What are Calories | How Many Calories are in 1 lbs/kg

Calories

In my Top 10 Reasons Why You’re Fat post, I talked about the importance of regulating your calories. A calorie is often referred to a kilocalorie (kcal) in the academic world. I will use the word “calorie” so I don’t cause confusion.¹

One calorie is the energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of water 1 degree Celsius¹ (4.23 cups of water 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit²). A calorie is the potential energy in carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram, proteins contain 4 calories per gram, and fats contain 9 calories per gram.¹

How many calories do I have to burn to lose 1 lbs or 1 kg?

You must burn 3,500 more calories than you consume to lose 1 lbs of fat (7,700 calories to lose 1 kg).³  This means that if you consumed 2,000 calories and burned 2,500 every day, you would lose 1 lbs in a week ( (2,000 - 2,500) x 7 = 3,500).

To lose weight you can either eat less calories, burn more calories, or both.

1. Insel, Paul, & Turner, R. Elaine, & Ross, Don (2004). Nutrition –2nd ed, pg. 14. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

2. 1 US gallon weighs 8.34 lbs or 3.78 kg. 0.26455 gallons weighs 1 kg (1 / 3.78). There are 16 cups in a gallon, so 4.23 cups weigh 1 kg (0.26455 * 16).

3. Corbin, Charles B. & Lindsey, Ruth (2005). Fitness for Life –5th ed, pg. 230. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Tags: Calories, Weight Loss