie deficit by either diet or exercise, or of course a combination of both. From my own experience, I would advise you ensure you have your diet in order first, and then look at calories burned from exercise as a bonus. If you can lose body fat at the rate of 1lb per week, you should be happy. Please don’t be taken in by the claims of diet fads, losing more than a pound of FAT on a weekly basis is very hard to do.
How Many Calories To Lose a Pound Of Fat
If you have cut 3,500 calories from your RMR level, then you will lose one pound of fat, in addition to this you will most likely see some loss of water weight too, so the scales may show you losing 2 or 3lbs. Use the scales as a guide, but don’t get too obsessed with them, as I mentioned earlier, our weight flucuates depending on what we have eaten, and when we get weighed. The only thing you need to focus on is keeping your calories below your normal weekly needs. If you can cut 3,500 calories a week then you will lose 1lb of fat per week.
Any questions about this how many calories to lose a pound post, please feel free to leave a comment below and I will be happy to reply. If you are new to the retired dieter weight loss blog then why not sign up for regular weight loss updates, just enter your name email in box on the top right of this site.
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{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
I have been trying to lose weight but stay the same why? I would like to learn how to count calories and the intake and get back on track can you help me figure this out?
Maria, use the chart in this post as a calorie guide. http://retireddieter.com/resting-metabolic-rate-what-is-your-rmr
Hi,
Very inspired by your postings. There is quite a bit of maths there, which I hope you can help me.
I am trying to drop 10-15lb (currently 140lb, 5’5″, light active, 38). According to your RMR chart, 1355 but because of my activity level, I should multiply 1.375, right?
So, my new RMR is 1863. My total calories per week is about13000.
Let’s say I want to lose 1 lb/week. My total calories per week should not excess 13000-3500 = 9500. So divide 9500/7, my daily calories become 1350.
I am trying to apply Brad Pilon’s theory of fasting 2 days a week. Here, I am very confused. Should my non fasting day calories be 1863 or 1355?
Sorry to throw you this maths question. But, I guess, when you can successfully taken off these much weight. Your maths will be better than mine.
Thanks,
Kate.
PS I had posted the same question somewhere. But not sure which place is best to reach you.
Kate,
If it was me I would just use the 1355 number x 7 and use that as my base. As I mentioned in the post, it’s a guide to work to, it is very difficult for us to know exactly what we take in, and burn off. This post shows how I break down my weekly numbers http://retireddieter.com/calories-to-lose-weight
The calories I burn through exercise , I simply count as a bonus, I don’t ad them into my total. I have found if I do this, I just eat more. Again this is personal, but for me, I prefer to try and work to that yellow mean calorie total in the chart and I find it works for me.
Thanks, Dave.
Wow. 1355 cal per day (about 9500 in a week) is pretty low, especially if I want to drop a pound a week which mean 9500-3500=6000.
I think I probably need to fast for 24 hrs twice a week , plus skip a few breakfasts (as suggest by Leangains). What do you think about this strategy. For me the fasts are not hard. It is coming off and choose what to eat is hard.
Furthermore, what way do you follow to set your goal weight or body comp or etc.
Does the ideal weight chart a good guide?
Thanks.
PS keep up the blog, it is such great help!
Hi Kate,
I’m in an almost identical situation as you – 5’5″, 140 lbs, looking to lose 10-15 lbs. I’m 29. I’ve been following a Paleo diet for about 14 months now, and more recently low-carb Paleo. Adding in IF is the next step (as restricting calories has always worked for me – without fail – in the past for weight loss; it just required significant effort and planning.) I also work out a fair amount – a “CrossFit Lite” style training plus some swimming, sprinting, and long walks. Using your approach and the caloric guidelines, I came up with a calorie schedule of sorts for a typical week:
Sunday: Brunch, lite dinner = 1000
Monday: Lunch, Dinner = 1300
Tuesday: Fast = 0
Wednesday: lite breakfast, Lunch, Dinner = 1400
Thursday: Lunch, Dinner = 1200
Friday: Fast = 0
Saturday: Brunch, lite dinner = 800
Week: 5700
I’m going to try this for the next two weeks. I’ll let you know what kind of results I see/feel. I’d be curious to see how you approach IF/CR as well.
