In 1958, a scientist named Max Wishnofsky concluded that the caloric equivalent of one pound of body weight lost or gained was 3,500 calories ( 3 ). He based his conclusion on the scientific evidence available at the time.

How many calories is equivalent to 1 pound?

Past research has shown that there are roughly 3,500 calories in 1 lb of body fat. This has led many people to believe that if they want to lose 1 lb of body weight, they just need a reduction of 3,500 calories. For example, this would mean losing 500 calories each day to lose 1 lb of body fat in a week.

How many calories do I need to burn to lose 1 pound a day?

You need to burn 3500 calories a day to lose one pound a day, and you need anywhere between 2000 and 2500 calories in a day if you are doing your routine activities. That means you need to starve yourself the whole day and exercise as much as to lose the remaining calories.