Cut 3,500 calories for one pound?
That’s the common “rule” for weight loss, meaning if you achieve a 3,500-calorie deficit by eating less and/or exercising more, you’ll lose a pound of body weight. That figure is simplified, however, coming from 1950s research that focused primarily on very overweight women. Many factors besides weight come into play, including body composition, sex, age, metabolic rate and activity level. Lean people, for example, usually need to burn fewer calories to lose a pound (an example of “unfair!”). Overall, though, the 3,500-calorie estimate works fairly well for obese people.