Good luck!
Hi Kristin,
Just been looking at your plan.
If you fast on Tue and Fri with O cal. Won’t it mean you fast over 24 hours? As I gather , Brad Pilon’s Eat stop Eat is only for 24 hours. So if you fast on Mon 6pm, your fast ends after Tue 6 pm.
I’d also review my eating plan. I figure that to reach my ideal weight at 120lb. I should consume about 1200 cal/day (assuming I am not very active).
1200 x 7 = 8400
sat 1800
Sun 1800
Mon (fast till Dinner) 600
Tue 1200
Wed (fast till Dinner) 600
Thur 1200
Fri 1200
I think that is my new plan.
Please post up your progress. Good luck.
Hi Kristin,
It is Kate again.
Just use your plan of 5300 cal per week to put in a “Calories Required To Lose Weight” formula.
5300 is really very low. It will result of 10 lb weight lose in a month.
It sounds great but not sure a woman would like losing weight too fast (ie sagging skins etc)
Give m your thought.
If you fast, your body will think you are starving it and the end result is no weight loss – especially if you are doing this on a regular basis.
Dave is right. Use your RMR – which will surprise many of us – it is lower than we think. I just went to a dietician and she told me I could eat 1700 calories in order to lose a pound a week, based on my activity level. I know this is not correct, because my RMR is 1200-1300. I just eat 1200-1300 calories and exercise most days of the week. I have gone from 179 to 160 and am looking to reach 135. If you eat fiber from apples, whole grains and stay away from fast food extra value meals, you should be able to lose weight.
It is important to weigh your food, find a tool for logging your food, and be as consistent as possible with exercise. I am now using a BodyBugg – and find it helpful – but you can gauge your success by using a Heart rate Monitor. Many of us are told to use 220-your age = Max Heart rate. This is not enough. I am using the Karvonen formula and this is working better for me. If you use this formula though, you should get approval from your doctor to make sure you can handle the higher heart rate targets.
Hi Susan,
Have to take issue with you on the point about fasting and starving. You said
Sorry, but this is just a myth, and one that keeps getting put around the internet. I can only guess that some genius read that fasting or starvation causes metabolic rate to drop and took that to mean that skipping meals, or not eating for a day or two, would cause weight loss to stop, or as it’s often called ” starvation mode “. While I certainly don’t advise people to go without food for a day or, 2, sutdies have shown no drop in metabolism in 72 hrs. Also other studies, show an increase during the fasting fase.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2405717
The earliest I have seen in research showing a drop is at 60 hours http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3661473 . So while I agree with you about monitoring calories is important, and your tips on that are great. How and when you eat those calories in relation to the timing, will not slow down weight loss. If you are eating less than you need you will lose weight no matter if you miss or a meal or not. I think I am living proof of that.
i am 69 weigh 165 5’2′..WUD LIKE TO LOOSE AT LEAST 35 LBS…HOW MANY CALORIES PER DAY? TO REAALY GET WEIGHT LOSS..AM TRYING TO WALK DAILY
at 5,2 Your RMR will be around 1255 per day, you can use the chart here http://retireddieter.com/resting-metabolic-rate-what-is-your-rmr.
Hi, first off I’d like to say how much I appreciate the time and effort you put into helping others. I’m in the same boat you were before starting your journey. Like so many others, traditional diets just don’t work for me. The thought of “giving up” bread, beer, pasta, cheese etc just seems extreme and destined to fail once you come off the diet. Add to that the struggle to stay the course when friends and family are enjoying their meals during nites out or family get togethers is difficult to say the least. I am so ready to try this. No, DO this!! It’s been a long time since I was optomistic about losing weight but I am. Thank you again!!!!!!!!!
