For more : This Is How Much It Really Takes to Lose One Pound
It's pretty easy to drop one pound of water weight, but shedding one pound of fat is another story altogether. Here's what it really takes to lose one pound.
“Lose 10 pounds in just two weeks, guaranteed!” Sound familiar? So many diets promise miracle weight loss that sounds too good to be true, and generally it is. We talked to experts about how many calories in a pound you’d need to burn off in order to see results.
The short answer: It depends on what type of pound we are talking about. It’s easy to lose a pound of water or a digit on the scale. If it’s losing a pound of fat—and keeping it off—that’s more challenging.
How many calories in a pound?
In simplest terms, losing fat—even just a pound—means taking in fewer calories and doing more physical activity. There’s been much ado about how many calories make (or break) a pound. The number of calories in a pound is far from set in stone. “There is an adage that a 3,500 caloric deficit is needed to lose one pound, and this is a good average, but height and weight matter too,” explains Holly Lofton, MD, director of the Medical Weight Management Program at NYU Langone in New York City. There is likely no single answer as to how many calories you’d have to skip to lose one pound, since the number of calories in a pound can vary greatly depending on the person, but we do have a ballpark. “You’d need a deficit of 2,000 to 4,000 calories depending on person’s build,” Dr. Lofton says.
For some context, a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with cheese has 530 calories; add fries for another 230 and a sugary soda for 70 more.
But it’s not just how many calories in a pound—it’s what type of calories. Not all calories are equal by any stretch, and the amount of calories in a pound is also dependent on the food itself. “If you cut 3,500 calories and just ate ice cream, you would lose less than if you chose asparagus and chicken,” Dr. Lofton says. “You want to eat a protein and carb mix or a protein and vegetable mix,” she says. Her tip: High-fiber, low-calorie vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, and spinach will allow you to feel fuller, making any caloric deficit easier to manage. Here’s how to find out how many calories you should be eating to lose weight.
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