One pound of body fat is equal to about 3,500 calories. To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you eat. In theory, you lose a pound of fat after you've taken in 3,500 fewer calories than your body uses.
However, other factors can affect the ability to lose weight. Exercise plays a role as well as certain conditions, medications, sleep, and genetics.
This article explains how to calculate your calorie and weight loss needs. It also covers steps you can take to lose a pound of fat or more.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/VWH-Nutrition-Calories-73621b3ac06a469b8dc3353e2ce35859.jpg "How Many Calories Does It Take to Gain or Lose a Pound of Fat? (1)")
Calories and Fat
People gain weight by consuming more calories than they burn throughout the day. Excess calories are stored within specialized fat cells (adipose tissue) throughout the body. Your body stores this fat by enlarging fat cells that are already present in the body or by creating more fat cells.
In 1958, Max Wishnofsky, MD, after doing a literature analysis, determined that one pound of fat is equal to about 3,500 calories. In practice, this would mean if you ate an extra 350 calories a day—equivalent to a medium muffin or piece of cake—you would gain an extra pound about every 10 days (350 x 10).
In theory, to lose a pound of body fat you need to decrease calorie intake by about 3,500 calories. According to this calculation, decreasing calorie intake by 500 calories for seven days would result in the loss of one pound of fat.
However, it is more complicated than a simple calculation. Expertsnow agree that the 3,500-calorie-per-pound rule works fairly well in the short term and for those who want to lose only a few pounds. However, over the long term, and especially for those trying to lose a significant amount of weight, the rule doesn't apply.
The rule overestimates weight loss in this situation because a drop in metabolic rate occurs over time as body weight decreases and people are less likely to strictly adhere to their weight loss plan.
Following a heart-healthy eating plan that is lower in calories and unhealthy saturated fats along with increasing physical activity are habits that can help manage weight and prevent excess body fat.
How Many Calories You Need
Calorie needs vary at different life stages, such as adolescence, during pregnancy, and while breastfeeding. Other factors that can affect calorie needs include:
- Height
- Activity level
- Health conditions, such as hypothyroidism, Cushing syndrome, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- Medications, such as corticosteroids, antidepressants, and seizure medicines
- Sleep
- Genetics
Accurately calculating basal metabolic rate (BMR)
Researchers have developed new formulas based on your weight, age, gender, and physical activity to estimate BMR and calorie needs. Accurately calculating your BMR is useful before planning weight loss. Tools like the Body Weight Planner can help.
How to Reduce Calories
Here are several ways to reduce calories to help with gradual weight loss.
Swap Higher-Calorie Foods for Lower-Calorie Options
Healthy food swaps can help you eat fewer calories while also providing important nutrients and keeping you satisfied while you lose weight.
| Lower-calorie food swaps | |
|---|---|
| Instead of: | Choose: |
| Whole milk | Nonfat or 1% milk |
| Soda | Iced tea or no-calorie flavored water |
| Fruit juice | Fresh fruit |
| Granola or high-sugar cereal | Bran flakes, whole grain cereal, or oatmeal |
| Doughnuts, muffins, pastries | Whole grain English muffin or bagel |
| Chips | Popcorn (air-popped or light) |
| Crackers | Vegetables and hummus |
| French fries | Side salad with vinaigrette dressing |
| Beef or pork | Skinless chicken or fish |
| Ground beef | 90% lean ground beef, chicken, or turkey |
| Fried chicken or fish | Baked, broiled, grilled, or sauteed chicken or fish |
| Fried vegetables | Steamed, stir-fried, or roasted vegetables |
| Sour cream | Plain Greek yogurt |
| Mayonnaise | Mustard or reduced-fat mayonnaise |
| Ice cream | Flavored Greek yogurt or pudding made with nonfat milk |
Change Portion Sizes
The goal of changing portion sizes is to get more of the foods that provide fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other valuable nutrients while decreasing the portions of foods that are highly processed and high in saturated fat, sodium, and sugar.
By increasing your servings of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins while decreasing fast food, fried foods, processed meats, sweets, and sweet drinks you will feel satiated and at the same time improve your overall health.
When preparing your meal, visualize the USDA MyPlate, including fruit, vegetables, grains, lean protein, and low-fat dairy in your meal.
Plan Meals
Planning and preparing meals is a great tool to help keep healthy eating and weight loss on track. Planning meals can help prevent spontaneous food choices that are not so healthy and overeating because you are excessively hungry by the time your meal is ready.
Although any type of meal preparation requires planning, there are several ways to approach it, such as:
- Choose a specific day of the week to decide what meals you'll prepare, create a food shopping list, and do the grocery shopping (online or in person).
- Choose a specific day or days of the week to do most of the cooking to last for the week.
- Choose a specific day of the week to try a new recipe.
- Create a meal schedule or calendar so you're not deciding at the last minute what to make and to ensure you have the needed ingredients available. This might include specific meals or foods on specific days of the week, such as Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, Fish Friday, etc.
Use a Calorie Counter
While counting calories may be helpful for some people in some circ*mstances, it's not for everyone. The main goal of weight loss is to improve overall health, which means shifting eating patterns to include more fiber, lean protein, whole grains, and anti-inflammatory foods (like fruits and vegetables) as opposed to a specific number of calories.
A calorie-counting app may be a useful weight loss tool to consider if it may help you stay on track with your health goals, consume more nutrient-rich foods, and feel satiated.
Add Physical Activity
For most of us, our daily lives don't offer many opportunities for being active. Children don't exercise as much in school and many people drive to work and spend much of the day sitting.
Along with swapping high-calorie foods for lower-calorie foods, physical activity can help with fat loss by burning extra calories. Exercise also helps prevent bone and muscle loss. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends 150 to 300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity each week, along with strength training exercises at least two days per week.
- Examples of moderate aerobic exercise include brisk walking, water exercises, and mowing the lawn.
- Examples of vigorous aerobic activity include jogging, swimming hard laps, a strenuous fitness class, and shoveling snow.
- Examples of strength training can include using weights or weight machines, your body weight, and resistance bands.
The main thing is to get moving and gradually increase the amount of activity to reach recommended levels. Be sure to talk with your healthcare provider before starting an exercise program.
Stay Hydrated
Water is important for many body functions, such asbringing nutrients to cells, getting rid of wastes, preventing constipation, protecting joints and organs, and maintaining body temperature.Water may also aid in weight loss.
- One study found that people following a low-calorie diet who drankextra water before mealshad less appetite and more weight loss over 12 weeks than those on a similar diet without the extra water.
- Consistently replacing high-calorie beverages (such as sweetened sodas, fruit juice, coffee drinks, or alcohol) with water can aid weight loss over time.
Total water needs for adults are estimated to be 3.7 liters (15.5 cups) for males and 2.7 liters (11.5 cups) for females.Total water needs means water from all sources—plain water, water in other beverages (such as coffee, tea, and milk), and water in foods (like fruits, vegetables, and soups).
Tips to Help Kids Lose Weight
Summary
Knowing how many calories it takes to gain or lose a pound of fat can help you avoid gaining weight or shed extra pounds. Many factors can affect weight loss, but calculating your BMR can help in developing a weight loss plan. Strategies such as swapping lower-calorie foods, meal planning, adding exercise, and staying well-hydrated can help support your weight loss efforts.
14 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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Additional Reading
Wishnofsky M. Caloric equivalents of gained or lost weight. Am J Clin Nutr. 1958;6(5):542-546. doi:10.1093/ajcn/6.5.542
By Vincent Iannelli, MD
Vincent Iannelli, MD, is a board-certified pediatrician and fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Iannelli has cared for children for more than 20 years.
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