There are many factors to take into consideration when trying to lose weight – exercise, food intake, and more. But there is one additional factor that can also help you along the way- the magic number 3500. According to many top weight loss and diet sources, including The Mayo Clinic, 3500 calories equals one pound of fat. There are many ways to use this number to calculate your intake and output in order to lose weight steadily, healthfully, and effectively.
Make the Number Work for You
For an easy way to make weight loss happen, you must look at it in longer terms than just daily. If you focus on this total number of 3500, then you can break it down over a certain period to achieve the weight loss goals you have in mind. Whether this number is spread out over two days or a month, reducing your intake of calories by this amount total results in one pound of weight loss. Or, on the other hand, you can burn off this same amount of calories over a certain period to achieve one pound of weight loss. To do the simple math, if you reduce your intake of calories by 500 calories per day, this will total 3500 in 7 days. This will result in weight loss of one pound over this one week period. Although this may sound overwhelming, it is actually easier than you might think – by simply choosing low calorie foods you can often get close to this mark.
If, however, you decide to burn off an extra 500 calories per day through exercise, this will result in a total of 7000 calories lost during this week, which equals two pounds of fat lost. It is important to remember, however, that you should never have an intake of calories lower than 1200 per day to stay healthy during your weight loss endeavors.
First Things First
It’s not always as easy as simply reducing your calorie intake by this 3500 calories to lose a pound of weight. Instead, to really make the numbers work for you, it is important to figure out exactly how many calories you would have to take in every day to maintain your weight as it is currently -a great tool online is a Calorie Calculator. Then, if you want to lose weight at a rate of one pound a week, deduct 500 calories from your recommended daily calorie allotment for maintaining weight, and that will be the goal number of calories you should have everyday. You can do this by cutting certain foods out of your diet, eating smaller portions, or limiting your snacking to low carb/low calorie snacks. Burning off this same amount of calories will also work as mentioned above. However, it is important to factor in your regular activity. If your job requires that you run around all day, suddenly counting those calories burned at work will not result in weight loss. The extra calories burned has to be in addition to your current activity level in order to successfully achieve weight loss.
Although it may seem overwhelming facing a number as large as 3500, doing so has many benefits. Not only will you get a better understanding of how many calories it takes to gain or lose weight, but it forces you to face this endeavor in a long-term manner. And one of the biggest factors in weight loss success is long-term commitment. To allow yourself to have a great low calorie snack while still achieving your weight loss goals, be sure to visit our store at ThinSlimFoods.