converting pounds to calories

J

jamie3

New member
somebody told me that 500 calories is equivalent to 1 pound....so does that mean if i went to the gym and burnt 1000 calories i would immediately have lost 2 pounds?
i assume its not that simple...but hey it would be good if it was!
 
1 lb of fat is equivalent to 3500 calories.

And no, it is not always that simple.
 
The 500 number comes from the idea that if you eat 500 calories less or burn 500 calories more a day for 1 week (total = 3500 calories), then you will lose a pound.
 
True: 1lb of fat = 3500c no dispute. 1lb is also bigger in bulk size (or just takes more to make 1lb) than muscle

But, on the same note or simular topic, how many c in 1lb of muscle? Smaller and denser than fat (or just takes less) to make 1lb.

Which is interesting: considering that though one may be in say, -3500c deficit, that not all tissu loss is fat (loss of possible tissue else where).

Steve, do you know how many c in one 1lb of muscle just curious about it.
 
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Geez, I can't remember. I know I saw figures on it someplace. It was low, relatively speaking.... something like 800-900 calories if I can remember.

Remember, muscle is majority water, which has no caloric value.

Of course, again relatively speaking, you need more energy to synthesis this particular tissue.
 
Chillen said:
True: 1lb of fat = 3500c no dispute. 1lb is also bigger in bulk size (or just takes more to make 1lb) than muscle

But, on the same note or simular topic, how many c in 1lb of muscle? Smaller and denser than fat (or just takes less) to make 1lb.

Which is interesting: considering that though one may be in say, -3500c deficit, that not all tissu loss is fat (loss of possible tissue else where).

Steve, do you know how many c in one 1lb of muscle just curious about it.
Click to expand...

Further to what Steve said. He's right. Muscle is mostly water....and substantially lower in calories compared to fat.

What I've most often read is that ( lean ? ) muscle is just about 70- 75 % water, with the bulk of the remainder ( 20 - 25 % ) being protien and with only some traces of fat, minerals etc. The exact numbers will vary a bit source to source, but this seems to be about where it comes in. After a quick Google search I was able to find a link, just as an example, that has something close to this.....they put it at 22% protein, 72% water, and 6% fat. ( )

So, you just have to convert 1 pound to grams..........which is 454 grams.


Protien :... 454 x .22 = 100 grams X 4 calories per gram = 400 calories
Fat :......... 454 x .06 = 27 grams X 9 calories per gram = 245 calories
Total..........400 + 245 = 645 calories​


Again, this 645 is just a ' ball park ' guess. Depending on the water and protein assumptions you use,I suppose it could higher and might even come closer to the values Steve had recollected.

In any event, it's safe to say the calories in a pound of muscle are not on the same scale as the calories in a pound of fat ( i.e 3,500 calories ).
 
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Wrangell:

Thanks for the educational input and insight. Its must appreciated. You to Stoutman (Steve).

That is a very interesting difference of which I want to look into additionaly for educational reasons. Many thanks in advance.
 
It's depressing because once I have it in my head that I need to burn 3,500 calories in order to lose a single pound, it demotivates me. I'd rather go into the gym and do the absolute best I can do (usually burning between 500 and 700 calories in a cardio session) and goodness knows how many in a weight training session 4 to 5 times a week; I'd rather do all that than have to meet a specific target of 3500/4 or 5. Plus, once I've got that '3500' figure stuck in my head, there's the possibility that I won't want to push myself beyond whatever target that creates, which won't help me.

I guess it's just me... same reason I'm trying to focus on my cardio, weight training and healthy eating (and treat the consequent weight loss as a welcome side effect), rather than focus on the numbers on the scale, which can be depressing, and actually hinder me from my goal..
 
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I was actually quite surprised when I learned how many calories it took to lose a pound. But it helps for me to focus on the daily estimate of 500 calories to lose a pound in a week. So I aim for a 500 daily calorie deficit, as is recommended. I get about half from diet and half from exercise, and that makes it easier to manage.
 
ElenaDragon said:
I was actually quite surprised when I learned how many calories it took to lose a pound. But it helps for me to focus on the daily estimate of 500 calories to lose a pound in a week. So I aim for a 500 daily calorie deficit, as is recommended. I get about half from diet and half from exercise, and that makes it easier to manage.
Click to expand...

Smart plan.
 
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I suggest preventing yourself from being depressed over things you cannot change and be more concerned with the things YOU CAN CONTROL. And, what you CAN control, is losing weight. Knowing you have to be approximtely -3500 calories in deficit to lose one approximate pound.

If one wastes mental energy (and acts this out accordingly) on this type of thought process, it can have devestating effects on your personal goal, while at the same time----the FACT REMAINS THE SAME and your feelings changed nothing--BUT YOU for the worse.
 
Huh? Prevent myself from being depressed? (I assume your post was for my benefit)

Did you read my post? I did say that I'm focusing on my cardio, weight training and healthy eating, rather than focusing on the numbers..

I'm not sure of the point to your post, I'm afraid.
 
I apologize if I didnt explain myself explicately enough. Please dont take it personaly.

It was just a: Food for the brain, sort of thing, coupled with a possibility of a type of result from this kind of depression......if its continued. The mind can bog one down if not consciously aware of it. And this can be a demotivator (like you said in your post), and this was my POINT, and I was really hitting on the demotivating part of your post because having and maintaining motivation can be difficult.......but MUST be kept.

Yes, I knew you were still working out. I apologize for this misunderstanding.
 
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RhoRho said:
It's depressing because once I have it in my head that I need to burn 3,500 calories in order to lose a single pound, it demotivates me.
Click to expand...
Don't forget though that things like breathing and sleeping also burn calories... it doesn't all have to come from the elliptical :D
 
No probs Chillen, it's always good to clarify things.. It's just something I've always had - an aversion to numbers. I might be able to do something perfectly well, but once I'm given a number to adhere to, I start to have problems. So I tend to approach things from the health perspective. I don't want to have to count numbers for the rest of my life, and I don't think it's healthy (or normal) to do that, so I'm aiming to get into a groove of healthy eating and exercise that I will always be able to maintain. I think that is more important in the long run than constantly counting how many calories I need in order to lose weight..

Thanks Mal the Fun Aunt, I actually forgot about all that... I'm currently having this discussion with Juliette about breathing, particularly during my cardio workouts. It's almost like I need a class to learn to breathe! And sleep!
 
you find a class that teaches you how to sleep sign me up :) I haven't had more than 4 hours of slee a night for the past month or so....
 
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