Hi Dave, Ive not yet stepped off from my 25 years (so far) dieting treadmill. Just so I can get something straight in my head, Im 5’5 making my RMR 1355 per day, 9485 per week. In order to lose 1llb per week I would need to subtract 3500 from 9485 leaving 5985 which is 855 cals per day if I did not fast? The cals you quote are the lowest I have seen and would like your opinion on how people lose up to 2llbs per week on more calories than this eating daily at the diet clubs (accepting that fact most dont keep it off longterm) Also, if you think there is a gendar difference in what regimes best fit each gender and where you stand on low carb eating? Is this all about the calories for you and nothing else?
Hi Jasmine,
Don’t forget this is calories to lose one pound of fat, not one pound of bodyweight. When we lose weight, we lose a combination of both fat and water. It’s also why when people think they gained 4lbs in 1 week, they actually gained mainly water. To gain 4 pounds of fat in 7 days, you would need to be eating over 14000 calories above your RMR, so it works both ways. The same reason you should not get upset by a 4lb body weight gain in one week, should be the same reason to not get upset, just because you only lost half a pound. The scales are not always the best indicator. If you had a calorie intake of say 8500 calories per week, and say did some activity like walking, you will be losing weight, and chances are when you step on the scales, you would be losing more than 1lb. Those same scales can be your enemy though when you only have a small amount of weight to lose as it is far harder to be accurate when our daily weight can move anything up to 3 or 4 lbs, just based on what we have eaten. Women of course are also more prone to water retention than men.
It is all about calories for me, but in relation to low carb eating, which I have done in the past, I look at it that in my weekly diet, I still cut carbs, or have low carb days, simply because of and I.F. day. Again I have no problem with anyone who likes doing low carb, if it works, then you stick with it. To what level you cut carbs is a personal choice.
Hi Dave, thanks for the quick response! It true, sometimes I happen to gain 4llbs in a weekend when I know I cant have eaten 4llbs of fat/cals. Its v interesting and thanks for keeping up this blog
I weigh 194lb and i am 16 i want to lose 10 to 15lb. Ive been eating about 1000cal a day for 3 days ive also been running about a 10th of a mile each day for the past 3 days about how long should it take to reach my weight loss goal of 10 to 15lb. And no im not starving myself.
Ryan also depends on your height, take a look at this RMR chart, http://retireddieter.com/resting-metabolic-rate-what-is-your-rmr See your height and calorie needs, and you should be able to work it out. Just don’t think you can do it in 3 weeks.
Hello, I’m 12 and my sister is 11 of 2011. Well, we’ve read most of your..essay, and lose one pound of fat in one week? My sister and I are running/jogging/walking but mostly jogging. Two miles in the morning and also doing arobics that my school has been teaching me. For like I’d say..mmm.. About 10-15 minutes. And we’re doing the same thing after school,but we’re gonna jog until my mom gets home. So, we get home around 4:15 pm and mother comes home around 6:30Pm . But well be repeating it daily..we’d probably rest once every two weeks, but we wanna lose about 20 pounds before the end of April. Oh,yeah. And we are gonna start watching what we eat. Like no candy and drink lots of water before breakfast, lunch, snacks, and supper. But we’re not gonna starve ourselves and be anerecsic, and we don’t want people to think that.. Also, we’re jogging outside and I estimated my land and it equals about a mile and one lap.:) hopefully I didn’t forget anything? My sister and I wanna lose weight bc were going to Mexico during the end of June. And I wanna make my family down there proud of me:) I weigh 139 pounds..my sister weighs 123 pounds:) may you please help us?!?
@ Selina
Hi Selina, as you are and your sister are both young and still growing, I would suggest you talk to your doctor, I am in no way qualified to give you advice that is best for you. Please get some personal advice locally.
Hell dave I am looking foward to this year and I really want to loos weught.
I am 22 years young. I weight around 270, 5’6. I want to weight around 160. Can u help me or give me any advise…
Thank you.
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