“What is the number of calories burned per pound of fat?

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. The number is higher than you might think.

Many dieticians agree that three thousand five hundred is the typical number of calories burned per pound of fat.

Yes to lose just one pound of fat you will have to burn up 3500 calories.

How much is that? Well if you are on a diet such as the 1800 diabetic diet, you are eating 1800 calories a day. So 3500 calories is about two full days worth of food.

Yikes. No wonder it is so difficult to lose weight.

But there is hope. You don’t have to burn up all 3500 calories at one time. You can do it bit by bit.

You can also avoid calories in order to avoid gaining weight. The fewer calories you add to your daily diet, the fewer you will have to try to burn off every day.

Here are some activities and how many calories they burn for you.

Just sleeping burns about 50 calories. Not bad.

An hour of gardening burns 350 to 500 calories per hour.

Circuit Strength Training burns over 1000 calories per hour and continues to burn calories up to 24 hours after completion of the workout.

Skipping rope with a jump rope burns 700 calories per hour. About the same as fast running and more than jogging (see below). This can be done anywhere and the equipment costs less than five dollars.

Jogging at 5 miles per hour will burn around 500 calories per hour.

Aerobics classes burn about 450 to 500 calories per hour.

Walking at a normal pace, and playing golf (without a golf cart), each burn around 250 to 280 calories per hour.

Power walking can burn over 600 calories an hour. So can riding a bicycle or an exercise bike at the gym.

Housework can burn 100 to 200 calories per hour, depending on the activity level.

Another way to “burn” away calories is to simply avoid the easy ones.

For example, a tablespoon of mayonnaise has 150 calories of pure fat. If you leave it off your sandwich you never have to take it off your hips later.

Ask yourself, is a brief moment on the lips, worth a long time on the hips? Is this worth it, considering the number of calories burned per pound of fat?

The same goes for sugary sodas. Try drinking water instead next time you are confronted with this choice. Just say, to yourself or out loud, “I’m tired of soda. It doesn’t quench my thirst. I’m just going to have good old water.”

You save hundreds of calories here too. They all add up. Avoiding 3500 calories this way keeps another pound of fat from being added to your body. One less to try to remove later.

Every time you eat, try to keep in mind the number 3500 – the number of calories burned per pound of fat.

This is all easier said than done of course.

The increase of activity to burn calories and the lowering of calorie consumption are the two sides of the weight loss equation.

Most people have a mistaken belief they have to eat less food. That is not the case. The truth is, they have to eat different food. They are eating the wrong foods.

You can go to McDonald’s restaurants and order a cheeseburger, fries and a soda… or you can order a chicken breast sandwich on a whole wheat bun, with a glass of water.

If you weigh the meals they are about the same quantity of food. The difference is in the ingredients. In the calories burned per pound of fat. One meal has far more calories and fat than the other.

An ounce of lean chicken is not the same as an ounce of butter.

So you don’t always have to eat less food, you may simply need to eat different food.

If you can change your eating habits, one little habit at a time, you can change your body.

What habit will you start with? The soda? The mayonnaise? Switching from creamy coffee drinks to plain? Small changes add up for you or against you.

I wish you all the best of success in making these small changes. Good luck and stay positive. You can do it.

Train Smart, Train Hard, Go Full Force

Sam Martin

There’s nothing for you to lose except the unwanted and unhealthy fat.  If I am wrong in my advice then simply stop.  If my advice helps you then keep going. 

Here’s the thought that  shocks my potential clients:  Limit your cardio and increase your strength training.  That’s it.  Sounds simple and the truth be told, it is simple.  The very basic concept causes many people to think I’ve lost my mind. After all isn’t cardio the ultimate fat burning workout?  Nothing beats 45 minutes on the treadmill.  Right???

WRONG! The reality and cold hard truth is that strength training is the best and surest way for men and women to increase their metabolism, burn fat and sustain long term weight loss.  Cardio is important, but not nearly as important as many believe it is.

Use the following advice at your risk. Its works for me and my clients.  It has been one of the few ways folks lose fat and keep it off.  Just a little tidbit for you:  A pound of fat burns 5 calories per day.  A pound of muscle burns 50 calories per day.  Simply adding 5 pounds of beautiful, lean and toned muscle equals an additional 250 calories burned per day…. I think that is pretty impressive.

And to the women!  A lot of women are deathly afraid to touch a dumbbell, and I find myself lucky to get them to consider this outrageous idea…. They do not want to lift a 10 pound weight for fear of bulking up.  THAT WON’T HAPPEN!  For years I’ve tried to educate the public about strength training.  Take the next few weeks and focus on a good strength program. Do not fear the weights. Lift heavy and push your muscles. Your muscles should be fatigued by the last few reps of each set.  Always maintain perfect form and always have complete control over your workout.

Cardio is wonderful. Nutrition is vital. Strength training is the master of fat loss. Whether you have a few pounds or 70+ pounds to lose, strength training is your answer.  Go ahead and give it a try.  Give me a call if you need additional help and always ask your doctor if it’s okay to start a fitness or nutrition program.

Remember, it takes 10 pounds of unwanted ugly fat to burn the same 50 calories  as one  beautiful pound of muscle per day.  Imagine shredding the fat and replacing it with muscle.  You’ll have the perfect body you’ve always dreamed of— lean, toned, more defined and always burning fat.

Train Smart, Train Hard, Go Full Force

Sam Martin