How many calories are in a pound? 3500 calories make one pound. Calories and weight gain are closely associated because excess consumption of calories while living a sedentary lifestyle could make anyone gain weight in no time. However, calories are not necessarily that bad, weight gain is actually caused by the people who have no control of their caloric intake.
When we talk about the calories found in food, we are actually talking about the unit of measurement for energy. For example, a person needs 100 calories to walk a distance of 100 meters, that simply means he needs to eat a food that contains 100 calories so he can successfully accomplish the task. Eating a food less than the said requirement will prompt the body to burn its energy reserves, also known as body fat, to compensate for the lack of energy from the food, thus a person loses weight. On the other hand, if the person consumes more calories than what the body needs, the body will store the excess calories in the body as fat deposits causing the person to gain weight.
There are about 3,500 calories in one pound. This applies to the calories from the food you eat and on the calories you burn through exercise or any activity that requires energy.
This means that each time a person loses 3500 calories, s/he become a pound lighter. However, losing 3,500 calories in one day is not only unhealthy but it is also impossible, thus you must get rid of the 3,500 calories in an instalment basis. For example, 500 calorie deficit everyday is equal to 3500 calories in one week which is synonymous to one pound lost per week. You simply have to increase you daily calorie deficit if you want to lose weight faster. See also how many calories to lose weight.
If you want to watch your caloric intake, you can check the nutrition facts label which is mostly located at the back of food containers. Take note that every food has different amount of calories, fruits and vegetables for example are great source of vitamins and minerals but contains very little amount of calories compared to dairy products which contains high amount of fats.
Food nutrients also have different calorie contents. Carbohydrates and protein have 4 calories per gram each, fat has 9 calories per gram, and alcohol has 7 calories per gram.
So, if you aim to lose weight fast and healthily, you simply need to reduce you daily calorie intake or do activities that require your body to burn more calories.
