Weight loss is basically about numbers. In a given day, to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you take in. Over the course of weeks, this daily caloric deficit adds up into pounds lost. A calorie is simply a unit of energy. If you eat less food than you need, your body will burn body fat to supply the energy. The American Council on Exercise, a non-profit fitness watchdog group, provides caloric equations to convert pounds into calories burned.
Step 1
Use the equation that one pound equals 3,500 calories. To lose one pound of body weight, you need to burn an extra 3,500 calories.
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Step 2
Convert grams of carbohydrates into calories. One gram of carbohydrate equals four calories.
Step 3
Calculate how many carbohydrates equals one pound of weight loss. Divide 3,500 by four. One pound is equal to 875 grams of carbohydrates.
Step 4
Use these numbers to aid in your weight loss plan. You can burn an extra 3,500 calories per week through exercise and eating less food. This would result in one pound of weight loss per week. Cut your carbohydrate intake by about 400 grams per week or 60 grams per day. This would account for half of the 3,500 caloric deficiency you are trying to create. Use exercise to burn off the other half over the course of the week.
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