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Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Why Don't Calorie Per Pound Add Up?

If one gram of fat = 9 calories, and one pound of body fat = 3500 calories, then why don't they add up properly?

There are 454 grams to each pound, so if I multiply that number by 9 (9 calories per gram), why is it I get 4086 calories per pound?

I thought it is supposed to be 3500 calories per pound of fat?

ANSWER:
One pound of body fat is not actually all made up of fat. About 10% is water, and water contains no calories. Another point to remember is the fat we consume in food is not completely absorbed, about 5% is eliminated in the feces.

If you now take away 15% from 4086, you end up with 3473.1 calories. Yes, this is not quite 3500 calories, but most experts can only ever work to estimates because it's very difficult to be completely accurate as everyone is different. For example, one person may have 10% water in one pound of fat, while another person may have 9%. The weight loss industry standard is correct and works well by taking into account all the variables.

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