According to the Mayo Clinic, 3,500 calories must be eliminated through diet or exercise to lose one pound. Because most adults need to eat 1,600 to 2,400 calories per day, this is best achieved by cutting 500 calories each day throughout the week.
Many dieters face major roadblocks to staying on a diet. As the Mayo Clinic points out, it helps to start with a quantifiable goal. Losing one to two pounds a week is an achievable rate of change, while working to lose 30 pounds in one month is likely to end in failure.
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute provides a number of useful alternatives to reduce calories and fat without losing out on taste or satisfaction. Choosing popcorn as a snack, frozen yogurt for dessert, and lean white meat can reduce intake without leaving a dieter feeling deprived.
Dieters should also burn excess calories through an active lifestyle. The Centers for Disease Control recommends 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week. Walking instead of driving, joining a friend for an exercise class or going for a walk after lunch are great ways to be more active. Making small but meaningful lifestyle changes can help ensure a successful weight loss of at least one pound per week.Learn More
According to the Houston Chronicle, a 150-pound person needs to perform jumping jacks for approximately 686 minutes, while a 200-pound person needs to perform jumping jacks for 514 minutes to lose 1 pound of weight. According to the Mayo Clinic, burning 3,500 calories is needed for that result.Full Answer >
A person must consume 3,500 calories to gain 1 pound, according to Mayo Clinic; however, the body uses calories even while sleeping or sitting. Technically, a person must consume 3,500 calories above and beyond what his body uses to maintain itself to gain 1 pound.Full Answer >
The amount of time required to lose 10 pounds with an intake of 700 calories a day will vary greatly depending on level of daily activity, age, sex, height, starting weight and other prior health factors. For example, the average healthy female who is moderately active and is between the ages of 20 and 30 will lose 10 pounds in approximately 23 days (based on an average BMR of 1,300), but this time frame may be drastically different for a man who is more active or an older woman in her 40s who lives a very sedentary lifestyle.Full Answer >
Three thousand five hundred calories must be burned, either through exercise or daily life functions, to lose a pound. To lose a pound a week, an additional 500 calories per day must be burned. A healthy, safe weight loss is between 1 and 2 pounds per week.Full Answer >