A little confused

J

JakeVaughan

0
Hi everyone, new here and I have a question that confuses me a little. I see all over the Internet that in order to lose 1lb you have to "cut or burn 3,500 calories" and thus my confusion sets in. I can understand the burn part but how does the cut part work? Is this implying that if someone who normally ate 5000 (random number) calories per day suddenly started eating only 1,500 a day they would lose a pound per day? Even if they didn't exercise?

This just doesn't seem right to me and perhaps I am interpreting this incorrectly. As well as it wouldn't be healthy but if someone could clarify this for me I would greatly appreciate it. Lastly I am not suggesting anyone do this nor am I saying I plan to, I am just confused.
 
Hi there! I am not a professional in this area, but here is the way I hear it. First of all, if a person is eating 5000 cals a day, they are SERIOUSLY gaining weight. First of all, if they dropped down to...let's say around 2000 - 2500 (depending on male, female, activity level) they would begin to only maintain their weight. So...that is the point you begin to work down from. If you are maintaining your weight at 2000 cals a day and you drop it down to 1500 cals in a day, then over one week, you will have a deficit of 3500 cals. That would be 1 lb lost.

Does that help? If someone is eating 5000 cals a day, they should be gaining about .75 lbs to 1 lb a day. You have to bring it down to maintenance level before you start subracting calories to actually burn what you already have.

If I didn't say this right, maybe someone else will have a better way of answering.
 
yep

Sounds pretty much right, except that the calories needed to maintain your weight vary a LOT with your size, weight, and level of activity. A person in training for an intense sport might actually be maintaining their weight on 5000 calories a day. That's WAY more than the calories needed for a person who is sedentary. But most of us are not running marathons or racing in the Tour de France, so generally speaking Bep is right on.
 
I see, Thankyou both for clearing that up. Now I have one more question.

If a 300lb mid 20's male who maintained their weight at 2,000 - 3,000 calories went on a 1,000 calorie diet and walked at a 5MPH pace for 3 1/2 hours a day every day would that be healthy? According to a site I was viewing yesterday, at 300lb and a 5MPH pace of walking you would burn off about 1,000 calories per hour, or 1lb for every 3 1/2 hours.

So first of all does that sound accurate? If so would you recommend against it? Can it be done without suffering severe consequences to your health from lack of calories? Also when would you suggest this person eat dinner? Before or after the 3 1/2 hour walk if they were to do it at night? Should they do the walk then go to sleep or long before they go to sleep? I've heard things over the years how little stuff like this can matter. So it was more than one question but I would greatly appreciate any help.
 
I'm no doctor, but I did stay at a holiday inn express last night. :D I can't answer your question with specifics about health, but there is no way that that could be healthy. I would like to say this. If you are thinking about doing that to lose weight, I would advise against it even before I knew the risks. I just don't see that as sustainable, physically or mentally. I know that if I tried something like that I would burn myself out after two weeks, fall off the wagon, and end up 3 months down the line 20 pounds heavier then when I started the crazy diet. My advice is to start slow, baby steps, and work out a plan that is long-term sustainable.
 
That's where the celery comes in :)
Apparently celery is a negative calorie food which means your body burns off more calories trying to get the energy from the celery than the celery actually has. So once you get your 1000 calories in you just keep yourself full with celery. That is if you like the taste of it plain. It might or might not work. I just need to know if doing something described in my post two above this one is healthy and won't cause long term damage.
 
I see all over the Internet that in order to lose 1lb you have to "cut or burn 3,500 calories" and thus my confusion sets in.
Click to expand...
A person is generally not going to burn that in a day, so if a person cuts 500 calories a day from their diet... then by the end of a week -that's 3500 calories saved.. or 1 pound...
 
I've always known that if you cut 500 calories a day for a week, you'll lose a pound...

Last week I lost *3* pounds!!! That means I cut 10 THOUSAND 5 HUNDRED calories last week.

You know, it just seems all wrong when I look at it that way!! It boggles the mind how many extra calories I've been eating!
 
until i started writing it down... and being honest about writing it down - i had no idea at all - and i thought i was a pretty healthy eater (i don't like chocolate, I wont buy chips because i'll eat the entire bag... but it's other stuff that was killing me - Now I think before I eat - hmmm I have to write this down - do i wanna? :D
 
No

John, it would not be healthy. If you are considering something like this, please talk to a physician to get some education. I say this because if you are the hypothetical 300 pound person considering this type of weight loss plan, your confusion itself is the biggest threat to your health.

YES, you can hurt yourself by doing this the wrong way. YES, you can damage your muscles. YES, you can deplete your body of potassium and put yourself at imminent risk of heart attack. YES, you can suffer from brain damage by depleting your body of the nutrients needed to maintain brain health.

If you keep asking enough people online, someone will tell you it is okay to follow the plan you are talking about. And if you take that flawed advice, you might die. I feel that if you are really this confused, then a doctor's advice would be far more beneficial than a continued search for information - or misinformation - online. Please, see a doctor.
 
OK...while you're all talking about calories in and calories out and burning them and smoking them or whatever you need to do to get them out of your system, I have a question...

Let's say that hypothetically, a person is consuming around 600 calories per day eating 4-6 small meals spaced evenly throughout the day and working out pretty vigorously 1/2 hour every morning, what would be the likelihood that their weight loss would stay steady without a plateau? Hypothetically, this person is trying to lose about 15-20 lbs by mid-August.

Any ideas? Let me know! I'd love to pass them along to any hypotheticals out there.
 
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