Typically speaking, 3500 calories equals about one pound of body weight.
When it comes to counting calories in order to lose weight, this is the formula that people
most often use in order to try and calculate the best way to meet their weight loss goals.
This is also the formula commonly used by websites and apps created
to assist people with weight loss as well.
You’ve probably encountered a few of these if you’ve ever made an Internet search to
see how many calories you need to burn to meet your weight goals.
However, the human body isn’t quite as mathematically perfect as this formula
would lead you to believe, and some research indicates that this might
not be the most effective or even safest way to manage your weight loss strategy.
So how can you ensure that you’re shedding pounds in a way that’s both safe and effective?
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According to nutrition experts such as Cynthia Sass from the website Health.com,
one of the big problems with commonly accepted weight loss techniques is the fact that many
of them seem to have been invented using a “one size fits all” mentality.
The truth of the matter is that no two people are entirely alike in terms of physical composition,
and as a result, people’s individual needs for losing weight are going to
vary greatly based on factors such as age, height, and level of physical activity.
For example, let’s consider your average weight loss app.
Typically, apps and websites geared around helping you lose weight will begin with a survey
of specific questions, such as your current weight, the goal weight you want to achieve
by the end of your weight loss journey, and the speed at which you want to get your weight down,
which can range anywhere between half a pound to a whole two pounds per week.
Once you’ve entered all the relevant information, the app usually spits out
a set of suggested guidelines based on how many calories you should limit yourself to every day
in order to meet your weight loss goals in the set amount of time you’ve established.
According to Sass, most of these fitness apps calculate these plans for you by taking
the number of calories per day you’d need to maintain your current weight,
and then subtracting 500 from that total.
Remember what we said about there being 3500 calories in a pound of weight?
The reason these apps tend to subtract 500 from your current
calorie intake is because this is the result you get when dividing 3500 by 7.
In other words, by eating 500 fewer calories per day than you normally would,
you would theoretically lose at least one pound of weight every week.
Now, we say “theoretically” in this case because, even if the math checks out,
the results you’ll see from this diet plan aren’t quite as clear cut as you might be led to believe.
In reality, this kind of weight loss plan can potentially lead to a wide
variety of unintended and unwanted side effects.
As Sass writes:
“If you take someone below the number of calories needed to get to their healthy weight
or their goal weight, they may slow down their metabolism, lose muscle tissue or lean tissue,
and have other side effects, like intense cravings or hunger, irritability, mood swings.”
With this in mind, it seems pretty clear that this
seemingly simple math equation is a little too good to be true.
In order to meet your weight goals in a way that’s not only effective and efficient
but also safe and healthy, we need to play around a bit with this established formula.
So what can we do to structure a better weight loss plan?
Here’s what Sass suggests:
In the place of the app survey where you would normally put your current weight,
put your goal weight instead.
Then, instead of setting a goal weight,
see what the calorie intake would be in order to maintain that weight instead.
For example, if you weigh 180 pounds and you’re trying to hit 150, use your fitness website or
app of choice to instead see what the calorie goals would be for someone who already weighs
150 pounds and wants to keep it that way, and then follow those instructions as well.
As a result of this strategy, you’ll be losing weight at a slower rate,
but without any of the unwanted consequences or side effects associated with trying to
make a significant drop in your daily calorie intake.
To a certain extent, this could be seen as an example of “fake it till you make it”,
at least as far as the fitness planning app you use is concerned.
Another thing to consider when making a plan of attack for your weight loss goals is this:
simply put, counting calories might just not be the ideal strategy for everyone.
As Sass writes:
“Some people are very data driven, and they like using numbers and trackers,
and they can simply look at that as data.
Other people who have a more emotional relationship with their bodies and
numbers and feel anxiety around counting, and it can actually be overwhelming.”
So if you consider some of the more mathematical aspects of calorie
counting to be a little daunting, then don’t let that get you down.
There are plenty of other equally viable ways to work towards your weight loss goals, such
as regulating your portion sizes, incorporating healthier food options into your diet, and so on.
At the end of the day, everyone is different,
so the real deciding factor in your weight loss journey is simply a matter
of finding the strategy that works best in order to meet your personal needs.
For anyone who’s already seen some success with weight loss,
we’d love to hear some of the tips and tricks you incorporated into your weight loss strategy.