Losing 2 lbs. in a week requires burning 7,000 calories more than you eat because 3,500 calories equals 1 lb. Losing this much weight is difficult, because calories are a measurement of energy, and you must eat enough food to lose weight while you exercise. Heavier people have to eat more food, but they'll lose more weight when they exercise.
Understanding Calories
Women need to eat about 1,100 calories daily to survive, and men need to eat about 1,300, according to "Essentials for Health and Wellness," a college textbook. You need more calories for everyday activities. A 128-lb. woman who doesn't exercise needs 1,600 calories daily, according to "An Invitation to Health," a college textbook. The same woman needs 1,900 calories if she exercises 30 to 60 minutes per day and 2,100 calories if she exercises more than one hour per day. It's also important to realize that there are 9 calories in 1 g of fat and 4 calories each in 1 g of carbohydrates and 1 g of protein.
Burning Calories
Figuring out how much you have to eat to lose 2 lbs. weekly requires figuring out how many calories you burn daily. People who work at a computer burn 102 calories an hour, or 816 calories in an eight-hour workday, if they weigh 155 lb., according to the "Harvard Heart Letter." Construction workers who weigh 155 lbs. burn 410 calories an hour, or 3,280 calories in eight hours.
You will also burn more calories if you're active at home. People who weigh 155 lbs. burn 966 calories if they spend one hour each walking 4 mph, playing with their children and gardening, but only burn 168 calories if they watch television for three hours. Sleeping burns 46 calories an hour, or 368 calories during eight hours. Reading burns 84 calories an hour, or 336 calories in four hours.
Active People
Construction workers can eat more than office workers if they want to lose 2 lbs. in a week. They burned 4,950 calories in 23 hours if they worked eight hours, were active for three other hours, slept eight hours and read for four hours. If they burned 50 calories during the 24th hour napping and watching television, they burned 5,000 calories daily, or 35,000 calories during the week. Because 2 lbs. equal 7,000 calories, they will lose 2 lbs. weekly if they eat 28,000 calories during the week or 4,000 calories per day.
Inactive People
Inactive people burn 1,688 calories in 23 hours if they worked on a computer for eight hours, watched television for three hours, slept eight hours and read for four hours. If they burned 62 calories during the 24th hour reading and watching television, they burned 1,750 calories daily, or 12,250 calories during the week. Because 2 lbs. equal 7,000 calories, they will lose 2 lbs. weekly if they eat 5,250 calories during the week, or 750 calories per day. Eating 750 calories daily will, at minimum, often leave you too tired to work. It will also jeopardize your health.
References
- "The Merck Manual of Medical Information": 2003
- "Essentials for Health and Wellness"; Gordon Edlin and Eric Golanty; 2004
- "An Invitation to Health"; Dianne Hales; 2010
- "Harvard Heart Letter"; Calories Burned in 30 Minutes for People of Three Different Weights; July 2004
Member Comments