3,500 Calories Is One Pound Of Fat


by Eric Stafford


One pound of fat is equivalent to approximately 3,500 calories. In order to lose one pound, you must eliminate 3,500 calorie from your usual intake through either changing your diet or through exercise. You can quickly lose weight by dramatically cutting back on your caloric intake or increasing your exercise, but doctors recommend a less dramatic approach of two pounds per week. This will allow your body to adjust to the changes you are putting it through. Here we discuss a few things you can do to help eliminate 3,500 calories.

Walking or jogging for one mile will burn about 100 calories for the average person. The pace at which you walk or jog does not matter as much as the distance you travel. It requires the same amount of energy (calories) to move your body weight a certain distance. If you walk a mile in 30 minutes or run a mile in 7 minutes, you body uses about the same amount of calories during that period. However, the harder you train the longer your body will continue to burn calories after your activity has stopped. The ideal cardio workout is call high intensity interval training or HIIT. In such a program, you exert yourself at about 80 percent for 30 seconds, then 50 percent for 60 seconds and continue this pattern for about 20 minutes. This will provide the optimum long term calorie burn. It is important to remember that your body will be burning calories. This will cause you to feel hungrier. You must remember to not eat the calories you are burning. You have to eat healthy, low calorie whole foods. This will provide your body with the proper amounts of nutrients.

Intense cardio workouts helps your metabolism and works muscles so they become stronger. It assists in the long term burning of calories as your body uses the energy to move your body and repair the muscle tissue. A great post-workout meal is a large, green salad. Avoid the temptation to knock out a bag of chips or a chocolate bar.

Going out to eat can be extremely counterproductive when you are trying to change your lifestyle. It is not uncommon to consume an additional thousand calories per meal in a restaurant. The reason is that the portion sizes are very large; much larger than you really need to consume. Additionally, the foods served in restaurants tend to be prepared with high fat ingredients and processed foods. This type of eating will certainly be detrimental to any successful meal plan. While it is OK to eat out on occasion, you must plan for it and pay attention to what and how much you are eating. This is vital as you are first starting your new lifestyle.

When eating out, generally you are in a social situation where food is not a priority - but spending time with your friends is. For this reason, people tend to eat more than they normally would. Non-dessert eaters often even spring for the extra round of calories. If you must eat out, help yourself avoid temptation by selecting a salad rather than a plate of pasta or burger. You will be amazed at the difference in the amount of calories you intake when you make simple choices such as meal option.

With regular exercise and a mindful diet, you will be able to easily cut those extra 3,500 calories out of your diet. If you are motivated and commit yourself to the process, you are sure to find that it is easier and much more enjoyable then you thought. You look better in that swimsuit ta boot!




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