The Mayo Clinic states that losing weight comes down to calories versus energy. An extra 3,500 calories beyond the amount of energy used will add approximately 1 lb. of fat to the body. Conversely, an extra 3,500 calories expended above the amount consumed equals a pound of weight lost. To lose 5 lbs., the body must burn 17,500 calories more than is consumed.
Cut Calories
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says that weight loss should incorporate lifestyle changes, not just temporary changes in eating habits, also known as a diet. Diets focus on restricting caloric intake for a short period of time to lose weight. The CDC says that, for long-term weight loss, aiming for a reduction of 500 to 1,000 calories a day will result in a pound of weight lost per week, which is considered a healthy goal. Once the weight loss is achieved, choosing healthy food choices over higher-calorie options can keep the weight from coming back.
For a 5 lb. weight-loss goal, reducing caloric intake by 500 calories per day will take approximately five weeks to achieve. If calories are reduced by 1,000 per day, a 5 lb. weight loss could be achieved in less than three weeks.
Exercise
Perhaps even more important than cutting calories, exercise is vital in the pursuit of weight loss. Dieting without exercise can reduce metabolism, making it even more difficult to lose weight. Additionally, weight loss without exercise to tone muscles can cause the skin to sag and look flabby.
According to a 2000 study by researchers Robert Ross, Jennifer Freeman and Ian Janssen published in the journal, “Exercises and Sport Sciences Reviews,” exercise alone is effective in achieving weight loss.
A 180-pound person walking at a brisk 4-mph pace for one hour will use approximately 400 calories. Adding a one-hour walk each day for six days will result in an additional weekly expenditure of 2,400 calories. Simply by adding the walk, without any calorie restriction, a person could see a 5 lb. weight loss in about seven weeks.
Dietary Modification Plus Exercise
For the fastest weight loss, a combination of diet and exercise may be the best option. In a 1986 study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, researchers found that a combination of diet and exercise resulted in faster weight loss than either diet or exercise alone.
Combining a caloric reduction of just 500 calories with the addition of a 4-mph walk just three times per week can result in a 5 lb. weight loss in under a month.
About this Author
Juliet Harpe studied nursing at West Valley College in Saratoga, Calif., and theater arts at DeAnza College in Cupertino, Calif. She researches alternative health therapies and has been manufacturing natural perfumes and aromatherapy products since 2005. Harpe has been writing for websites such as LIVESTRONG, eHow and AnswerBag since 2009.
